'Beloved' radio DJ 'thrown into van with girlfriend then beaten to death before burned body found in woods'
25 October 2022, 14:08
Masked men threw a "beloved" radio DJ an his girlfriend into a van and beat him to death before dumping his burned body in the woods, a court has been told.
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Koray Alpergin was snatched as he returned to his Enfield home with his partner on October 13, prosecutors allege.
His body was found burned, bruised and cut in Loughton, Essex, two days later, with friends of Mr Alpergin, the 43-year-old owner of Bizim FM, reporting him and girlfriend Gozde Dalbudak, 33, missing.
Ali Kavak, 25, Erdogan Ulcay, 55, and a boy, aged 17, appeared at the Old Bailey on Tuesday charged with murder.
They are also accused of kidnap and were remanded in custody ahead of a plea hearing on January 6, with a provisional trial date set for September next year.
Prosecutor Nicholas Hearn said: "They were attacked by individuals wearing white masks and bundled into a van and taken to a location and held there against their will.
Read more: Hunt for three girls who threw women to floor and stamped on their heads in Tube station
"Mr Alpergin was badly beaten and murdered. On Saturday 15 October, two days later, Mr Alpergin's body was found by members of the public in a woodland area in Loughton, Essex.
"The body was naked and had sustained burns, bruises and cuts."
The Sun reported that the post mortem preliminarily suggested Mr Alpergin’s cause of death was strangulation, blunt force trauma and damage to the internal organs and ribs.
Ms Dalbudak was found unharmed. She had been visiting from Istanbul.
Mr Alpergin, described by Turkish Press as "London's beloved Radio DJ", reportedly met celebrities including P Diddy.
Bay Hic, a friend, said: "The description of the death of my friend and colleague, dear Koray, whom the society in London knows very well, is an impossible pain and sadness…
"I wish condolences and patience to all those who love him, especially his family. May Allah have mercy upon them. Amen."
