Kidnapped DJ ‘suffered 100 injuries when he was tortured to death in restaurant’

'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.'

Two more men are on trial over the death of a popular radio DJ who was kidnapped and tortured to death in a Turkish restaurant.

Koray Alpergin, 43, was kidnapped with his girlfriend outside his home and tortured before his naked body was dumped in woodland in Essex.

Koray was owner of Turkish radio station Bizim FM, with connections to stars like rapper P Diddy, and several other men have already been found guilty for their roles in his death.

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

Stoyanov also denies perverting the course of justice.

Koray and his girlfriend Gozde Dalbudak, 34, were kidnapped and ‘frog-marched’ into a white van after going for a meal in Mayfair, central London, in October 2022.

They were taken to the Stadium Lounge, a Turkish restaurant not far from Tottenham Hotspurs football stadium, where Koray was tortured and killed as Godze was locked inside a bathroom for two days.

Prosecutor Crispin Aylett KC told the jury that Weatherley had stayed behind after the kidnapping to remove a tracker from Koray’s car, which they’d used to follow him.

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, October 14.

‘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.

‘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,’ Mr Aylett said.

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, the court was told.

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. 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 found.

Mr Aylett said: ‘A post mortem examination was conducted by Dr Swift on Sunday, October 16. 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 14 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 in 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.

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

Addressing the jury, 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.

Kyle Mitchell-Peart, 31, of Whetstone, north London, has admitted two counts of kidnapping and two counts of false imprisonment.

The trial continues.

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