Bandits who kidnapped a radio DJ and tortured him to death, while holding his girlfriend captive and forcing her to listen, were found guilty and photographed.
43-year-old Mehmet Koray Alpergin and 34-year-old Gözde Dalbudak were kidnapped while returning home from an Italian restaurant in Mayfair, London, last October.
This was Ms Dalbudak’s first visit to the capital from Turkey after meeting Mr Alpergin, who was believed to be involved in the drug trade, that summer.
They had spent several days taking in the sights and visiting fancy restaurants before they were suddenly taken away and put into a minibus.
The couple were taken to an empty wine bar at the back of White Hart Lane. Here Mr Alpergin, 43, was said to have been beaten, strangled, scalded with boiling water, stabbed, mutilated and horrifically raped.
Her body was dumped in Essex woodland and Ms Dalbudak, 34, spent two days locked in a toilet before her captors released her and gave her money for a taxi.
Ms Dalbudak, who later returned to her home, recalled her boyfriend telling her “my love, don’t be afraid” and “I’m sorry my love” before she screamed in pain before being beaten.
Jurors were told the murder bore “all the hallmarks” of serious organized crime and the drugs world.
The jury deliberated for nearly 48 hours to find Tejean Kennedy, 33, and Ali Kavak, 26, guilty of the couple’s kidnapping, false imprisonment and the manslaughter of Mr. Alpergin.
Samuel Owusu-Opoku, 35, was found guilty of two counts of kidnapping.
Steffan Gordon, 34, admitted kidnapping and was convicted of two counts of false imprisonment.
Kavak was also found guilty of perverting the course of justice by helping to dispose of Alpergin’s body and setting fire to two vehicles. Owusu-Opoku pleaded guilty to the charge.
Originally from Northern Cyprus, Alpergin Bey was a well-known and popular figure in the British Turkish community.
He was the owner of a Turkish-language radio station called Bizim FM in London and had been photographed with celebrities from the world of high-end cuisine and rap in the past.
Prosecutor Crispin Aylett KC told jurors the normally “lucky” DJ appeared anxious and nervous in the days before his death.
Unknown to Mr. Alpergin, a tracking device was installed on his Audi car on September 23 last year.
A friend noticed the car making strange noises the next day, joked that the car was being bugged, and went quiet instead of laughing, the court heard.
The victim also owed a hefty debt of £32,405 to Audi, as well as other claims against him.
Her kidnappers were lying in wait for her on the evening of October 13 last year, and Ms Dalbudak used the tracking device to track their movements.
As the couple returned to their home in Enfield, north London, Alpergin, a father of two, was put into a white minibus, while Ms Daldudak was taken into the vehicle by a masked knifeman.
The van and two cars drove away in convoy towards an alleyway leading behind the Stadium Lounge wine bar on Tottenham’s White Hart Lane, where Alpergin was killed.
Mr. Aylett said: “It is clear that Koray Alpergin was stripped naked and subjected to terrible torture before his death.
“As for Godze Dalbudak, he spent almost two days holed up in the restroom at the Stadium Lounge. However, he was released on Saturday afternoon, October 15.”
Mr Alpergin’s naked body was found by a dog walker after being dumped in woods near Loughton in Essex on October 15.
As a result of the autopsy, 94 separate injuries were detected on his body, including cuts and bruises, broken ribs, a heavy blow to the head and strangulation marks on the neck.
The investigation revealed evidence that Mr. Alpergin had been beaten with a baseball bat, scalded with boiling water and the soles of his feet stabbed.
The victim also had wounds on his genitals and internal injuries.
Mr Aylett said the use of vehicles with fake number plates, which were later burned, “bears all the hallmarks of being linked to serious, organized crime – almost certainly drugs”.
Mr Aylett told jurors: “The prosecution alleges that Koray Alpergin was either kidnapped and tortured as punishment for something he had done, or was forced to give up something he knew (perhaps where drugs or money were) and that his kidnappers also knew That’s what he wants.”
Giving a statement, Kavak stated that he was unaware of what was happening and claimed that he disposed of the body “under pressure”.
Gordon also denied knowledge of what was going on in his statement.
While the other defendants refused to testify, Kennedy and Owusu-Opoku denied they were in the van or in the Stadium Hall.
Gordon, of Northolt, Kennedy, of Cricklewood Broadway, Owusu-Opoku, of Wood Green, and Kavak, of Tottenham, were remanded in custody to be sentenced on December 12.
They will be joined by Yiğit Hurman, 18, from Muswell Hill, north London, who admitted perverting the course of justice.
Two more suspects are thought to have fled abroad. The other two defendants were acquitted of the crime.