Driver sentenced in fatal accident involving student Ela Tabakoğlu

A court in Gebze has sentenced İsa Can to 5 years, 10 months, and 22 days in prison for the death of 6-year-old Ela Tabakoğlu. The accident occurred on February 4 when a student shuttle driven by Can struck the primary school student in the Cumhuriyet neighborhood.

Following his initial 4.5-month detention, Can was released under house arrest during the trial process. The Gebze 12th Criminal Court ruled to lift the house arrest measure alongside the prison sentence. The victim's father, Fatih Tabakoğlu, expressed intense frustration following the verdict, stating that the family had sought the heaviest possible penalties and argued that the defendant remains a danger to others as he retains his driver's license.