Arrested Turkish crime writer says he prepared for jail in a psychiatry clinic

İsmail Saymaz - ISTANBUL

Turkish crime writer Emrah Serbes, who turned himself in and was arrested on Sept. 28 for killing a father and his teenage daughter in a car accident on Sept. 22 in western Turkey, has said he had admitted himself to a psychiatric clinic and was preparing for jail mentally since the incident.

Serbes, best known for authoring the “Behzat Ç.” books that have been adapted to a popular television series and movies, said in court that he was sober at the time of the accident.

“I was on psychiatric medication that was meant to help me focus,” Serbes said in his testimony.

“To get myself together, I was treated for four, five days in a clinic. I prepared myself spiritually and mentally for the jail conditions,” he said.

Following a hearing at a judicial court, Serbes was put on trial and was arrested right after.

Serbes’ friend Kenan Doğru, who was also in the car and claimed responsibility over the accident, was released from prison following Serbes’ arrest.

In his confession letter as well as in his court testimony, Serbes said he did everything he could to avoid crashing into the family in the car.

The widely popular television series “Behzat Ç. Bir Ankara Polisiyesi” (Behzat Ç. An Ankara Detective Story), based on the novels “Her Temas İz Bırakır” (Every Contact Leaves a Trace) and “Son Hafriyat” (Last Excavation) by Serbes, became a sensation in Turkey during 2010 and 2013, putting Serbes on the country’s literature map.

The main character “Behzat Ç.” is a rough, violent and morally ambiguous police officer who is the head of the homicide department in Ankara. The series and movies tell the stories of him and the members of his department.

There are also two movies featuring the same characters: “Behzat Ç. Seni Kalbime Gömdüm” (I Buried You in My Heart) and “Behzat Ç. Ankara Yanıyor” (Ankara is Burning).