Pair Guilty of Killing Turkish DJ Who Was Abducted and Tortured in London Restaurant

An undated image of Koray Alpergin who was found dead in Loughton, Essex, on Oct. 15, 2022. (Metropolitan Police)

Two men have been convicted of killing a Turkish DJ and radio station owner who was abducted and “horrifically tortured” to death in a disused restaurant by a group of “sadistic thugs” and then dumped.

Koray Alpergin, 43, was kidnapped after taking his Turkish girlfriend, Gözde Dalbudak, 33, out for a meal in Mayfair on Oct. 13, 2022 and was then taken to the Stadium Lounge, yards from Tottenham Hotspur’s stadium in north London, where he suffered a total of 94 injuries.

His killers—acting on the orders of a notorious gang called the Tottenham Turks—had placed a tracker on Mr. Alpergin’s car and ambushed him as he arrived home.

Tejean Kennedy, 32, and Ali Kavak, 26, were acquitted of murder but convicted of manslaughter at the Old Bailey on Thursday. They were also convicted of kidnap and false imprisonment and Kavak alone was convicted of perverting the course of justice.

Junior Kettle, 32, Steffan Gordon, 34, and Samuel Owusu-Opoku, 29, were all acquitted of murder and manslaughter.

Mr. Kettle was acquitted of all charges while Owusu-Opoku was convicted of kidnapping Mr. Alpergin and Ms. Dalbudak, and Gordon was convicted of false imprisonment, having already admitted kidnap.

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Erdogan Ulcay, 56, was acquitted of attempting to pervert the course of justice.

Another man, Yigit Hurman, 18, pleaded guilty to perverting the course of justice.

Defendants Arrested as They Tried to Flee Country

Hurman and Kavak had disposed of the body and were arrested by the police at Folkestone as they tried to flee to Amsterdam.

All six will be sentenced by Judge Sarah Whitehouse, KC on Dec. 12.

Prosecutor Crispin Aylett, KC, told the jury it was believed the crime was linked to the world of drugs and he said two key suspects—Ali Yildirim and Cem Orman—had fled the country and are now fugitives, although they are suspected of following orders from a criminal “Mr. Big” who has not been identified.

Two other men, who were only charged in October 2023, are due to go on trial next year charged with the kidnap, false imprisonment, and murder of Mr. Alpergin.

Killing Linked to Tottenham Turks Gang

The Tottenham Turks, led by the Eren family, have dominated north London’s underworld for 20 years and have an ongoing feud with a Hackney-based Turkish gang sometimes referred as the Bombacilar (Bombers).

The exact reason for Mr. Alpergin’s death is unclear, although the trial heard from one witness that after he and Ms. Dalbudak were bundled into a van outside his home in Oakwood, north London, some of the kidnappers demanded to know the whereabouts of an item—possibly a consignment of drugs—and he was heard to say the address was on his phone.

A post-mortem examination found Mr. Alpergin had suffered 94 separate injuries, including 14 rib fractures and brain damage caused by a heavy blow to the head.

Mr. Aylett told the jury: “From the number and nature of the injuries that were sustained, the prosecution suggests that it is not hard to envisage a group of sadistic thugs taking it in turns to inflict injury, whether with punches and kicks, hitting him with a bat, scalding him with boiling water, stabbing his feet.”

After he died, Mr. Alpergin’s body was transferred to the boot of a stolen Renault Megane and was then dumped in some woods in Loughton, where it was later found by a man walking his dog.

Ms. Dalbudek was locked in a toilet at the Stadium Lounge for two days but was eventually released. She gave a full account of what had happened to her to the police but then returned to Turkey and refused to give evidence either in person or on a videolink at the trial.

One of Killers Ordered Co-defendants to Stay Silent

It emerged during the trial Kennedy had threatened his co-defendants if they gave evidence against him.

Kennedy instructed Mr. Kettle to give Kavak a note which said, “My man’s got P on you.”

The court heard the P stood for paper and meant money and Kavak told the jury he understood Kennedy would put a contract out on him if he gave evidence against him.

Three of the five defendants gave evidence with only Kennedy and Owusu-Opoku declining the opportunity.

Gordon admitted kidnapping Mr. Alpergin but said he waited in an alley outside the Stadium Lounge for more than five hours and played no part in his torture or death.

Mr. Kettle said he was not even aware there had been a kidnap. He said he waited with his friend, Gordon, outside the Stadium Lounge for more than five hours and then panicked, burning his clothes and destroying his car and mobile phone.

Koray Alpergin was killed in the Stadium Lounge (R, with black awning) directly opposite Tottenham Hotspur's stadium in Tottenham, London, on Nov. 8, 2023. (Chris Summers/The Epoch Times)

The most intriguing testimony came from Kavak, who came up with a preposterous story that he was only hanging around with Yildirim and Orman to “distract” himself from the heartbreak of splitting from his cheating girlfriend, who was brought to court and testified on his behalf.

Kavak identified Kennedy as the mysterious “man in black”—a key figure in the trial—and said he had also heard Kennedy confess to having killed Mr. Alpergin.

He claimed he had no idea Yildirim and Orman were involved in drugs and said they had coded conversations when they asked him to drive to Oakwood and carry out reconnaissance ahead of the kidnap, although he was not able to recollect the code.

Kavak then claimed Yildirim and Orman suddenly turned on him after killing Mr. Alpergin and ordered him to dispose of the body and burn the van or they would harm him or his family.