A newly-found text message has led investigators to believe that a Turkish policeman shot his girlfriend in the head.

Deputy Commissioner Dogancan Yildiz of the Turkish Police Service has always maintained that Yesim Akbas shot herself in the head with his service weapon.

The incident took place on the morning of 14th April, when police teams rushed to a room in the district police dormitory in Demirci, Manisa Province, after hearing a gunshot.

There, they found Yildiz and Yesim with an entry wound to the head.

Yesim, 26, was taken to hospital but passed away.

Yildiz was taken into custody but was released on bail four days later.

Now, following an investigation by the Demirci Public Prosecutor’s Office, the Salihli Heavy Penal Court has ordered that he be retaken into custody.

Yildiz, 32, has always maintained that he tried to help his girlfriend.

In his statement, he had said: “She was lying face down on the ground. When I approached Yesim, I noticed that her eyes were slightly open, and she was breathing.

“I focused solely on that. I used a towel to try to stop the bleeding.

“Since my phone was in the kitchen, I went to the kitchen to call 112. When I returned to Yesim, I noticed the gun. The gun was on the floor.”

He had continued: “I continued to intervene with a towel after calling 112. When the authorities arrived, they saw me in that position.

“While attending to Yesim, I touched her head, face, and shoulders, but other than that, I had no other contact with her.

“Throughout that process, I absolutely did not wash my hands until swab samples were taken. I did not use cologne.

“On the incident day, when I left the gun on the bench in the bedroom, the magazine was attached, and there was one bullet in the gun’s chamber.

“The gun does not have a safety mechanism. Only my gun has a trigger safety, and it is not possible to fire it without squeezing the trigger with a finger.

“There is no other safety lock on the gun.”

Yildiz had also said: “In the training we received, it was mentioned that the bullet should be in the chamber ready to be fired since we cannot know when or how an incident would occur. I was using my gun in this way.

“On the incident day, when I last left the gun, the bullet was ready to be fired, which means Yesim did not need to cock the gun when she took it.

“It was only possible to fire the gun by squeezing the trigger.”

But new evidence has cast doubt on this version of events.

While examining phone records, investigators found that Yesim – a beauty salon manager – had sent a message about 40 minutes before the fatal shot was fired.

The message, sent to the service representative for the laser epilation device in her salon, said: “I’m waiting for you, Mr Gurkan.”

Investigators believe that this proves that the young woman – who lived with Yildiz – had no intention of taking her own life.

Meanwhile, Yildiz’s ex-wife, 28-year-old Meryem Emir, has told how he repeatedly assaulted her, insulted her, and even put a gun to her head on two occasions.

The case is ongoing.

Femicide is a growing problem in Turkey, particularly after the country officially quit the Istanbul Convention in July 2021.

According to data from the ‘Monument Counter’, which is “a digital memorial for women killed by violence” and is updated daily, 393 women were killed by men in 2022, while 100 femicides have taken place in Turkey so far this year.