A Turkish man who poured boiling water over his wife because she woke him up to bring him breakfast in bed has been remanded in custody after initially being released on bail.
The shocking incident took place in the central Turkish city of Konya on 9th January.
The victim, Rukiye Ay, 23, speaking from hospital, said she wanted to give her husband, who she’s been married to for five years, breakfast in bed as a pleasant surprise.
However, when she woke up 28-year-old Ali Ay, he flew into a rage because he had not been allowed to lie in and started shouting at her.
She said: “I prepared it all and then went to tell my husband he had breakfast in bed.
“He was angry and demanded to know why I woke him up, and told me not to bother him, so I started having breakfast with my daughter. He came in still in a bad mood and told me he was going to divorce me and gain custody of our daughter no matter what I did.”
She added: “He then poured boiling water down my neck. He was going to throw it in my face but I turned away.
“I ran away and could my T-shirt sticking to my skin. He then threw the rest of the boiling water at me and some of it landed on my child’s feet and the rest hit me on the hip.
“I wanted to escape, but I passed out from the pain. When I came to, I could hear my daughter screaming and then I felt him grab my hair and drag me into the bathroom.”
She said the sound of her daughter crying gave her extra strength and when he took a phone call to his father, she seized the opportunity to run to a neighbour who gave her shelter and called the police, leading to her husband’s arrest.
However, instead of being remanded in custody, she was horrified when he was then released, causing public outrage that resulted in him being rearrested and remanded in custody.
She said: “I couldn’t believe it, as long as he is free me and my daughter are in danger.”
She said he pointed out how men often walked free after attacking women, including a man in the neighbourhood who escaped punishment. When he spotted such stories in the papers, she said he told her: “Look, you see, even if I kill you right now, nobody will be bothered.”
After public outrage, the suspect was detained again on order of the Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office after a complaint from Rukiye Ay’s lawyer.
He faces charges of aggravated GBH and is currently still remanded in custody.
