Tottenham Hotspurs orchestrated the horrific murder of a popular DJ who was tortured to death in a wine bar, a court heard today as three other men were jailed.
Koray Alpergin, 43, was the owner of Turkish radio station Bizim FM and had connections to celebrities such as rapper P Diddy and internet sensation’Sal Bae‘.
He was kidnapped outside his northern country. London home with his girlfriend Gozde Dalbudak, 34, and “dragged like a frog” to a white van after dining in Mayfair.
Dylan Weatherley, 20, was jailed for five years for the murder and kidnap of Mr Alpergin at the Old Bailey today.
Two of his accomplices, Isay Stoyanov, 43, and Kyle Mitchell-Peart, 31, were also jailed for their roles.
Koray Alpergin: The owner of the Turkish radio station Bizim FM, linked to the celebrations, suffered terrible injuries before his death
Dylan Weatherley, who was jailed for five years at the Old Bailey for killing the DJ
Gozde Dalbudak, 34, Mr Alpergin’s girlfriend, enjoyed a night out with him in Mayfair on the night they were abducted.
The DJ suffered ‘horrible injuries’ before being killed while Ms Gozde was locked in a toilet at the Stadium Lounge, just yards from Spurs’ ground, for two days.
Her naked body was then dumped in woodland in Loughton, Essex, before being found by a dog walker.
Mr. Alpergin suffered 94 injuries, including 14 broken ribs and severe head injuries, ligature injuries to his neck and injuries to his private parts.
Judge Sarah Whitehouse, in KC, who jailed Weatherley for five years for killing the DJ, also said the sentence would run consecutively to a minimum 14-year sentence he is serving on an unrelated charge of conspiracy to murder, making a total of 19 years.
In that case, a man was shot in the chest after attending a funeral in Enfield on January 7, 2023.
Mitchell-Peart was jailed for six years and four months, while Stoyanov was sentenced to 18 months in prison.
Rapper Sean Combs, also known as P Diddy, and Koray Alpergin posing for a photo
Mitchell-Peart was jailed for six years and four months for two counts of kidnapping and two counts of false imprisonment.
Stoyanov was sentenced to 18 months in prison for perverting the course of justice.
KC prosecutor Crispin Aylett said‘Mr Alpergin was a well-known DJ and pop figure within the British Turkish community in this country.
‘It is unclear how he came to the attention of an organised crime group that actually kidnapped, tortured and murdered Mr Alpergin.
‘The group believed Mr. Alpergin had something of value, whether it was money, drugs or information.
‘There is evidence that the murder was organised by the so-called Tottenham Turks, the notorious network of organised crime groups.’
Tejean Kennedy, 33, and Ali Kavak, 26, were acquitted of murder by a jury last year but were convicted of manslaughter, kidnapping 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 setting them on fire.
Kennedy was jailed for 18 years while Kavak was jailed for 13 years.
Ali Kavak, 26, was acquitted by a jury of murder but found guilty of manslaughter and kidnapping.
Tejean Kennedy, 33, was also acquitted of murder but convicted of manslaughter.
Samuel Owusu-Opuku, 35, was acquitted of murder but convicted of kidnapping the DJ and his girlfriend.
Father-of-two Owusu-Opuku, who worked in the social care sector, and Yigit Hurman, 18, admitted perverting the course of justice.
Steffan Gordon, 34, admitted to the kidnapping and was convicted of two counts of false imprisonment.
Gordon was sentenced to eight years in prison for kidnapping and false imprisonment.
Owusu-Opuku was jailed for seven years for kidnapping and perverting the course of justice.
Hurman was jailed for two years for perverting the course of justice by helping to dispose of the body and burning a van.
Police are searching for another suspect, Ali Yildirim, 28, who is believed to have fled to Turkey after the murder.
Steffan Gordon admitted to the kidnapping and was found guilty of two counts of wrongful imprisonment
Samuel Owusu-Opoku was acquitted of murder but convicted of kidnapping the DJ and his girlfriend.
Passing sentence, Judge Whitehouse said: ‘Mr Alpergin had been tortured to death. After being killed in the early hours of Friday morning, his body was taken to different locations before being dumped in woodland in Loughton.
“What is clear is that the plan to kill Koray Alpergin had been in the works since at least September 23. A tracking device had been placed under his car early that morning.
‘There is no evidence that any of the three of you were involved in the planning or organization of these crimes.
“I’m sure none of the three of you were central players in the plan, as I said, the main players used others to do their dirty work while avoiding detection.”
After the kidnapping, the van drove the couple through an alley behind the Stadium Lounge.
“It was here, in the Stadium Lounge, that Koray Alpergin was murdered,” Aylett continued.
As for Gozde Dalbudak, she spent almost two days locked in a bathroom in the Stadium Lounge.
‘The bathroom door was blocked by a large refrigerator.
‘It was not until Saturday afternoon that Ms Dalbudak was released.
‘In the early hours of Saturday morning, the Renault Mégane was driven to Loughton in Essex.
‘There, Koray Alpergin’s naked body was dumped in a forest. A few hours later, the body was found by a man walking his dog.’
The autopsy revealed the nature of Mr Alpergin’s injuries, including several cuts and bruises, stab wounds to the soles of both feet and burns to the skin, as well as more serious injuries to the head, chest and neck.
