Three men charged with the murder of a popular Turkish DJ in London, Ali Kavak, 25, Erdogan Ulcay, 55, and a 17-year-old boy, have appeared at the Old Bailey today for a preliminary hearing.
The court heard gruesome details about the abduction of Koray Alpergin, 43 and his girlfriend, who was today named in court as Gözde Dalbudak, 33, and the DJ’s subsequent death.
Nicholas Hearn, prosecuting, said that Koray and his partner were returning to their North London home on October 13, when they were confronted by a number of assailants:
“They were attacked by individuals wearing white masks and bundled into a van and taken to a location and held there against their will,” Mr Hearn told the court.
“Mr Alpergin was badly beaten and murdered. On Saturday 15 October, two days later, Mr Alpergin’s body was found by members of the public in a woodland area in Loughton, Essex. The body was naked and had sustained burns, bruises and cuts,” Mr Hearn continued.
A post mortem gave the preliminary cause of death as strangulation, blunt force trauma and damage to the internal organs and ribs.
Ms Dalbudak, who was visiting from Istanbul, was later located and was physically unharmed.
The three defendants, who are also charged with kidnap, were remanded in custody ahead of a plea hearing on 6 January. A provisional trial date has been set for the Old Bailey on September 18 2023.
Police confirmed a fourth man, 55, was bailed until mid-November pending further inquiries.
Three men charged with Koray’s murder will be back at the Old Bailey, pictured below, on 6 January to enter a plea, with the trial date set for 18 Sept. 2023
The British Turkish community have been left deeply shocked by Koray’s murder. The popular radio presenter and DJ found fame as the founder of Bizim FM, before going on to launch another London Turkish station, Kral FM.
His parents have paid tribute to their son. Father Tuncay’s emotional social media post said his son’s place in life could never be filled, while in a clip broadcast by Kanal D, Koray’s distraught mother Meral pleaded with Turkish authorities to intervene to help bring those responsible for her son’s death to justice.
Fundraiser for Koray’s legacy
A fundraiser set up on GoFundMe by friends and family of Koray five days ago has already raised over half of its £10,000 target.
The fundraiser states that Koray’s loved ones had been left “completely broken and devastated” by the news of his murder.
“Koray was loved by everyone who had the pleasure of knowing him. A much loved member of his family, a special friend to all and a huge member of the community with the biggest heart. Koray always thought of everyone, he was kind and caring and always supported those around him. He was such a light in the community, loved by his family, treasured by his friends and he lived his life to the fullest”, those behind the fundraiser wrote.
All the money raised by the Koray fundraiser will go “towards a charitable cause in his memory (sadaqa jaria).”
