MANCHESTER: Mehmet Goren was jailed for life for the murder of his 15-year-old daughter in a so-called ‘honor killing’. Tulay Goren, his daughter had a relationship with a man named Halil Ulal her family disapproved of and subsequently went missing in 1999. Mehmet, originally from Turkey, was convicted of murder at the Old Bailey court in London whilst his brothers Cuma and Ali Goren were cleared of murder and conspiracy to murder Halil Ulal. Tulay was last seen in January 1999 in London and a body was never found. She had told a friend that she might have been pregnant just before she disappeared. During the court sessions, Mehmet Goren’s disapproval of his daughter’s relationship with a man 15 years her senior came to light. The court also heard that in January 1999, Mr. Goren told his son Tuncay to kiss Tulay goodbye as he would never see his sister again. Mr. Justice Bean who presided over the case highlighted Goren's attempts to appear a “thoroughly modern and enlightened family man failed to deceive the jury”. He added that, “the reality is that your enigmatic smile conceals a violent and dominating personality,” he told the killer. He paid tribute to Tulay’s mother’s courage to break free from Mr. Goren’s “domination†after revealing what she knew about her husband’s crime. He also showed disgust at Mr Goren’s “ingenuity†when disposing of his daughter’s body, as it has never been found. Mr. Goren would not be eligible for parole until 2030, when he will be nearly 70. Both Justice Bean and Jonathan Laidlaw QC, who was prosecuting, highlighted the irony in the term “honor†as it is an “appalling and inappropriate way†to attempt to “dignify†the crime. Mr. Goren had previously served three years in jail for a hatchet attack on Mr. Unal, with whom his daughter was having a relationship a mere13 days after the murder. Mrs. Goren told the court how she was living in fear after giving evidence against her husband and at one point she screamed at her husband across the courtroom, demanding to know the truth about what he had done. Police said they were now better able to recognize “tell-tale signs” connected to honor violence. The UK has seen a recent rise in “honor killings†according to a report published by the British Police found there were 161 “honorâ€-based incidents recorded in 2007-8, of which 93 were criminal offenses which rose to 256 in 2008/2009 with 132 being classed as criminal offenses. In the last six months alone, 211 incidents have been reported, of which 129 are offenses, highlighting a continuing trend. BM
