LONDON—Five men have been jailed for their roles in the abduction and killing of a Turkish DJ and radio station owner who was “horrifically tortured” to death in a disused restaurant in north London.
His killers—acting on the orders of a notorious gang called the Tottenham Turks—had placed a tracker on Mr. Alpergin’s car and ambushed him as he arrived home.
On Tuesday, Judge Sarah Whitehouse, KC, jailed Tejean Kennedy, 32, for 20 years and Ali Kavak, 26, for 13 years for manslaughter, kidnap and false imprisonment.
Kavak was given a concurrent sentence for perverting the course of justice after he disposed of the body and burnt the van Mr. Alpergin had been abducted in.
Steffan Gordon, 34, was jailed for eight years for kidnap and false imprisonment and Samuel Owusu-Opoku, 29, was jailed for seven years for kidnap.
Yigit Hurman, 18, was jailed for two years after pleading guilty to perverting the course of justice.
Judge Whitehouse said “extreme violence” had been inflicted on Mr. Alpergin and Ms. Dalbudak had been held in “uncomfortable and terrifying circumstances.”
She said: “This was an appalling murder and if any of these defendants had been convicted of murder they would have been sentenced to life in prison with a starting point of 30 years and probably considerably above it. But none of them were convicted of murder and I must bear that in mind.”
‘Barbaric Torture’
She said: “How can we tell our children about the barbaric torture their father and uncle experienced? How can you explain such evil events?”Ms. Halil said: “His killers are a danger to society and will commit more crimes. We wouldn’t wish Koray’s fate on anybody else.”
She described his death as “murder” and said it had left his family in “indescribable pain.”
After the trial, Detective Chief Inspector Matt Webb, the lead investigator, said: “The circumstances of Koray’s death were like something you see in a gangster movie. First he was kidnapped by a group of men in a highly organised operation that involved placing a tracker on his car. He was then taken to a disused restaurant where he was subjected to a horrific attack.”
Fugitives From Justice
Prosecutor Crispin Aylett, KC, told the jury it was believed the crime was linked to the world of drugs and he said two key suspects—Ali Yildirim and Cem Orman—had fled the country and are now fugitives from justice.Two other men, who were only charged in Oct. 2023, are due to go on trial next year charged with the kidnap, false imprisonment, and murder of Mr. Alpergin.
It can also now be reported that a 33-year-old man who featured in the trial—Talip Guzel—was shot dead in Aug. 2023 not far from the Stadium Lounge.
A man awaits trial for his murder.
The Tottenham Turks—or Tottenham Boys—have dominated north London’s underworld for 20 years and have an ongoing feud with a Hackney-based Turkish gang sometimes referred to as the Bombacilar (Bombers).
Among the leaders of the gang are Kemal Eren. Another trial at the Old Bailey in 2022 heard Eren had used an EncroChat phone to give orders to minions in London to kill rivals in the capital.
The exact reason for Mr. Alpergin’s death is unclear, although the trial heard from one witness that after he and Ms. Dalbudak were bundled into a van outside his home in Oakwood, north London, some of the kidnappers demanded to know the whereabouts of an item—possibly a consignment of drugs—and he was heard to say the address was on his phone.
A post-mortem examination found Mr. Alpergin had suffered 94 separate injuries, including 14 rib fractures and brain damage caused by a heavy blow to the head.
Mr. Aylett told the jury: “From the number and nature of the injuries that were sustained, the prosecution suggests that it is not hard to envisage a group of sadistic thugs taking it in turns to inflict injury, whether with punches and kicks, hitting him with a bat, scalding him with boiling water, stabbing his feet.”
After he died, Mr. Alpergin’s body was transferred to the boot of a stolen Renault Megane and was then dumped in some woods in Loughton, where it was later found by a man walking his dog.
Ms. Dalbudek was locked in a toilet at the Stadium Lounge for two days but was eventually released. She gave a full account of what had happened to her to the police but then returned to Turkey and refused to give evidence either in person or on a videolink at the trial.
She said: “The Met lacks Turkish and Kurdish officers. Reactive policing is never going to achieve anything. This is never going to stop, for as long as there is a Turkish and black community.”
