A man on trial for raping and setting fire to a 15-year-old girl who had been stabbed repeatedly claims that he only stamped her by accident when he fell against her while holding the knife.
Victim Busra Kabatas’s charred body was found under a quilt in her bedroom after neighbours in Gebze, Turkey, spotted smoke and raised the alarm on 8th October.
Asked how it could be that she had been stabbed 25 times given that he apparently only fell against her once, he claimed that somebody else must have stabbed her the other 24 times.
He was also unable to explain how it computer be used to search terms like “rape resulting in death”, “how to rape a 15-year-old child”, and “how to knock a person unconscious with an electroshock gun”.
He had also Googled “autopsy results after burning a person alive”, “forensic medicine practices after child sexual abuse”, “punishment for rape”, and “how many days would it take for the autopsy report to come out”.
Explaining to the jury about the injury he admitted causing, he said “I lost my balance and fell on her” and the “knife in my hand plunged into her throat”.
The schoolgirl had been stabbed 25 times, throttled, dumped on her bed, covered with a duvet, and set on fire.
Police swiftly identified Taner Yaylaci, who had been pestering Busra’s mother, as the prime suspect.
They believe he was obsessed with his former girlfriend Aylin Cetin, whom he had met at the factory they both worked at before he was sacked from his job.
Yaylaci was taken into custody shortly after the killing as he prepared to go on the run.
During questioning, he admitted that he had been waiting on Aylin’s street for two days to watch her movements.
Police believed he had intended to kill his ex but had found her daughter at home instead as she got ready to leave for school.
He allegedly bound Busra’s hands and feet, stabbed her 25 times, strangled her on top of her bed, and threw a quilt on top of her.
Then, he allegedly doused the quilt with a flammable liquid he had brought along with him and set it on fire.
Yaylaci told the court in Kocaeli: “There are 25 knife wounds on the victim, but 24 of them are not mine.
“I only caused one knife wound. I did not burn Busra, and I did not sexually abuse her.”
The defendant baffled judges when he claimed: “I went to her door to talk to Aylin. Busra met me at the door and cursed at me, saying, ‘My mother is not home.’
“Busra said to me, ‘My mother used you during tough times. She had another boyfriend.’
“I had the impression that Busra was being influenced by her mother. Because until that day, I had never heard Busra curse at anyone.
“I grabbed her arm and forcefully took her upstairs. Busra went to her room and continued talking.
“When Busra didn’t stop, I took a knife from the kitchen to scare her. At that moment, Busra was lying on her bed and insulting me.
“When Busra kicked me, I lost my balance and fell on her. The knife in my hand plunged into her throat.
“I was in shock, and I rushed outside. I threw the lighter, the knife, and my clothes in the rubbish.
“The lighter was not mine. I never used the stun gun. Until that day, I had not seen any bad behaviour from Busra. I regret it.”
When quizzed about his alleged internet searches, Yaylaci replied: “I don’t agree with any of these claims.”
Cemal Tinarlioglu, who is representing Busra’s family, has told local media: “In my 30 years of legal practice, this is one of the most savage murders I have ever seen.”
