"Beat & Release" - Being on Your Best Behavior in Court Helps

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Hürriyet Newspaper, 10 October 2020)

         The once-upon-a-time beauty and the beast.

In Istanbul, Derya Elbasan (now 39) married Erol Elbasan (now 43)

when she was 18-years-old in 1999 and they had two daughters.  

Erol bey stabbed someone to death in Pendik, Istanbul, and went to 

prison, serving 8 years of a 15-year sentence.  Upon his release, Erol

bey used drugs and continuously beat his wife Derya hanım.

After filing for divorce, Derya hanım moved with her two daughters

to another home.  On 6 June, Erol bey confronted Derya hanım in 

Kartal as she was going to work and pressed a gun to her head.  He

pulled the trigger twice but the gun jammed so Erol bey hit Derya

hanım over the head with the gun's handle, and kicked her after she

fell to the ground.  

As passers-by gathered around, Erol bey explained that "my wife

fell down! Help!"  He then tried to get Derya hanım into a taxi but

she screamed "He did it!", prompting Erol bey to abscond.  Derya

hanım reached the hospital, where doctors found that both her nose

and cheekbone were broken.  Erol bey was arrested and sent to jail.

                  Caught on camera...but so what?

The public prosecutor opened a case against Erol bey for "intentional

wounding of a spouse", "threatening" and "insulting in public", 

asking for a jail sentence of between 3 and 11 years.  Derya hanım

stated that "I don't believe he's sorry. I fear for my life.  When he gets

out of jail he'll finish what he started. I want him to get the maximum."

As for Erol bey (evidently well-coached by his lawyer), he sorrowfully

declared that "I ask all women for forgiveness.  I regret everything that 

has happened."  The judge (evidently very much affected by Erol bey's

'regret') reduced the sentence for the attack to 2 years 3 months in 

jail because of Erol bey's "good behavior in court" (!) and he acquitted

Erol bey of  "threatening" and "insulting in public" for "lack of 

evidence". (!)

And (!) in light of time-served, together with an in-kind payment for

his crime, Erol bey was released from jail after four months and 

ordered to stay at least 500 meters from Derya hanım's home.

After the hearing, Derya hanım said "What does 'good behavior in

court' mean?!  Does it mean that he didn't attack me and insult me

in court in front of the judge and the prosecutor?!  I'm very 

disappointed with the court's decision.  This who 'good behavior' 

thing is an insult to me."