A killer who helped a gang kidnap and torture a popular radio DJ to death in a restaurant while his girlfriend was held in a toilet has been found guilty of manslaughter.
Koray Alpergin, 43, was the owner of Turkish radio station Bizim FM and had connections with celebrities such as rapper P Diddy and internet sensation ‘Salt Bae’.
He was kidnapped from outside his north London home with his girlfriend Gozde Dalbudak, 34, and ‘frog-marched’ into a white van after the pair had been dining in Mayfair, the Old Bailey heard.
The DJ suffered 94 ‘horrific injuries’ before he was killed while Ms Dalbudak was locked in a toilet at the Stadium Lounge, just yard from Spurs’ ground, for two days.
His naked body was then dumped in woodland in Loughton, Essex, before it was found by a dog walker.
Koray Alpergin (pictured) was kidnapped from outside his north London home with his girlfriend Gozde Dalbudak, 34, and ‘frog-marched’ into a white van
The DJ suffered 94 ‘horrific injuries’ before he was killed while Ms Dalbudak (pictured) was locked in a toilet at the Stadium Lounge, just yard from Spurs’ ground, for two days
Dylan Weatherley, 20, was cleared by an Old Bailey jury of murder but convicted of manslaughter, kidnap and false imprisonment.
Weatherley sobbed and shouted as the jury announced its verdicts before he was taken from the dock.
Builder Isay Stoyanov, 43, was cleared by the jury of murder, two counts of kidnap and two counts of false imprisonment, but convicted of perverting the course of justice.
Stoyanov had told the court he only went to the Stadium Lounge to mop up after a wedding.
He saw a fridge blocking the toilet door but thought it was just out of order.
Kyle Mitchell-Peart, 31, earlier admitted two counts of kidnapping and two counts of false imprisonment and will be sentenced later.
Judge Sarah Whitehouse, KC, adjourned sentencing Weatherley, Mitchell-Peart and Stoyanov until 5 September.
A jury cleared Tejean Kennedy, 33, and Ali Kavak, 26, of murdering the DJ after the first trial last year but convicted of manslaughter, kidnap and false imprisonment.
Kavak was also convicted of perverting the course of justice by helping to dispose of Mr Alpergin’s body and destroying two vehicles by fire.
Kennedy was jailed for 18 years while Kavak was jailed for 13 years in December last year.
Samuel Owusu-Opuku, 35, was cleared of murder but convicted of kidnapping the DJ and his girlfriend.
Dylan Weatherley, 20, has been cleared by an Old Bailey jury of murdering Alpergin (pictured) but convicted of manslaughter, kidnap and false imprisonment
A jury cleared Tejean Kennedy, 33, and Ali Kavak, 26, (pictured) of murdering the DJ after the first trial last year but convicted of manslaughter, kidnap and false imprisonment
Father-of-two Owusu-Opuku, who worked in the welfare sector, and Yigit Hurman, 18, admitted perverting the course of justice.
Steffan Gordon, 34, had admitted kidnap and was convicted of two counts of false imprisonment.
Gordon was jailed for eight years while Owusu-Opuku was sentenced to seven years and Hurman was jailed for two years for perverting the course of justice by helping to dispose of the body and burn a van.
Police are hunting another suspect, 28-year-old Ali Yildirim, who is thought to have fled back to Turkey after the killing.
Ms Dalbudak returned to Turkey after the kidnap and refused to return to give evidence at either trial.
Crispin Aylett, KC, prosecuting, said at the time of his death Mr Alpergin was the owner of a Turkish language radio station Bizim FM, based in London.
‘He was a well-known and popular figure within the Turkish community in London.
‘As Koray Alpergin got out of his Audi car, a man ran towards him, that man was followed by three others, although Mr Alpergin tried to run away, they quickly caught him.
Gozde Dalbudak was locked in a toilet at the Stadium Lounge for two days, while Alpergin was subjected to horrific injuries
Alpergin had returned from home from dining in Mayfair with his girlfriend when he got out of his Audi car and a man ran towards him, followed by three others
‘He was frog-marched past his own car and bundled into a white van parked nearby.
‘Ms Dalbudak had remained in the car, she was later to tell the police that she heard the sound of a scuffle.
‘A masked man appeared at the window of the car, he had a knife, he told Ms Dalbudak to be quiet. She got out of the car and he led her over to the van.
‘The van was driven away with Mr Alpergin and Ms Dalbudak in the back.
‘The prosecution suggest that no less than eight men had driven in two vehicles, a white van and a Volkswagen Polo.
‘The occupants of those two vehicles had waited for Mr Alpergin’s Audi to arrive.
‘Four men were convicted of the kidnap of Koray Alpergin and Gozde Dalbudak.
‘Two other men have fled the country, they are believed to be in Turkey.
‘The seventh man was Kyrie Mitchell-Peart.’
Following the kidnap the van drove the couple down an alleyway behind the Stadium Lounge.
‘It was here, in the Stadium Lounge, that Koray Alpergin was murdered,’ Mr Aylett continued.
‘As for Godze Dalbudak, she spent almost two days shut up inside a lavatory at the Stadium Lounge.
‘The door to the lavatory was blocked by a large refrigerator.
