Father accused of raping and killing his son in Turkish Cyprus given life sentence

NICOSIA - Radikal

A Turkish Cypriot court handed down a life sentence Aug. 6 to a father accused of raping and killing his 7-year-old son in the verdict hearing of a case that deeply shocked the northern part of the Mediterranean island.

Erol Diker was arrested last year after the body of his son Mustafa Diker was found in a village near the Beşparmak mountain range. The investigation showed evidence that Mustafa Diker had been raped by his father, who had personally reported him missing in the first place. Mustafa Diker's stepmother and uncle had already been sentenced to five years each for complicity in the murder.

The court found Erol Diker guilty of 12 charges including rape, child abuse, incest, torture and murder.

The chief justice said during the verdict that the trial had seriously affected Turkish Cypriot society. Tight security measures had been taken around the courthouse in Nicosia ahead of the verdict due to lynch attempts by mobs at previous hearings.