A waiter was jailed for eight years today (Fri) fo

A waiter was jailed for eight years today (Fri) for stabbing a man to death in a sex-before-marriage feud row which has claimed the lives of two of his countrymen.

Turk Bullent Ozcelik, 21, plunged a restaurant carving knife into the chest of friend and colleague Dogan Turkmen, 26.

In revenge Ozcelik’s father was murdered in Turkey over the New Year before his son came to trial, the Old Bailey heard.

Judge David Stokes, QC told Ozcelik: ‘It is a sad sight to see you standing there in the dock having been convicted of unlawfully killing somebody who was a friend of yours.

‘The jury have rejected your defence of self-defence but they were satisfied that at the time you stabbed Dogan Turkmen you did so intending to cause really serious bodily injury at the very least.

‘But the jury have found that the prosecution did not disprove provocation.

‘Those who carry knives and use them to cause death or serious injury to others must, in my judgement face severe punishment.

‘The trouble with taking a knife with you is it may get used and it was in this case to terrible effect.

A young life has been lost as a result.

‘

The judge said he took into account Ozcelik was wounded in the thigh during the incident.

He added: ‘I have no doubt at all your father’s death was connected with what you did on April 9.

‘

The court heard Bullent Ozcelik was the nephew of Bektas Ozcelik, 34, who was also involved in the fatal knife fight.

They were feuding with Turkish brothers Dogan Turkmen, 26, and Orhan, 24.

Husseyin Ozcelik, owned the Best Mangal (corr) restaurant in West Kensington where the brothers had both worked and was the uncle of Orhan’s wife.

The row flared because the couple had lived together before they married, said prosecutor Mr Victor Temple, QC.

‘Husseyin considered it had bought disgrace to the family.

The ill-feeling that caused continued for some time,’ the QC said.

The restaurant owner ignored the Turkmen brothers in the street and hurled abuse over the telephone when they called to ask him why he was upset.

When Dogan and Orhan drove to the restaurant on the night of April 8 last year a fight broke out between them and the Ozceliks.

Once the brothers left, Bullent and Bektas made a series of threats against them, the court heard.

That night they got into Bullent’s Mazda saloon and drove off in search of the Turkmen brothers.

The Turkmens were also looking for them in a Honda car as family elders desperately tried to calm the situation with a flurry of telephone calls.

Eventually, the four clashed outside the home of another relative in Sydney Road, Hornsey.

The prosecution claimed Dogan Turkmen went to the driver’s side of Bullent’s Mazda and Bullent stabbed him in the chest with a carving knife.

Mr Temple said Dogan then managed to pull the knife from his chest and stab Bullent in the thigh.

But Bullent told the court the was knifed in the leg first, then stabbed Dogan in a desperate struggle for his life.

Bektas Ozcelik clashed with Orhan who collapsed in an alleyway bleeding profusely from a neck wound.

The jury accepted Bektas had picked up a knife from the ground as the fight exploded on the street and stabbed the younger brother believing Orhan was going to kill him.

Bullent Ozcelik of Hewitt Road, Hornsey, and Bektas Ozcelik of Barrington Court, Colney Hatch Lane, Muswell Hill, both denied murder and wounding with intent in the early hours of April 9 last year.

Bektas was cleared of all charges.

His nephew was found guilty of manslaughter.

Mr Nicholas Purnell, QC, defending, said the incident was a tragedy because the killer and his victim had been close friends.

‘They had a close and warm relationship.

Dolan was the one person he had no desire to injure,’ said Mr Purnell.

What happened that night was totally uncharacteristic of him.

‘

Bullent appeared resigned to his fate as he was led to the cells.

ends