Prosecutors seek jail sentences for six people over death of child who choked on chocolate
ANKARA
Prosecutors in the capital Ankara have demanded a total of 13 years of jail sentences for six people over the death of a six-year-old Turkish boy who died after choking on the lid of an edible chocolate-filled syringe.
On Dec. 10, 2019, Mert Yağız Köksal died while eating a tube of chocolate he bought from the canteen of his school in Ankara’s Keçiören district.
Despite an early expert report accusing the boy of being “at fault,” the prosecutors are seeking separate jail terms for the people, including school staff, on separate charges.
The canteen manager and the product distributor may face up to six years in prison for “causing death.”
An indictment prepared said the school principal and a teacher also bore responsibility over the death of the child. Prosecutors are seeking to jail them on charges of “malpractice.”
The school principal is also being charged over “concealing a felony.”
Two officials from food control authorities are also being sought punishment.
The first hearing will be held soon, according to the prosecutors.
Another child, a seven-year-old, Umut Bilgi, died in the southeastern province of Diyarbakır after being brought to hospital for the same reason.
He bought the syringe-shaped chocolate from a store near his school on Nov. 25, 2019.