‘It was not until late on the Saturday afternoon, Ms Dalbudak was released.
‘In the early hours of Saturday, the Renault Megane was driven to Loughton in Essex.
‘There, the naked body of Koray Alpergin was dumped in some woods. A few hours later, the body was found by a man walking his dog.’
The post mortem revealed the nature of the injuries Mr Alpergin had suffered, with several cuts and bruises, stab wounds to the soles of both of his feet, and scalding injuries to his skin added to the more severe head, chest and neck injuries.
The post mortem revealed the nature of the injuries Mr Alpergin (pictured) had suffered, with several cuts and bruises, stab wounds to the soles of both of his feet, and scalding injuries to his skin added to the more severe head, chest and neck injuries.
Mr Aylett added: ‘From the number and nature of the injuries that were sustained, the prosecution suggest that it is not hard to envisage a group of sadistic thugs taking it turns to inflict injury, whether with punches and kicks, hitting him with a bat, scalding him with boiling water or stabbing his feet.
‘The only mercy, if mercy it be, was that the pathologist considers that Koray Alpergin could not have survived these terrible injuries for very long and certainly not for more than a few hours.’
Mr Alpergin had been expecting trouble for some time.
On 24 September 2022, he and a friend were driving back to his address in separate cars.
Mr Alpergin told his friend that his car was making ‘odd noises’ to which his friend asked: ‘Are you sure your car was not bugged?’
He did not laugh at the comment and it turned out that the tracking device was fitted to his car just the day before, the court heard.
As his friend was leaving later that evening, he asked them to let him know if there was a white van parked outside.
Ms Dalbudak returned to Turkey on 21 October 2022 and although she has remained in contact with police officers she has not returned to the UK.
Mr Aylett added: ‘Nor is she willing to do so for the purposes of this trial – nor is she prepared to give evidence over a live link from Turkey.
‘For perfectly understandable reasons, you may think, she wants to put the whole thing behind her.’
Mr Alpergin (pictured with Turkish celebrity chef Salt Bae) had been expecting trouble for some time, a court heard
In a police interview she said she had met Mr Alpergin through a female friend in Turkey in June 2022.
She said they flirted for a while and after a couple of months she planned to come to London for about five days so they could get to know each other better.
She came over on 10 October and had a return booked for 16 October.
Mr Alpergin took her sightseeing and to ‘the best restaurants’, she said.
She didn’t know him that well but said he had shown interest in her and affection and she wanted to spend more time with him.
On the night of the kidnap she was wearing black leather trousers with boots, a cream top and cream tench coat.
Ms Dalbudak said a man appeared at the side of the car with a metal bread knife and told her to shut up.
She saw three or four males holding Mr Alpergin and she was very scared, she said.
Ms Dalbudak said she was thrown in the back of the van and was crying loudly.
The men told her to shut up and Mr Alpergin said ‘be quiet my love.’
Ms Daldubak told police she thought she was going to die.
She said she was knocked out by being punched twice in the face.
Mr Alpergin (pictured) had suffered 94 injuries, including 14 broken ribs and severe head injuries, ligature injuries to his neck and injuries to his private parts
Her next memory was being inside a dark place and hearing Mr Alpergin and someone hitting or beating him.
Her hands and feet were tied and she was blindfolded and made to walk to to a toilet where she was locked up.
The lavatory only had a tiny bit of light and smelled like fish or dead animals, she said.
Her trench coat, an iPhone, a gold bracelet and a necklace with a heart shaped diamond pendant bought for her by a previous partner were taken.
Ms Daldubak tried to tell them ‘ticket, Istanbul airport’ and said, in her limited English, she would go to Istanbul and not go to the police.
She said she was ‘in a state of fear and panic’ and wanted to get out as soon as possible.
Ms Daldubak was placed under special police protection after Mr Alpergin’s body was found.
Mr Alpergin had suffered 94 injuries, including 14 broken ribs and severe head injuries, ligature injuries to his neck and injuries to his private parts.
Giving evidence, Stoyanov denied knowing anything about the kidnap and murder of Mr Alpergin before he was arrested.
He said that someone at a cafe had asked him to go to the Stadium Lounge restaurant to move some chairs around and mop the floor as there had been a wedding there the day before.
Mr Alpergin was the owner of Turkish radio station Bizim FM and had connections with celebrities such as rapper P Diddy and internet sensation ‘ Salt Bae
His DNA was found on bags of cleaning products and other surfaces in the restaurant where Mr Alpergin was killed and his girlfriend was held prisoner, the court heard.
Stoyanov said that they were there for 20 minutes and one of the group went twice to the shop to buy cleaning products Jack Daniels and red bull.
Asked why they needed alcohol when they were only there to mop the floor he replied ‘why not?’.
Stoyanov said he moved a fridge which was outside a toilet door.
He said he was paid £20 for cleaning the floor and wore gloves to protect his hands as he was used to doing that as a builder.
Weatherley, of Tottenham, and Stoyanov of Haringey, both denied murder, two counts of kidnap and two of false imprisonment of the couple.
Mitchell-Peart, of Whetstone, north London, admitted two counts of kidnapping and two counts of false imprisonment.
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