MASKED men threw a Turkish radio DJ and his girlfriend into a van and beat him to death before dumping his burned body in the woods, a court has been told.
The owner of Bizim FM’s tragic death shocked members of the Turkish-speaking communities last weekend, following missing appeals shared by family and friends across social media.
Koray 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, after friends reported him and his girlfriend Gozde Dalbudak, 33, missing.
Ali Kavak, 25, Erdogan Ulcay, 55, and a boy, aged 17, appeared at the Old Bailey via prison video links 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.
“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.”
Adding a “preliminary report concluded strangulation, blunt forced trauma and damage to the internal organs and ribs.”
Ms Dalbudak was found unharmed. She had been visiting from Istanbul.
The three males were all remanded in custody ahead of their next plea and trial preparation hearing on 6 January, with the provisional trial set for September 18, 2023.