A jilted killer who slit his 16-year-old former fiancee’s throat with a bread knife in front of her grandmother has been jailed for at least 30 years by judges in Turkey.
Accused Huseyin Can Gokcek, 21, had slashed victim Sila Senturk’s neck as they rowed over the break-up at her grandmother’s home in Erikliman, Giresun Province, on 16th February.
Her horrified gran sought the help of neighbours, who called paramedics, but Sila was dead by the time they got there.
Now the 1st High Criminal Court in Giresun has sentenced Gokcek to aggravated life imprisonment after finding him guilty of aggravated murder of a minor.
In Turkey, the minimum non-parole term for an aggravated life prisoner is 30 years.
Gokcek, 21, attended the hearing via video link from the F-Type High Security Closed Prison in Van where he has been held on remand since his arrest.
The pair had met her online and the couple quickly became engaged, but their relationship ended in November 2021.
Sila, 16, had moved in with her grandmother to care for her after she suffered a stroke.
Police seized Gokcek at Ordu-Giresun Airport as he fled from the crime scene.
Gokcek, who is alleged to have previously kidnapped Sila, was charged with sexual abuse, depriving a person of their liberty, and aggravated murder of a minor.
He was sentenced over the murder charge, telling the court: “I am very regretful. I am also willing to be hanged for the dishonour I have done as an example to the world.
“I deserve death.”
The case against Gokcek over the other charges is ongoing.
Femicide is a growing problem in Turkey, particularly after the country officially quit the Istanbul Convention in July last year.
According to the 2021 Annual Data Report announced by the ‘We Will Stop Femicide Platform’, 280 women were killed by men in 2021, while 217 women were found suspiciously dead.
According to data from the ‘Monument Counter’, which is “a digital memorial for women killed by violence” and is updated daily, 392 femicides have taken place in Turkey so far this year.
