Tulay Goren (March 1983 – 7 January 1999) was a 15-year-old Kurdish schoolgirl from

Woodford Green Woodford Green is an area of Woodford in north-east London, England, within the London Borough of Redbridge. It adjoins Buckhurst Hill to the north, Woodford Bridge to the east, South Woodford to the south, and Chingford to the west. Epping Fo ...

North London North London is the northern part of London, England, north of the River Thames. It extends from Clerkenwell and Finsbury, on the edge of the City of London financial district, to Greater London's boundary with Hertfordshire. The term ''nort ...

who went missing in January 1999. In December 2009, some ten years after her disappearance, her father Mehmet Goren was convicted of her murder. She was killed in a so-called

honour killing An honor killing (American English), honour killing (Commonwealth English), or shame killing is the murder of an individual, either an outsider or a member of a family, by someone seeking to protect what they see as the dignity and honor of t ...

because of her relationship with an older man, from a different branch of the Islamic faith. Mehmet Goren was sentenced to life imprisonment with a

minimum term Mandatory sentencing requires that offenders serve a predefined term for certain crimes, commonly serious and violent offenses. Judges are bound by law; these sentences are produced through the legislature, not the judicial system. They are inst ...

of 22 years. Tulay's body has never been found. Goren's trial was the first time an

expert witness An expert witness, particularly in common law countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia, and the United States, is a person whose opinion by virtue of education, training, certification, skills or experience, is accepted by the judge as ...

in honour-based violence was called to give evidence in a British Court.

Background

Tulay was born in Turkey in March 1983; she was one of four children born to Mehmet and Hanim Goren. Her family, of the

Alevi Alevism or Anatolian Alevism (; tr, Alevilik, ''Anadolu Aleviliği'' or ''Kızılbaşlık''; ; az, Ələvilik) is a local Islamic tradition, whose adherents follow the mystical Alevi Islamic ( ''bāṭenī'') teachings of Haji Bektash Veli, w ...

branch of

Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...

, are

Turkish Kurds The Kurds are the largest ethnic minority in Turkey. According to various estimates, they compose between 15% and 20% of the population of Turkey.; ; Sandra Mackey , “The reckoning: Iraq and the legacy of Saddam”, W.W. Norton and Company, ...

who originate from

Elbistan Elbistan ( 1ca, Ablasta, Ablastayn, Ablastin, Ablistan;Aksüt, Ali"''On the Alevism of Elbistan, Nurhak, Ekinozu and Afsin - Elbistan Nurhak Ekinözü Afşin Aleviliği Üzerine - Zum Alevitentum in Elbistan, Nurhak, Ekinözü und Afşin''"- Alevi ...

Kahramanmaraş Marash (Armenian: Մարաշ), officially Kahramanmaraş () and historically Germanicea (Greek: Γερμανίκεια), is a city in the Mediterranean Region of Turkey and the administrative center of Kahramanmaraş Province. Before 1973, Kahrama ...

and who arrived in the United Kingdom as illegal immigrants in the mid-nineties, later claiming asylum. Tulay's father Mehmet was a convicted criminal with alleged ties to the

Kurdistan Workers' Party The Kurdistan Workers' Party or PKK is a Kurdish militant political organization and armed guerrilla movement, which historically operated throughout Kurdistan, but is now primarily based in the mountainous Kurdish-majority regions of south ...

(PKK). He had served custodial sentences in both Saudi Arabia and Turkey prior to entering the United Kingdom. He was violent towards his wife and children and had earlier made attempts to kill them. He failed to adjust to his new life in the United Kingdom, refused to learn to speak

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

and adhered to what was described as the "feudal" culture existent in his home village. Tulay attended Woodbridge High School, Woodford Green; described by a schoolfriend as a "sad" individual, who "only smiled or seemed happy when she spoke about §Timeline below">#Tim.html" ;"title="nal, an older Turkish Kurd with whom Tulay had embarked on a relationship, as discussed under #Timeline">§Timeline below she didn't talk about her home life". Coming close to being Expulsion (education)#United Kingdom">excluded for truanting and smoking, her elder sister said she was rebelling "in a big way", later stating "Tulay was caught in the middle of two clashing worlds. At home she was expected to be a dutiful Turkish daughter, while out of the family home she was exposed to a lifestyle that was completely at odds with her upbringing."

Timeline

Pre-disappearance

During the school holidays of 1998, Tulay took a summer job at a clothing factory in Hackney, London where she met and then embarked on a relationship with Halil Unal. Unal, also a Turkish Kurd, was 15 years older than Tulay and from the Sunni Islam, Sunni branch of Islam; her family didn't approve, and Tulay was ordered to end the relationship. After her summer job at the factory ended the couple maintained daily telephone contact; on 10 December 1998, Mehmet Goren went to Unal's place of work, assaulted him and warned him to stop "bothering" his daughter. Unal reported the assault but didn't press charges. On the same day, Tulay's family took her to the local police station and reported Unal for "pestering" her. On 14 December 1998, Tulay ran away from home and went to live with Unal. After initially reporting her missing and reporting Unal for Statutory rape, "unlawful sexual intercourse", the family changed track, agreed that the pair should get married, and a

ceremony A ceremony (, ) is a unified ritualistic event with a purpose, usually consisting of a number of artistic components, performed on a special occasion. The word may be of Etruscan origin, via the Latin '' caerimonia''. Church and civil (secular) ...

was scheduled for 21 December at Hackney Register Office. Despite Mehmet's attempts to bribe the registrar, the ceremony did not go ahead as Tulay, aged 15, was underage. A new date was set for 8 March 1999, when Tulay would've reached her 16th birthday. The couple continued living together until 6 January 1999, when Tulay's father — claiming he objected to her sharing a home with Unal's male flatmate — forced her to return to the family home. He told Unal that she'd remain at home until he'd found somewhere suitable for the two of them to live.

