THE FATHER of a Turkish man who is charged with the murder of two women from Co Down in the Turkish holiday resort of Kusadasi last year has also been charged with their murder.

Erup Cetin will appear in court in Izmir this morning alongside his 22-year-old son Recep Cetin. Both are charged with the murder of friends Marion Graham and Kathy Dinsmore in August 2011.

Turkish newspaper Today’s Zaman quotes local agencies as saying the younger Cetin has confessed to the murders, but that his father had not been formally charged with the murders until last weekend.

Lawyers for the victims’ families said DNA traces found at the scene where their bodies were recovered showed “two distinct DNA profiles” of men who were genetically related.  Cetin has denied involvement, however.

Recep Cetin, who had been dating Marion Graham’s teenage daughter at the time of the murder, had claimed to be 17 years old and was originally being housed in a juvenile detention facility until bone marrow tests determined his actual age.

RTÉ News reported the father had been charged after an indictment revealed evidence from a previously unknown witness who claimed to have seen him at the scene. DNA samples found on one of the victims’ shoes also suggested his presence.

The two will be questioned by a four-judge panel in court today.