Had come to the agenda with abuse allegations: Prosecutor requests acquittal for Ender Saraç

The trial of nutrition and diet expert Ender Saraç, who was accused of sexually abusing his child, has reached the decision stage. Stating that Saraç has consistently denied the accusations against him, the prosecutor requested his acquittal on the grounds that no evidence beyond reasonable doubt could be obtained for the crime of 'child sexual abuse'.

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Had come to the agenda with abuse allegations: Prosecutor requests acquittal for Ender Saraç

Ender Saraç, who is being tried without arrest and faces up to 22.5 years in prison on charges of sexually abusing his 13-year-old son, attended the hearing held at the Istanbul 34th High Criminal Court.

Presenting his opinion on the case, the Public Prosecutor recalled that the victim child, M.S., stated in his testimony taken in the presence of a psychologist that he had given his initial statement in that manner to teach his father, Ender Saraç, a lesson, that his father did not force him into the shower, that he was not subjected to any sexual act by his father, and that he had fabricated his previous allegations and testified in that way because he was angry at his father.

COURT ADJOURNS THE HEARING

According to the report in Hürriyet, the prosecutor, in the continuation of his opinion, stated that Ender Saraç had consistently denied the accusations against him and requested his acquittal on the grounds that no evidence beyond reasonable doubt could be obtained for the crime of 'child sexual abuse'.

The court adjourned the hearing, granting time for Saraç to prepare his final defense.

BACKGROUND OF THE CASE

The indictment prepared by the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office stated that on December 5, 2023, the victim child M.S. told his teachers at the school he attended that he had been sexually abused by his father, and that the reports kept by the teachers and the school administration were reported to the police, leading the prosecutor's office to launch an investigation.

The indictment noted that in his first statement given at the Child Monitoring Center (ÇİM) on December 7, 2023, the victim child described being abused, but in an additional statement given at the ÇİM on December 13, 2023, he said that he had claimed to be subjected to sexual abuse to teach his father a lesson because his father treated his mother and them badly, that he was not subjected to abuse, and that he was not a complainant.

It was stated that Benan Saraç also gave an additional statement to the police on December 13, 2023, in which she said that during a conversation with her child, her son informed her that he had made false statements about his father, that the child had fabricated the sexual abuse incident to keep his father away from their family, and that for this reason, they were withdrawing their complaints against the suspect.

The indictment emphasized that it was concluded that the detailed statements given by the victim child at the initial stage were sincere and reflected the truth, and that the victim child's withdrawal of the complaint after the incident was brought to the judiciary and appeared in the press was not given credence.

A prison sentence of 12 to 22.5 years was requested for Ender Saraç for the crime of 'Child Sexual Abuse'.

News Source: 12punto