Turkish man sentenced to 25 years for raping a 16-year-old Ukrainian model

ISTANBUL

A court in Istanbul sentenced a bus driver to 25 years in jail for raping a 16-year-old Ukranian model visiting Turkey in 2015. 

The man, identified only as Erdem K., was convicted of “child abuse” and “deprivation of liberty” after the court found him guilty of raping the model after diverting his bus to a deserted plot after noticing that she was the only passenger left on the bus. 

The victim said she took the bus from the Levent area of Istanbul’s Beşiktaş district and when the assailant noticed that she was the only passenger left, he took the bus to a plot adjacent to the Türk Telekom Arena Stadium of Galatasaray Football Club in the Sarıyer district.

The victim said she noticed that she was alone on the bus after it stopped, and she told the driver that she wanted to get off but he refused, saying he wanted to have sex with her. 

She said Erdem K. raped her on the bus after approaching with a knife in his hand and threatening her. 

“He told me he wouldn’t kill me if I didn’t tell anyone about it. I couldn’t talk because I was scared. Then I started to cry. When the incident happened I was 16 years old,” said the victim. He added that the assailant later dropped her off at the place where she was staying and said “forgive me and take care.”

In his testimony, Erdem K. claimed that the victim gave her consent as they first pulled the bus over and then started chatting and smoking cigarettes. 

“Later I dropped her off to where she stayed. She waved at me as she left,” he added.     

The court found him guilty and ordered 20 years in jail on charges of sexual abuse and an additional five years on charges of deprivation of liberty.