Kidnappers found guilty of killing DJ in empty bar

Mehmet Koray Alpergin's body was found near the Oakwood Hill Industrial Estate in Loughton two days after he was killed

Two men have been found guilty of killing a popular radio DJ in a bar near Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Mehmet Koray Alpergin and his girlfriend Gozde Dalbudak were kidnapped in central London last October, the Old Bailey heard.

Mr Alpergin was beaten, throttled, burned and stabbed before his body was dumped in an Essex woodland.

Tejean Kennedy, 33, and Ali Kavak, 26, were found guilty of kidnap, false imprisonment and manslaughter.

The couple were travelling home to Enfield from an Italian restaurant in Mayfair when they were snatched and taken to the Stadium Lounge wine bar, which backs on to White Hart Lane, the court heard.

Jurors were told 43-year-old Mr Alpergin's killing bore "all the hallmarks" of serious organised crime and the world of drugs.

'Don't be scared'

During the attack on 13 October 2022 Ms Dalbudak was locked in a toilet for two days before she was freed by her captors and given money for a taxi.

The 34-year-old, who has since returned to her home in Turkey, recalled her boyfriend telling her "my love, don't be scared" before he cried out in pain as he was beaten.

A post-mortem examination found that he had suffered 94 separate injuries.

A jury deliberated for nearly 48 hours to find Kennedy and Kavak guilty.

They also found Samuel Owusu-Opoku, 35, guilty of two counts of kidnap. Steffan Gordon, 34, had admitted kidnap 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, who was originally from northern Cyprus, was a well-known figure in the British Turkish community.

He owned a Turkish language radio station in London, Bizim FM, and had in the past been pictured with celebrities.

'Happy-go-lucky'

Prosecutor Crispin Aylett KC had told jurors the normally "happy-go-lucky" DJ had seemed anxious and on edge in the days before his death.

The court heard that he was heavily in debt, owing £32,405 for his Audi as well as other claims against him.

The couple's abductors found them after planting a tracking device in Mr Alpergin's car.

Giving evidence, Kavak said he did not know what was going on and claimed he disposed of the body while "under duress".

In his evidence, Gordon also denied knowledge of what was happening.

Other defendants declined to give evidence, 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 into custody to be sentenced on 12 December.

They will be joined by Yigit Hurman, 18, of Muswell Hill, who admitted perverting the course of justice.

Two more suspects are believed to have fled abroad. Two other defendants were cleared of wrongdoing.

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