Popular DJ suffered nearly 100 horric injuries in torture ordeal

A popular radio DJ sustained nearly 100 horrific injuries when he was tortured to death in a Turkish restaurant after being kidnapped from his home, a court heard.

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 home with his girlfriend Gozde Dalbudak, 34, and ‘frog-marched’ into a white van after dining in Mayfair, the Old Bailey heard.

The DJ was killed while Ms Gozde was locked in a toilet for two days, jurors were told.

His naked body was then dumped in woodland in Loughton, Essex, before it was found by a dog walker, the court heard.

He suffered 94 ‘horrific injuries’ including 14 broken ribs and severe head injuries, ligature injuries to his neck and injuries to his private parts, the court heard.

Isay Stoyanov, 43, and Dylan Weatherley, 20, deny murdering Mr Alpergin, two counts of kidnap and two counts of false imprisonment.

Stoyanov also denies perverting the course of justice.

Jurors were told Kyle Mitchell-Peart, 31, has admitted two counts of kidnapping and two counts of false imprisonment.

Concluding his opening to the jury today (weds), prosecutor Crispin Aylett, KC, said that after being bundled into a white van outside his home Mr Alpergin, along with Ms Dalbudak, was taken to the Stadium Lounge, a Turkish restaurant on Tottenham High Road.

Weatherley had stayed behind after the kidnap to remove the tracker which had been placed on Alpergin’s car to follow him, Mr Aylett said.

A neighbour said they saw a black man with white trainers underneath the vehicle, the court heard.

Mr Aylett said: ‘The prosecution suggest that on the night of the kidnap Dylan Weatherley was brought in to do a specific job- the removal of the tracker.

‘All the while, of course, inside the Stadium Lounge, were Koray Alpergin and Gozde Dalbudak.

‘It goes without saying that they must have been absolutely terrified, and with good reason- Mr Alpergin was never to come out of there alive.

‘The prosecution do not know precisely when Koray Alpergin was killed but it seems likely to have been early on the morning of Friday 14 October.

‘In which case, his dreadful ordeal would have come to an end sooner rather than later.

‘The kidnappers’ immediate priority must have been to get the white van away from the Stadium Lounge.’

Two men took the van to Markfield Park where it was set alight, Mr Aylett said.

‘So the van has been set alight, the next thing that needs to be done is to get the body of Koray Alpergin out of the Stadium Lounge.’

Ali Kavak, 26, who has already been convicted of manslaughter, was seen clearing out the back seats of his Polo before putting Mr Alpergin’s body inside, Mr Aylett said.

At 6.43am the Polo arrived outside a rented industrial unit on the nearby Triumph Trading Estate.

At 3.30pm a Renault Megane was driven off the estate to travel to Loughton, Essex, where the body was dumped, the court heard.

That car was later found burnt out on the Walthamstow Wetlands.

Mr Alpergin’s mobile phone was dumped somewhere in the Tottenham area and has never been recovered by the police, jurors heard.

Mr Aylett said: ‘A post mortem examination was conducted by Dr Swift on Sunday 16 October in the mortuary at the Alexander Hospital in Harlow in Essex.

‘Dr Swift identified 94 separate visible injuries.

‘There were cuts and bruises to the scalp, two black eyes, there was a fracture to the left eye socket consistent with it having been punched, there were injuries to the nose and mouth, and evidence of scalding and bruising mainly to the arms.

‘There were a number of injuries including scalding and a puncture wound to the hands, injuries to the chest and back, including skin loss and linear bruising consistent with having been caused by something like by a baseball bat, injuries to the thighs, legs and penetrating wounds to the soles of the feet consistent with the use of a sharp weapon.

‘Below the surface of the skin, there was extensive bruising to the scalp tissues. This is consistent with Koray Alpergin having sustained some traumatic injury, such as being struck on the back of the head.

‘The pathologist identified a large area of bruising on the right side of the neck and bruising to the muscles of the neck consistent with the application of force to the neck, involving possible strangulation with some form of ligature.

‘There were fourteen fractures to the rib cage.

‘Mercifully, Dr Swift considers that Mr Alpergin could not have survived these injuries by more than a few hours, no more than six at the most- and it may well be that death came much more quickly than that.’

Stoyanov was arrested at his home on 22 June 2023 and taken to a Wood Green police station where he was interviewed with a Bulgarian interpreter.

He did not answer most questions but told police he did not know why his DNA was in Stadium Lounge, the court heard.

Weatherley was arrested on 13 August last year and also gave no comment.

Mr Aylett said: ‘The prosecution do not know who actually killed Koray Alpergin nor do they know who it was who participated in the violence that was inflicted on Koray Alpergin.

‘But as a matter of law and, you may think, as a matter of common sense, that does not matter.

‘In law, anyone who was a party to a plan intentionally to cause Koray Alpergin at least serious bodily harm would be guilty of his murder.

‘The prosecution allege that Koray Alpergin was not kidnapped in order that someone might pay a ransom for his release.

‘Instead, he was to be tortured either as a punishment for something that he had done or else for what he knew.

‘Anyone who was a party to the kidnap and false imprisonment of Mr Alpergin must have been party to a plan that he suffer at least really serious bodily harm, if not death.

‘In law, this is known as a joint venture, in other words, they were all in it together, even if a number of them played different roles in carrying out the plan.’

Weatherley, of Tottenham, and Stoyanov of Haringey, both deny murder, two counts of kidnap and two of false imprisonment of the couple.

Stoyanov denies perverting the course of justice.

Mitchell-Peart, of Whetstone, north London, has admitted two counts of kidnapping and two counts of false imprisonment.

The trial continues.
ends