Soldier who tortured kitten arrested for breaking policeman’s ankle in Turkey’s east

ERZİNCAN

A soldier who previously made headlines for torturing a kitten has been arrested for breaking a police officer’s ankle in the eastern province of Erzincan, state-run Anadolu Agency reported on Dec. 22.

A day after he was discharged from military duty, the 25-year-old soldier identified as Taner Hepşen attempted to flee from law enforcement officials after the policemen requested he pull over the car he was driving.

His opaque car windows had made the police officers suspicious, the agency reported.

After Hepşen was removed from the car, the soldier threatened and assaulted the officers, causing a stir among onlookers.

The soldier then tried to flee the scene with his vehicle, aiming to take advantage of the chaos he had helped create.

At some point in the fracas, the offender kicked a policeman and broke his ankle, the agency reported.

Hepşen was detained for the offense, and handed to military units after he was identified as a soldier, even though he had already been discharged from duty the previous day.

Hepşen was subsequently tried at the Erzincan penal court of peace having been arrested over charges of “resisting an officer on duty and causing injuries.”

The soldier was briefly held in Erzincan on Dec. 4 after footage of him torturing a kitten recorded by a surveillance camera surfaced on social media, causing widespread fury.

He was given a disciplinary sentence by the military and fined 2,252 Turkish Liras as an administrative fine by the Erzincan Governor’s Office.