THE TEENAGER accused of murdering two Northern Irish women in Turkey is due to appear in court today to face formal charges over the deaths.
Marion Graham and Kathy Dinsmore, both aged in their 50s and from Newry, were found stabbed to death in a forest near Izmat on Thursday.
Recep ‘Alex’ Cetin, 17, was dating Graham’s 15-year-old daughter and had requested permission to marry her, but was refused, according to local reports.
He has reportedly confessed to the killings, saying he brought the two women out to the wooded area before stabbing them both. The Mirror (print edition) reports that the teenager had been planning to move to Ireland and said he killed the women because “they stole my dream”.
Turkish news agency Anatolia reports that Cetin had offered to give the women a tour of Izmir and the three travelled there together from Kusadasi, where the women were staying, Today’s Zaman reports. Investigators also questioned Recip’s father and a taxi driver.
Relatives of each of the two women are in Turkey to arrange for the repatriation of their bodies later this week. Graham’s former partner Raymond McGuinness identified the two bodies. He said his main concern now is his daughter and he wants to arrange the flight home as soon as possible.
Yesterday, the Press Association reported that some uncertainty appears to have arisen over Cetin’s age. If he is actually over 18, then he can be tried as an adult and could potentially face a stronger sentence if found guilty.
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