This beautiful model’s ex-boyfriend, who is facing a 20-year prison sentence for dragging her into the woods and sexually assaulting her, has claimed “she caused all her injuries herself”.

Dilara Kursun, 25, is a Turkish model living in the north-western province of Istanbul and she made a name for herself after participating in the 2016 Miss Turkey contest.

She claims she broke up with her boyfriend Tayfun Kilic, 28, in May 2021, but he allegedly refused to accept that she did not want to be with him anymore and spent weeks begging her to take him back.

The alleged incident occurred on 16th June 2021 after Kilic called his ex asking to see her one last time, as it would have been their anniversary that day.

She agreed to meet him, but allegedly only after he threatened her family. He allegedly tried to convince her to take him back again and when she refused, he became violent.

He allegedly forced her into his car and drove to the woods in the area of Kumkoy. Once in the woods, Kilic took her out of the car and allegedly beat her before ripping off her clothes and sexually assaulting her.

The model allegedly began to cry and scream, begging him to let go, which he eventually did. She went to a police station in the district of Sariyer after the alleged attack, where she filed a complaint, and she was later taken to hospital, where she received treatment.

An investigation into the incident was launched by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office. Charges were filed against the suspect for qualified sexual assault, insult and threat, but Kilic has denied the accusations.

In the latest hearing held at the Istanbul 2nd High Criminal Court, the defendant still vigorously denied the claims against him.

He said: “Our relationship continued uninterrupted until the date of the crime. The last time we had been together was on 13th June 2021.

“Since it was our anniversary the next day (16th June), I drove her to her parents’ house so she could get ready, and I picked her up in the evening.

“For our anniversary celebration the next day (16th June), I had reserved a special table at a beach in Kilyos, made preparations and set out to pick up the complainant from her house.

“When I arrived, I called the complainant downstairs, she got into the car and we went together to the place in Kilyos. There was already a curfew, no one was around.

“There was a table on the beach. We sat and chatted for a while. Maybe we had a glass of alcohol. We had fights during our relationship, but we continued it willingly.”

The defendant continued: “Then the complainant got up from the table, took the car key, got in my car and left. I waited for 40 minutes, then I set off.

“About an hour later, she came and picked me up by car. When we got to my house, she parked the car, called a taxi and wanted to leave.

“I did not want her to leave, I was insisting that she did not go.

“We had problems, I wanted to solve them. My fault was that I insisted that she did not go, I told her not to call the police, but she did.

“The police came, and we went to the police station. Our messaging continued even inside the police station, but it didn’t help, she was determined to report me.”

Asked whether he had sexually assaulted the model and torn her blouse, the defendant said: “It is out of the question that I tore the complainant’s blouse, I did not engage in any sexual acts against her, I did not even harm a hair on her head.

“She made all the injuries on her body herself. I deny all the accusations.”

The trial is ongoing. The defendant reportedly faces 20 years in prison if convicted.