Ocak Sentenced To Imprisonment On Charges Of Raping British Girl

GAZIANTEP - Mehmet Ocak from southeastern Gaziantep province was sentenced on Tuesday to serve 5 years 3 months and 10 days in prison on charges of ''holding by force and raping a 14-year-old British girl named Rachel Lloyd.''
Mehmet Ocak, British girl Rachel Lloyd, her father Bob Lloyd, Ocak's family and lawyers attended the hearing in Gaziantep Heavy Criminal Court.
In this first hearing, the court delegation sentenced Ocak to 4 years 10 months and 10 days of imprisonment on charges of raping a girl under legal age and 5 months of imprisonment on charges of holding her by force.
Ocak said that he was a bartender and he was an elementary school graduate. Rejecting the accusation, Ocak said, ''I was working as a bartender in Marmaris. My fiancee Rachel came to Marmaris for holiday with her family in July 2002. We became friends in my workplace. Their holiday was over and she was to return home with her family. Rachel did not want to return, but they returned. I saw off Rachel from Dalaman Airport. She returned to Britain unwillingly.''
''I then returned to Gaziantep because tourism season was over. Rachel called me and said that she came to Turkey again. She said that she was staying at the hotel she had stayed in her last time in Marmaris. I went to Marmaris. We stayed at the same hotel. My family was against this relationship. I told Rachel that problems would occur and she had to go. But she did not go,'' noted Ocak.
Ocak stated that Rachel's sister and grandmother came to Marmaris to take Rachel back after those incidents.
''Rachel said that she loved me so much and wanted an engagement with me. Then, we engaged at the hotel. Then, Rachel's family returned to Britain together with Rachel. Rachel went by crying and unwillingly. I then returned to Gaziantep,'' said Ocak.
Ocak noted that Rachel then called him and said that she was at Dalaman Airport. She asked him to take him from the airport, Ocak stated.
''I brought Rachel to Gaziantep. I did not hold her by force and I did not rape her. I knew that she was under legal age. I did not say that I had a sexual intercourse with her. I could not know if she was a virgin. I accepted her to stay with me since she was my fiancee. I cannot know how this issue is reflected to the press and how it is reflected to my testimony. Her grandmother called me and said that Rachel was wanted. Thus, I learned about all these developments. One day later, police came and detained us,'' said Ocak.
Then, head of the court delegation Sahin asked Ocak, ''did police, prosecutor and the court on duty write things that you did not say when you were being interrogated? Do you mean this? You are not being tried of murder. You are being tried of holding a girl under legal age and raping her. Now, you are denying all your previous statements. I read your statements in newspapers. You said that you had a sexual intercourse with this girl. You were telling about the story those days. Why are you denying it now? It will be for your benefit if you speak the truth in the court. We will use our authority of appreciation when we are giving a verdict. If you help us, we will help you. Otherwise, we cannot help you.''
Ocak claimed that he did not have such a testimony. Then, Sahin showed Ocak the report of the Forensic Medicine Institution that Rachel was not a virgin and asked Ocak what he would say.
Ocak said that he did not have sexual intercourse with Rachel and he did not know her age those days.
Rachel's father Bob Lloyd said that he did not sue Ocak and he did not want to say anything else.
Rachel, who was born in 1988, said that she did not have sexual intercourse with Mehmet as written in her testimony.
Head of the court delegation then said, ''but, you said in your first testimony that you had more than one sexual intercourse with Mehmet. Now, you are rejecting this.''
Rachel said that they said that her father could not take her to Britain if she did not testify that way and so, she testified that way. In fact, she said, she did not have sexual intercourse with Mehmet.
Asked about the report that she was not a virgin, Rachel said that her first sexual intercourse was not with Mehmet, but with a friend of hers in Britain.
Ocak's lawyer said that his client did not know that Rachel was under legal age and he thought that Rachel got the consent of her family.
The lawyer noted that they were fiance and they would marry when Rachel reached the age of 16.
Head of court delegation Sahin said, ''what you are saying is not legally possible. They are testifying in another way and denying everything in the court. Does this mean they are telling the truth? A decision of a judge is necessary to get married even if the girl reaches the age of 16.''
Prosecutor Mustafa Cavusoglu asked Ocak to be punished on charges of the crime written in the indictment.
Then, head of court delegation Sahin sentenced Ocak to 5 years 10 months and 10 days of imprisonment on charges of raping a girl under 15. This sentence was reduced to 4 years 10 months and 10 days by taking into consideration good conduct of Ocak during the hearing.
Ocak was also sentenced to serve 5 months in prison on charges of holding the girl by force. Thus, Ocak will stay in prison for 5 years 3 months and 10 days.
Besides Turkish reporters, many British reporters watched the hearing.
Rachel and her wife seemed tense during the hearing. Rachel cried when she was testifying and when the verdict was announced.
Ocak was heard to say that ''this love would never end'' when he was being taken from the court house to prison.

RACHEL LLOYD SAYS SHE WILL LOVE MEHMET FOREVER
Following the court session, Rachel Lloyd told reporters that nobody could separate them from each other.
Rachel and her father later went to office of Yasar Ugras, the lawyer of Mehmet Ocak.
Rachel, who was burst into tears after the verdict, told A.A correspondent that she was very sad that she could not see Mehmet before the hearing and the verdict shocked her.
She would love Mehmet forever, Rachel said. She noted that nobody could separate them.
Rachel said that she came from Britain to Turkey with great hopes and hoped to embrace Mehmet and hoped that Mehmet would not be punished.
But, she noted, nothing was as she expected.
Stating that Mehmet would be in prison for some time, Rachel said that those who thought that their love would end were wrong.
Rachel stressed that their love would never end and she would wait for Mehmet.
Noting that the verdict was not right, Rachel said that two people were loving each other and wanted to be together. But, she said, those two people were being obstructed.
Rachel's father Bob Lloyd said that his daughter was very sad about the verdict and he was also sad.
They were hopeful when they came from Britain to Turkey, Bob Lloyd noted. But, he said, their hopes faded and expressed belief that it was not a fair decision.
Bob Lloyd said that he was thinking about his daughter and did not want her to be sad.
Two people loved each other and families permitted it, Bob Lloyd stressed.
Bob Lloyd said that they would marry when the age problem was over and that he could not understand why such a verdict came out of the hearing.
Lawyer Ugras said that he would appeal the verdict the same day.
Replying to questions of reporters, Rachel said that she would in no way forget Mehmet.
Asked what would happen if such an incident occurred in Britain, Rachel said that Mehmet would be free if such an incident had occurred in Britain.
Rachel said that she would come to Gaziantep again in case of a re-trial. Then, Bob Lloyd said that he did not consider the verdict fair and Mehmet should not be in prison at the moment because he only loved a young girl, his daughter.
Bob Lloyd noted that he could accept Mehmet as a father and make his family accept him.
If Mehmet was freed, they could go to Britain altogether, Bob Lloyd said. He added that he could allow their marriage when his daughter reached the age of 16.