Samsun court sentences driver in death of 12-year-old pedestrian

A Turkish court has sentenced a driver to 1 year and 8 months in prison for the death of 12-year-old Güneş Uçak, who was struck by a vehicle while using a pedestrian crossing in the Atakum district of Samsun.

The accident occurred on June 6, when Uçak, a student and local youth team player, was riding her bicycle across a pedestrian crossing. She succumbed to her injuries five days later in intensive care. During the trial at the Samsun 4th Criminal Court of First Instance, the defendant, a medical student identified as M. F. K., claimed he was not distracted and would have stopped had he seen the child.

The court applied the lower limit of the sentence for the charge of causing death by negligence and decided to suspend the announcement of the verdict (HGB). The decision sparked emotional reactions from the victim's parents and members of the ‘Güneş İçin Adalet Platformu’ (Justice for Güneş Platform), who gathered outside the courthouse to protest the ruling. The family has announced their intention to appeal the decision.