A man accused of lifting his petite girlfriend into the air and smashing her down onto the ground with full force when she insulted him has told a court he did not mean to kill her and was surprised when he was told later she had died.
The case where the woman suffered massive head injuries was heard in Odemis, in Izmir province, western Turkey, on 11th March, when Olgun Gacar, 35, appeared before the Odemis 2nd High Criminal Court over the killing of 27-year-old Fatma Kara.
Gacar is being tried over the attack that prosecutors say took place on 11th March, where Fatma had met her former boyfriend to talk.
According to the indictment, an argument broke out between the pair before Gacar grabbed Fatma by the neck, dragged her for about four metres (13 feet), forced her to the ground, and lifted and slammed her body onto the street three times before walking away.
Witnesses called emergency services and police, but medics pronounced Kara dead at the scene.
Her body was taken to the Izmir Forensic Medicine Institute for an autopsy.
Gacar was detained after the killing and later remanded in custody.
Prosecutors said the evidence showed Fatma did not attack Gacar during the incident.
They also said Gacar’s statements to police and prosecutors contained contradictions and described his defence as an attempt to escape responsibility.
The indictment stated that Fatma had previously complained of violence by Gacar and that two restraining orders had been issued against him.
It also stated that he had previously gone to where she was with a shotgun.
Prosecutors have charged him with the intentional killing of a woman and are seeking an aggravated life sentence.
At the hearing, Gacar told the court he had gone to the house where Fatma worked as a caregiver because he wanted to speak to her.
He said they walked together for a while before an argument began.
In his defence, Gacar told the court: “When she said insults and bad words, I lost control. I pushed her towards the ground. I had no intention of killing her. I learned Fatma had died at the police station.”
In an earlier prosecution statement included in the indictment, he said: “I did not want to intentionally kill Fatma, and I had no plan to kill her. We had an argument because of old issues. Because I was angry, I lifted Fatma by the neck with my hand and threw her to the ground. Due to the impact, Fatma hit her head on the ground and could not move again.”
Fatma’s father, Yilmaz Kara, told the court that the defendant had constantly threatened his daughter and put her under pressure.
The prosecutor asked that the outstanding issues in the file be completed and requested that Gacar remain in custody due to the seriousness of the accusations.
The court ordered that his detention should continue and adjourned the hearing.
After the hearing, lawyer Nevraz Sigin, who represents Fatma’s family, said the defendant had used a victim-blaming defence and claimed he was trying to secure a sentence reduction.
Fatma’s father said his daughter had been killed by having her head smashed against the ground repeatedly and said the family wanted the heaviest possible punishment.
Her brother, Necip Kara, said the family believed the defendant’s statements were aimed at securing a reduced sentence and vowed they would continue pursuing the case.
