The hearing of the case against diet and nutrition specialist Dr. ENDER SARAC, seeking up to 22.5 years in prison for allegedly abusing his 13-year-old son, continued today at the Istanbul 34th High Criminal Court. ENDER SARAC attended the hearing with his lawyer Altun Mimir. His mother, Benan SARAC, also attended the hearing. SARAC’s son MS attended the hearing at the Judicial Chamber through SEGBİS.
In a statement accompanied by an educationist, MS stated that her mother and father had separated and lived in different apartments in the same building, and that her father had let her into the bathroom, saying she stinks. The child stated that her father had pressured her mother to reconcile, and that her mother had been blackmailed by her father and had filed an abuse complaint to put an end to this.
“He might be so angry, he might kill my mother.”
MS stated that when he reported the abuse allegations to his mother, she did not believe him and subsequently reported him to the school’s guidance counsellor, assuming that it was only his father who would be called to the school, and that after being spoken to he never approached her again and maintained that the abuse allegations were untrue.
After the statement, MS Child said, “If the restraining order can be extended, I want it to continue for life. If it is terminated, his life may be ruined, he may be very angry, he may kill his mother. I am very sad. This is scary.”
“It’s the first expression that’s remembered.”
Opposing the child’s statement, Dr Ender Sarachi said that his son’s initial statement had been memorised and that what he said in court was true and that since the two had not met for eight months it was not possible for him to remember anything.
“Memorable remarks”
The representative trustee appointed by the victim MS stated that he believed that MS’s statement in court had been memorized and filed the complaint. In the case, the lawyer for the Ministry of Family Affairs noted that victims often change their statements in their domestic violence files and stated that he wanted MS’s initial statement to be respected. Announcing the provisional decision, the court decided to wait for the judicial interview report to be prepared and sent to the file, and postponed the hearing to June 13.
