Record long jail time given to teacher for abusing 26 students
ANTALYA
A school teacher in the Mediterranean province of Antalya has been sentenced to 621 years in jail on charges of sexually abusing 26 of his students, marking the verdict as the heaviest punishment ever handed down to a defendant.
The incident was brought to light when one of the abused children complained about the sexual abuse by the teacher. The complaint was filed with a prosecutor’s office.
As other families also filed complaints, the teacher, Mahmut Aydın Köksar, was arrested upon an order by a court in 2019.
The final hearing of the case, which initially had a reporting ban before being lifted, was held at the Antalya 6th Heavy Criminal Court on Nov. 11.
The defendant attended the final hearing at the court with the Audio and Video Information System (SEGBİS) due to COVID-19 measures, while the families of the victims were present in the courtroom.
In his defense at the final hearing of the case, Köksar rejected the charges against him and demanded his acquittal and release.
The court sentenced the defendant to 621 years in jail for the crimes of sexual abuse, threat and the abuse of the influence of public office.
The court also ruled that Köksar be banned from teaching and did not apply good conduct abatement as he showed no regret.
The verdict went down in history in Turkey as the heaviest punishment ever given in a case with one defendant.
At the end of the trial, the families of the victims thanked the court committee with applauses.
Serap Ertuğrul, the lawyer of Antalya Bar Association Child Rights Center, said that they were satisfied with the decision of the court and that they hope the decision would be upheld by a higher court.
