Story By: Feza Uzay, Sub-Editor: Marija Stojkoska, Agency:  Newsflash

These are the last pictures of a pregnant young woman shortly before her husband is accused of pushing her off the cliff in order to cash in on the insurance money.

Police suspect that Hakan Aysal, 40, had pushed his pregnant wife Semra Aysal, 32, off the cliff where she was killed instantly while they were on holiday in the Butterfly Valley in the Fethiye district of the southeastern Turkish city of Mugla in June 2018.

She was killed together with her unborn child that was in the seventh month of pregnancy after they had been taking pictures on the clifftop, and prosecutors say that the “accident” was in fact murder carried out by the husband so that he could cash in on insurance that he had taken out a short while previously.

In the indictment prepared for the crime of ‘deliberate murder’ against the husband, it states that he “planned the murder of his wife by first taking out a personal accident insurance on her behalf with a guarantee of TRY 400,000 (GBP 40,865) and where the only beneficiary was himself”.

The prosecutors claim that the only reason they sat on top of the cliff for three hours was so that he could make sure no one was around, and as soon as he realised they were alone, he had deliberately killed her by pushing her off the cliff.

The indictment also noted that Aysal had claimed the insurance payment of TRY 400,000 (GBP 40,865) a short while later but it was declined when news of the investigation was unveiled.

He has denied being responsible for her death saying: “After taking a photo, my wife put the phone in her bag. Later she asked me to give her the phone. I got up and then heard the scream of my wife behind me when I walked a few steps away to get the phone from her bag. When I turned back, she was not there. I did not push my wife.”

The indictment prepared for the crime of ‘deliberate murder’ was accepted by the Fethiye High Criminal Court after his arrest in November last year.

The investigation is reportedly still continuing as possible extra charges for example do with insurance fraud may also be possible.

The ViralTab page is created by and dedicated to professional, independent freelance journalists. It is a place for us to showcase our work. When our news is sold to our media partners, we will include the link here.