65-year-old Hatice Temel, who lives in Avdan District of Antalya's Korkuteli district, returned to the village after taking her animals to the mountainous region to graze on the morning of November 10, 2023. According to the indictment, Temel was arrested by Ş. While passing by E.'s house, he entered the house to visit his school friend who had surgery.
Ş. It was claimed that E. took advantage of his wife's absence at home and wanted to have sexual intercourse with Temel, and when Temel accepted this and resisted, he beat her and committed aggravated sexual assault. Temel lost his life in the hall at the entrance of the house.
In the indictment, it was stated that Ş.E., who was 71 years old at the time of the incident, left the house later and when he encountered Yakup T., who was distributing bread, he said, "I hit her in the head, I killed her," referring to Hatice Temel. It was recorded that when Yakup T. looked inside the house, he saw Temel lying on his back and motionless, and then informed his relatives. In the Forensic Medicine Institute report entered into the file, it was stated that the samples taken from Hatice Temel were compatible with Ş.E.'s DNA profile, and it was stated that the injuries detected were not capable of causing death on their own, but the exertion and stress caused by the battery and sexual assault that Temel was exposed to triggered the existing chronic cardiovascular disease, and the death occurred as a result of sudden cardiac arrest. It was evaluated that there was a cause-effect relationship between Temel's death and the battery and aggravated sexual assault he was subjected to.
It was stated that Ş.E., in his statements during the investigation phase, denied the accusation of sexual assault, claimed that he did not take off Temel's clothes, did not force her to have sex, and that he did not have the intention to kill her. In his statement at the criminal judgeship of peace, it was noted that the defendant said that he hit Temel's cheek twice with his hand and then ran away, and that he did not know Temel and that there was no neighborly relationship between them.
Following the death of Hatice Temel, an investigation was launched by the Korkuteli Chief Public Prosecutor's Office. Ş., who was detained on the day of the incident. E. was arrested on November 10, 2023 by the Korkuteli Criminal Judgeship of Peace for "sexual assault in a way that would cause the victim to enter a vegetative state or kill him". The defendant was released by the same judgeship on November 14, 2024, after being detained for more than a year.
The file was sent to Antalya Courthouse because the crime fell within the jurisdiction of the high criminal court. Ş. The indictment prepared against E. was accepted by the Antalya 1st High Criminal Court and a lawsuit was filed. Along with the indictment, it was requested that the defendant be re-arrested, but the court rejected this request and decided to impose judicial control measures. Ş., who is on trial without arrest for "sexual assault in a way that causes the victim to enter a vegetative state or kill him". At the 7th hearing of the case against E., the prosecutor announced his opinion. In his opinion on the merits, the public prosecutor requested that the defendant Ş.E. be sentenced to aggravated life imprisonment for the crime of 'causing death as a result of aggravated sexual assault'. The prosecutor also requested that the time the defendant spent in custody and detention be deducted from the sentence. The 8th hearing, where a decision is expected, will be held in the coming days.
Stating that the judicial control measure of the defendant is continuing, lawyer Beyza Keser said, "The investigation initiated by the Korkuteli Chief Public Prosecutor's Office in November 2023 lasted for 1 year. The defendant was detained for 1 year during the investigation phase, but was released because the investigation exceeded 1 year and the maximum detention period foreseen for the investigation phase expired. Due to the crimes falling within the scope of heavy criminal duty, the file was sent to the Antalya Courthouse and although the arrest of the defendant was requested by the prosecutor during the prosecution phase along with the indictment; the defendant was requested by the Antalya 1st High Criminal Court. The request for arrest was rejected and the judicial control provisions were applied. The prosecutor's office gave its opinion in the last session of the court, which has been ongoing for 2 years, and in its opinion: Since it was understood that the defendant committed the act of qualified sexual assault against the victim, the victim died as a result of the sexual assault actions of the defendant, and thus the defendant committed the crime of causing death as a result of qualified sexual assault; He requested that he be sentenced to aggravated life imprisonment. The defendant is still under judicial control and the file is expected to be decided at the last hearing. We demand that the defendant be sentenced to aggravated life imprisonment, without the maximum penalty and no discount for good conduct, and that he be arrested along with the verdict.
Hatice Temel's daughter, Durdu Tulum, stated that they had been in the courthouse corridors for about 3 years after the incident and said, "I received a phone call on November 10, 2023. They said that my mother had lost her life and that someone in the village had attacked and sexually assaulted her. We have been in the courthouse corridors since that day, waiting for a result. My mother went to visit the defendant's wife, who had surgery, to get well soon. She says that her husband is at home, but since his wife is not at home, he attacks my mother. He sexually abuses her. After that, 'Hatice Temel' "My cousins come and enter the house. They see my mother's lifeless body in front of the door. It is a great pain. It may be death, but such a thing can never be accepted. We want the legal process to proceed quickly, for justice to be served. Today it is my mother, tomorrow it is someone else's mother or sister. We do not want such a thing to happen to anyone."
Temel's son, Turgut Temel, stated that they live in the same neighborhood with the defendant and said, "The defendant comes to the village and leaves without being arrested. We are in the same village; we meet at weddings and holidays, even if unwillingly. Our blood boils, but we remain patient. We expect justice to be served. My mother was a woman who lived alone in the village, earned a living with her own labor, and supported us and her grandchildren. She was a popular name in our family and neighborhood. The defendant's wife was my mother's schoolmate and went to visit her. We are in the case. "We are after him," he said.
