Kidnappers found guilty of killing DJ Koray

Two men have been found guilty of killing well known Turkish DJ in a bar near Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Mehmet Koray Alpergin and his girlfriend Gozde Dalbudak were kidnapped in central London last October, the Old Bailey heard.

Mr Alpergin was beaten, throttled, burned and stabbed before his body was dumped in an Essex woodland.

Tejean Kennedy, 33, and Ali Kavak, 26, were found guilty of kidnap, false imprisonment and manslaughter.

The couple were travelling home to Enfield from an Italian restaurant in Mayfair when they were snatched and taken to the wine bar, which backs on to White Hart Lane, the court heard.

Jurors were told 43-year-old Mr Alpergin’s killing bore “all the hallmarks” of serious organised crime and the world of drugs.

During the attack on 13 October 2022 Ms Dalbudak was locked in a toilet for two days before she was freed by her captors and given money for a taxi.

The 34-year-old, who has since returned to her home in Turkey, recalled her boyfriend telling her “my love, don’t be scared” before he cried out in pain as he was beaten.

A post-mortem examination found that he had suffered 94 separate injuries.

A jury deliberated for nearly 48 hours to find Kennedy and Kavak guilty.

They also found Samuel Owusu-Opoku, 35, guilty of two counts of kidnap. Steffan Gordon, 34, had admitted kidnap and was found guilty of two counts of false imprisonment.

Kavak was also convicted of perverting the course of justice by helping to dispose of Mr Alpergin’s body and destroying two vehicles by fire.

Owusu-Opoku admitted the charge.

Mr Alpergin, who was originally from northern Cyprus, was a well-known figure in the British Turkish community.

He owned a Turkish language radio station in London, Bizim FM, and had in the past been pictured with celebrities.