Turkey stab suspect's age 'unclear'

Uncertainty over the exact age of the chief suspect in the murder of two Irish women in Turkey could have major implications on a potential punishment, it has emerged.

It is understood prosecutors are not convinced Recep Cetin is 17, as first thought.

If he is 18 or older it would mean he would be treated as an adult, not a juvenile, if he was charged with killing Co Down women Elizabeth Graham and Kathy Dinsmore.

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

The two friends, both aged 53 from Newry, were found murdered in woods 75 miles north of the holiday resort of Kusadasi.

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

Sources have said the killings happened after Ms Graham refused the waiter’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 to the murders.

It is believed he admitted to the brutal killings under interrogation, after first concocting a story the women had been kidnapped.

But the process of establishing his age could hamper future 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.

A source close to the investigation said police will have access to details on his age, but no official police statement has been made.

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

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

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 has 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.

“We’ve identified the bodies and my main concern now is my daughter,” Mr McGuinness said.

“We’re going to arrange the flight home as soon as possible.”

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

The women travelled with the waiter out of Kusadasi on Thursday after Shannon went on a boat trip.

Mr McGuinness said he had never been fully in favour of the relationship since his daughter began going out with him last summer.

“There was always something that was not quite right,” he said.

The alarm was raised on Thursday when the waiter, said to have been in a distressed state, arrived for work in a Kusadasi restaurant.

He claimed he had suffered a cut to his hand trying to fight off kidnappers who had bundled the two women into a van. They had not been reported missing from their extended holiday at this stage.

Mr McGuinness said: “He told Shannon that he had tried to stop the kidnappers and he had a cut on his hand and that’s how he suffered it.”

It is understood Cetin had been involved in a separate row with Shannon’s mother last week.

The two murder victims travelled on Irish passports.

Ms Dinsmore had been an employee of Newry and Mourne District Council. She also worked in a local cab firm up until last Christmas. Her mother died four weeks ago.

The two women had been regular visitors to Kusadasi for years.

In a statement, members of the Dinsmore family said they were left “devastated” by their relative’s death.