Court acquits parents over death of three-year-old son in Istanbul

ISTANBUL – Doğan News Agency

A court has acquitted the parents of a three-year-old boy who was found dead in a swimming pool after going missing in the Sarıyer district of Istanbul last year, on the grounds that, “they have suffered as a result of the death of their son.” 

The judge of the 59th Criminal Court of First Instance cited Article 22 (6) of the Turkish Criminal Code during his ruling and told the parents, “I believe you have suffered enough and I do not rule any sentence. The case is closed.”

The indictment had demanded the child’s parents, mother Süverce Dikdik and father Serdar Dikdik, be sentenced to between two to six years in jail on charges of recklessness causing death.

The young Pamir Dikdik went missing in Istanbul on April 4, 2014, after he reportedly opened the front door of his house by himself while his parents were still asleep at 9:30 a.m. He then went out into the garden and climbed over a 190 centimeter-high fence. He was later found dead in the swimming pool of a neighboring villa after a massive manhunt that took almost 30 hours. The boy’s autopsy report cited his exact cause of death as drowning.

Serdar Dikdik told the court in his defense that he had tried his best to be a good father. “We lost our child. We have tried our best to be a good father and mother. I do not accept the expert report and the accusations,” he said. Süverce Dikdik said they had devoted their lives to their late son. “He was our love. We have devoted ourselves to him 24/7. He was the only child of the family. I do not accept the accusations,” she told the court before the ruling was announced.

Turkish Penal Code Article 22 (6) states: “No punishment is given if the legal consequence of the negligent offense exclusively results with injury of the offender either in person, rights or reputation in such a way not to require imposition of punishment; in case of intentional negligence, the punishment to be imposed may be abated from one-half to one-sixth.”