Confusion over age of Turkey stabbing suspect

AS arrangements to repatriate the bodies of two Northern Ireland women murdered while on holiday in Turkey were being finalised, the age of the chief suspect was called into question.

Prosecutors are not convinced that Recep Cetin is 17, as first thought. If he is 18 or older, he would be treated as an adult, rather than a juvenile, should he be charged with killing Co Down friends Elizabeth Graham and Kathy Dinsmore.

Cetin, who was the boyfriend of Ms Graham’s 15-year-old daughter Shannon and known to the family as Alex, could potentially face a much stiffer sentence if found guilty.

The two women, both aged 53 from Newry, were found murdered in woods 120km north of the holiday resort of Kusadasi.

Prayers for the victims were said in churches in the Turkish region and in the North today.

Sources have said the killings happened after Ms Graham refused to allow Cetin’s proposal to marry her daughter. The two women suffered multiple stab wounds, including having their throats cut, and their bodies were discovered in a forest near a graveyard to the east of the port city of Izmir.

While no formal charges have yet been brought against Cetin, police sources claim he has already confessed.

It is believed he admitted to the killings under interrogation, after first concocting a story about the women being kidnapped.

However, the process of establishing his age could hamper court proceedings.

In parts of Turkey it is apparently not uncommon for births to be officially registered a number of months, sometimes years, after the actual birthday.

“It’s a question of whether he’ll be treated as a minor or an adult,” said a source close to the police investigation.

Raymond McGuinness, Ms Graham’s ex-partner and Shannon’s father, arrived in Turkey along with Ms Graham’s son David on Saturday, while Ms Dinsmore’s niece and nephew Ruby and Robert flew in yesterday.

The women’s bodies have been formally identified, allowing Irish officials to begin making arrangements to have them repatriated.

A spokeswoman for Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs said repatriation depends on flight availability. She said the bodies will be signed off and released as they have now been identified.

The family is being assisted by Irish diplomat Fiona Nic Dhonnacha, the deputy head of mission in Ankara who travelled to support the family in Kusadasi.

Mr McGuinness said he hoped a flight back to Ireland could be arranged by the middle of the week.

Meanwhile, Cetin remains in custody.

It is understood his father and a taxi driver were also arrested, but have been released.