Six defendants face up to 14 years in jail over death of boy left in İzmir kindergarten shuttle

İZMİR

A lawsuit has been filed against six defendants accused of causing the death of a three-year-old boy left in a kindergarten shuttle in the Aegean province of İzmir, with the prosecutor demanding up to 14 years in jail for them, Doğan News Agency has reported.

The incident occurred at the height of summer on Aug. 15, when three-year-old Alperen Sakin was reportedly forgotten inside the shuttle after arriving at his kindergarten in the Çiğli district of İzmir. Workers at the kindergarten only realized that Sakin was not present in the afternoon hours, after which they found him passed out in the shuttle.

The kindergarten administration had initially attempted to cover up what happened, claiming that Sakin fell asleep at the kindergarten and was later taken to hospital after he did not wake up. However, the police investigation following the testimony of another kindergarten official found that Sakin was forgotten inside the shuttle.

The shuttle driver and the kindergarten manager were both arrested over the incident.

The prosecutor has demanded 14-year prison terms for the driver and the manager, as well as a shuttle service official and managing director on charges of “causing death with conscious negligence” and “spoliation of criminal evidence.”

In addition, a prison term up to six years is demanded for a teacher at the kindergarten on charges of “reckless homicide” and a prison term of up to five years is demanded for kindergarten staff member on charges of “spoliation of criminal evidence.”

The kindergarten was also closed down on Aug. 18, three days after the death of Sakin.