Turkish DJ Koray Alpergin was kidnapped and tortured to death just yards from Spurs' stadium before his naked body was dumped in the woods, court hears
A popular radio DJ was kidnapped and tortured to death just yards from the Spurs stadium before his naked body was dumped in the woods, a court has heard.
Koray Alpergin, 43, was allegedly snatched from outside his north London home with his girlfriend Gozde Dalbudak, 34, and 'frog-marched' into a white van after they had dinner in Mayfair.
He was the owner of Turkish radio station Bizim FM and had connections with celebrities such as rapper P Diddy and internet sensation 'Salt Bae'.
The DJ suffered 'horrific injuries' before he was killed while Ms Gozde was locked in a toilet for two days, jurors at the Old Bailey 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 injuries, including 14 broken ribs and severe head injuries, ligature injuries to his neck and injuries to his private parts.
Koray Alpergin was kidnapped and tortured to death after going to an Italian restaurant in Mayfair in October 2022
Isay Stoyanov, 43, and Dylan Weatherley, 20, deny murdering Mr Alpergin, two counts of kidnap and two counts of false imprisonment.
Jurors were told Kyle Mitchell-Peart, 31, has admitted two counts of kidnapping and two counts of false imprisonment.
Crispin Aylett, KC, prosecuting, said: 'On the evening of Thursday October 13, 2022, getting on to two years ago, the victims in the case, Mehmet Koray Alpergin and his girlfriend, Gozde Dalbudak went to an expensive restaurant in Mayfair in central London
'At the time of his death Mr Alpergin was the owner of a Turkish language radio station Bizim FM, based in London.
'He was a well-known and popular figure within the Turkish community in London.
'As Koray Alpergin got out of his Audi car, a man ran towards him, that man was followed by three others, although Mr Alpergin tried to run away, they quickly caught him.
'He was frogmarched past his own car and bundled into a white van parked nearby.
'Ms Dalbudak had remained in the car, she was later to tell the police that she heard the sound of a scuffle.
'A masked man appeared at the window of the car, he had a knife, he told Ms Dalbudak to be quiet. She got out of the car and he led her over to the van.
'The van was driven away with Mr Alpergin and Ms Dalbudak in the back.
'The prosecution suggest that no less than eight men had driven in two vehicles, a white van and a Volkswagen Polo.
'The occupants of those two vehicles had waited for Mr Alpergin's Audi to arrive.
'Four men were convicted of the kidnap of Koray Alpergin and Gozde Dalbudak.
'Two other men have fled the country, they are believed to be in Turkey.
'The seventh man was Kyrie Mitchell-Peart.
'This convoy of eight men and two vehicles cannot have been put together on the off chance.'
Jurors heard that a tracking device had been placed on the car allowing the group to follow it.
Having waited and kidnapped both Mr Alpergin and Ms Dalbudak, the two vehicles drove back to the Tottenham area, arriving at around 11.20pm.
The van went down an alleyway, which was connected to the back of a restaurant named Stadium Lounge.
'It was here, in the Stadium Lounge, that Koray Alpergin was murdered,' Mr Aylett continued.
His girlfriend Gozde Balbudak was also kidnapped and locked in a toilet for two days before she was released
'As for Godze Dalbudak, she spent almost two days shut up inside a lavatory at the Stadium Lounge.
'The door to the lavatory was blocked by a large refrigerator.
'It was not until late on the Saturday afternoon, Ms Dalbudak was released.
'In the early hours of Saturday, the Renault Megane was driven to Loughton in Essex.
'There, the naked body of Koray Alpergin was dumped in some woods. A few hours later, the body was found by a man walking his dog.'
The court heard how Mr Alpergin had been expecting trouble for some time.
On September 24, 2022, he and a friend were driving back to his address in separate cars.
Mr Alpergin told his friend that his car was making 'odd noises' to which his friend asked: 'are you sure your car was not bugged?'
Mr Alpergin did not laugh at the comment and it turned out that the tracking device was fitted to his car just the day before, the court heard.
As his friend was leaving later that evening, he asked them to let him know if there was a white van parked outside.
'Koray Alpergin must have had some idea of what was in store for him,' said Mr Aylett.
Weatherley, from Tottenham, and Stoyanov from Haringey, both deny murder, two counts of kidnap and two of false imprisonment of the couple.
Mitchell-Peart, from Whetstone, north London, has admitted two counts of kidnapping and two counts of false imprisonment.
The trial continues.
