A court in Istanbul sentenced Ibrahim Keloglan, who brutally killed the cat named Eros, to 2.5 years in prison for “Intentional killing of a pet.” The defendant was sentenced to 2 years and 6 months of imprisonment. The decision was met with a great reaction from the public in Turkey.
The case is being considered for the second time after Ibrahim Keloglan was arrested for the brutal murder of the cat named Eros in Basaksehir district, in the European part of Istanbul.
The 16th Criminal Court, located in the Küçükçekmeçe district, at first instance sentenced the defendant Ibrahim Keloglan to 3 years in prison for “deliberate killing of a domestic animal”.
The court later granted the defendant a sentence reduction for good behavior, reducing the sentence to 2.5 years. A measure of judicial control was imposed on the defendant by imposing a ban on foreign travel. With this decision, the defendant Ibrahim Keloglan will not go to prison, because the sentence has become conditional.
Loud protests were heard from the sidelines of the court after the announcement of the decision. Animal rights activists have shown their reaction to the release of Keloglan with scans.
The accused in custody, Ibrahim Keloglan, defended himself by repeating his first defense and said: “I am not a cruel person as they say about me. I’m not a crime machine. I lost control in a moment of anger and made a mistake that I will never forget for the rest of my life. I bought pounds of food every chance I got and fed cats and dogs in mountainous and rural areas.
Eating animals has been therapeutic for me. And I promise that I will do these things and get psychological support as much as I can in the future.
After the hearing on February 8th, I did this and donated food to an animal shelter.
This incident was misrepresented by social media and some people, pushing people towards hatred and hostility towards me. My wife and family were also reviled by the public and I was unable to go out in public. No punishment I will receive here right now is comparable to what I have experienced so far. I have nothing else to say,” he concluded.
Counsel for the appellants requested that the defendant, Kellogglan, be sentenced to the maximum sentence and be remanded in custody.
He recalled defendant Ibrahim Keloglan’s statement “I have a cat too” in his previous defense and said: “Sex offenders have children too. Female killers have wives, mothers and sisters. Therefore, the defendant’s statement that he is an animal owner is an attempt to exonerate the crime he committed. The defendant was accused from the beginning of the trial. To this day, he makes statements aimed at getting out of jail, but the charity is following the case closely,” he noted.
In announcing his opinion on the merits, the prosecutor requested that defendant Keloglan be sentenced to a prison term close to the upper limit on the grounds that he “killed the cat by torturing it with monstrous acts.”
Eros the kitten was born in the parking lot of a gated complex in Istanbul and lived there for years.
Video footage from the day of the crime, January 1, 2024, shows Ibrahim Keloglan killing Eros by pinning him in the elevator and continuing to kick him hard in a corridor of the building, pinning him against a wall.
As a result of the violence, which lasted for 6 minutes, Eros lost his life.
Thanks to this security camera recording, it was understood that Eros’s killer was Ibrahim Keloglan, and a complaint was immediately filed with the police. The attacker was detained, then released on a “good behavior discount” at the first hearing on February 8.
Kellogglan’s release despite being caught on camera has sparked backlash from lawyers and animal lovers. Prosecutors and lawyers objected to the decision. Posts were made on social media with Eros’ name.
In front of the place where Eros was killed, demonstrations were held and 250 thousand signatures were collected for the arrest of Keloglan.
Illustrative Photo by Pixabay: https://www.pexels.com/photo/close-up-photo-of-cute-sleeping-cat-416160/
