Accused Sentenced To 36 Years Jail In Alistair Grimason Case

IZMIR (CIHAN) - The verdict in the case of a Scottish toddler killed during a shoot-out in a Turkish café, was read today in Izmir.
Karsiyaka Criminal Court sentenced suspect Daimi Akyüz to a 36–year jail sentence. The accused was first sentenced to 58 years but the jury later reduced the sentence to 36 years which is the upper limit.
Two-year-old Alistair Grimason died when a bullet pierced his chest while he slept in his pram in the city of Izmir. In the same incident, Ali Bektas was also killed and Günay Özdemir and Yilmaz Ergün were wounded.
Akyüz was sentenced to 21 years for killing Ali Bektas, 30 years for killing Alistair Grimasson, 5 years for wounding Günay Özdemir and Yilmaz Ergün and 2 years for possessing an unlicensed gun.
Alistar's father David Grimason, his mother Özlem Essizhan, his grandfather-lawyer Tuncer Essizhan and the accused Daimi Akyüz and his advocate Zülküf Sahin attended today's hearing at Karsiyaka Criminal Court.
Several Turkish and Foreign journalists followed today's hearing.
Daimi Akyüz caused the death of two people and the injuries of two others on July 7, 2003 in the town of Foca, Izmir. Two-year old Alistar Grimason, who was on holiday in Turkey with his family at the time, was among the victims.
The suspect had previously told the court he had pulled a gun on a man during a dispute and a stray bullet hit Alistair.
Since Alistair's death David and Ozlem Grimason have collected more than 100,000 signatures urging the Turkish Government to fight individual armament.