by The thugs who kidnapped a radio DJ and tortured him to death, while his girlfriend was held captive and forced to listen, convicted and pictured.
Mehmet Koray Alpergin, 43, and Gozde Dalbudak, 34, were arrested while returning home from an Italian restaurant in Mayfair, London, last October.
It was Ms Dalbudak’s first visit to the capital, from Turkey, after meeting Mr Alpergin, who is believed to be involved in the drug trade, that summer.
They spent a few days seeing the sights and visiting upmarket restaurants before they were suddenly taken away and bundled into a van.
The couple were taken to an empty wine bar on their way back to White Hart Lane, where Mr Alpergin, 43, was allegedly beaten, throttled, scalded with boiling water, stabbed, injured and horribly defeated.
Her body was dumped in Essex woodland and Ms Dalbudak, 34, spent two days locked in a toilet before being released by her captors and given money for a taxi.
Ms Dalbudak, who has since returned home, recalled her boyfriend telling her “my love, don’t be scared” and “I’m sorry, my love” before he cried out in pain and was beaten.
Jurors were told the killing had the “hallmarks” of serious organized crime and a drug life.
A jury deliberated for nearly 48 hours to find Tejean Kennedy, 33, and Ali Kavak, 26, guilty of the kidnapping and false imprisonment of the couple and the manslaughter of Mr. Alpergin.
Samuel Owusu-Opoku, aged 35, was found guilty of two counts of kidnapping.
Steffan Gordon, 34, admitted kidnapping and was found guilty of two counts of false imprisonment.
Kavak was also convicted of perverting the course of justice by helping to dispose of Mr Alpergin’s body and destroying two vehicles by fire. Owusu-Opoku admitted the charge.
Mr Alpergin, originally from northern Cyprus, was a well-known figure in Britain’s Turkish community.
He owned a Turkish radio station in London, Bizim FM, and in the past he was pictured with celebrities from the world of art and top rap music.
Prosecutor Crispin Aylett KC told jurors that the usually “happy” DJ appeared anxious and on edge in the days leading up to his death.
Unbeknownst to Mr. Alpergin, a tracker was fitted to his Audi car on September 23 last year.
The next day, when he noticed the car was making strange noises, a friend had told him it was bugged and instead of laughing, he went quiet, the court was told.
The victim was also heavily in debt with £32,405 owed to the Audi along with other claims against him.
On the evening of October 13 last year, his kidnappers were waiting for him and Miss Dalbudak used the tracking device to follow their movements.
As the couple returned home to Enfield, north London, father-of-two Mr Alpergin bundled into a white van and Mr Daldudak was led over to the vehicle by a masked knifeman.
The van and two cars in a convoy drove to a footpath in White Hart Lane in Tottenham which led to the back of the Stadium Lounge wine bar where Mr Alpergin was killed.
Mr Aylett said: “It is clear that Koray Alpergin was exposed and horribly tortured before his death.
“As for Godze Dalbudak, she spent almost two days locked inside a toilet at the Stadium Lounge. It was not until the late afternoon of Saturday 15 October that she was released.”
Mr Alpergin’s exposed body was found by a dog walker after he was dumped in woods near Loughton in Essex on October 15.
A post-mortem examination identified 94 separate injuries to his body including cuts and bruises, broken ribs, a heavy blow to the head and strangulation marks on the neck.
The examination found evidence that Mr Alpergin had been beaten with a bat, scalded with boiling water and the soles of his feet had been beaten.
There were also wounds to the victim’s genitals and an internal injury.
The use of vehicles with false number plates which were later burnt out had “all the hallmarks of serious organized crime – almost certainly drugs”, Mr Aylett said.
Mr Aylett told jurors: “The prosecution alleges that Koray Alpergin was abducted and tortured so that he could be punished for something he had done or be forced to give up something he knew – perhaps where there were drugs or money – and something his kidnappers wanted to know too.”
Giving evidence, Kavak said he did not know what was going on and claimed he disposed of the body “under duress”.
In his testimony, Gordon denied knowledge of what was happening.
Other defendants refused to testify, with Kennedy and Owusu-Opoku denying their presence in the van or at the Stadium Lounge.
Gordon, of Northolt, Kennedy, of Cricklewood Broadway, Owusu-Opoku, of Wood Green, and Kavak, of Tottenham, were remanded in custody to be sentenced on December 12.
They will be joined by Yigit Hurman, 18, from Muswell Hill, north London, who admitted perverting the course of justice.
Two suspects are believed to have fled abroad. Two other defendants were cleared of wrongdoing.