Murder

Having forced Tulay to return home on 6 January, her father beat her, tied her up and drugged her with sleeping tablets. The following day he sent his wife and other children to stay with his brother overnight, telling her that he and Tulay had "things to talk about". It is not known how she died, but police believe she was either smothered or strangled and then buried temporarily in the back garden of the family home before being moved to an unknown location.

Post-disappearance

When Hanim Goren returned to the family home following her overnight stay at the home of her brother-in-law, her husband told her that Tulay had run away. Having already murdered his daughter, on 20 January 1999, Mehmet Goren arranged to meet Unal to discuss his and Tulay's future. Having lured him to the meeting, he attacked Unal with an axe. In the intervening period between Tulay's disappearance and the later murder trial, Mehmet Goren was convicted of

grievous bodily harm Grievous bodily harm (often abbreviated to GBH) is a term used in English criminal law to describe the severest forms of battery. It refers to two offences that are created by sections 18 and 20 of the Offences against the Person Act 1861. The ...

for the axe attack on Unal and jailed for five years. On 22 January 1999, Unal reported Tulay missing.

Investigation

After initially corroborating her husband's story and maintaining that Tulay had run away, Hanim Goren was arrested on suspicion of

perverting the course of justice Perverting the course of justice is an offence committed when a person prevents justice from being served on themselves or on another party. In England and Wales it is a common law offence, carrying a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. Statu ...

and murder. On 23 March 1999, during a police interview, she admitted that she'd lied and that, although she hadn't witnessed her daughter's death, she believed that Mehmet had killed her. She noted that two kitchen knives, bin bags, and a washing line went missing after Tulay disappeared, that their garden had been dug up, and that her husband had visible injuries to his hands. Hanim was prepared to testify against her husband but, without a body and a case heavily reliant on

hearsay Hearsay evidence, in a legal forum, is testimony from an under-oath witness who is reciting an out-of-court statement, the content of which is being offered to prove the truth of the matter asserted. In most courts, hearsay evidence is inadmis ...

evidence, the

Crown Prosecution Service The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) is the principal public agency for conducting criminal prosecutions in England and Wales. It is headed by the Director of Public Prosecutions. The main responsibilities of the CPS are to provide legal adv ...

declined to proceed. The investigation was further impeded by the familial "honour code" and a lack of awareness around "honour" crimes among British authorities at that time. In 2007, the case was reinvestigated, as in the intervening period successful prosecutions had been brought in the "honour" killings of Heshu Yones and

Banaz Mahmod Banaz is a town and district of Uşak Province in the inner Aegean region of Turkey. The mayor is Zafer Arpacı ( AKP). Banaz district area neighbors those of two other districts of the same province, namely Sivaslı and Uşak central district ...

, there was now a better understanding of honour-based violence, and criminal evidence reforms had changed the admissibility of hearsay evidence. On 25 November 2008, Mehmet Goren and his two brothers Ali and Cuma were arrested on suspicion of murder and conspiracy to murder. They were charged two days later.

Legal proceedings

In October 2009, Mehmet Goren and his two brothers stood trial at

The Old Bailey The Central Criminal Court of England and Wales, commonly referred to as the Old Bailey after the street on which it stands, is a criminal court building in central London, one of several that house the Crown Court of England and Wales. The s ...

for the murder of Tulay and conspiracy to murder Halil Unal. After initially insisting that Tulay had run away, Mehmet Goren changed his evidence and alleged that his elder brother Ali had ordered him to kill Tulay and Unal when their planned December marriage ceremony was unable to go ahead; he claimed that he'd refused and so Ali had taken Tulay away, suggesting Mehmet say that she'd been "handed over" to the

PKK The Kurdistan Workers' Party or PKK is a Kurds, Kurdish militant political organization and armed guerrilla warfare, guerrilla List of guerrilla movements, movement, which historically operated throughout Kurdistan, but is now primarily based ...

. The prosecution case was that, as head of the family, Ali Goren would've been "key" in making the decision to kill Tulay and Unal. He denied any involvement, maintaining that he was "distant" from his brother and had been shunned when he tried to act as "peacemaker" between father and daughter. Hanim Goren testified for the prosecution, relaying the events of 6 and 7 January 1999 and her suspicions after she returned home and Tulay was missing. She spoke of missing items, such as bin bags and knives, and stains on the clothing Mehmet had been wearing the day Tulay disappeared. She claimed that the garden had been dug up and some of Tulay's belongings had been destroyed, and said her husband stated "From now on she's gone. I disown her. She is not my child any more. From now on we do not have four children any more. We will only have three children." Halil Unal gave evidence from behind a screen, testifying that Tulay had called him the day after she was forced to go home, warning him: "don't come over. They are trying to lure you into a trap.' He spoke of Mehmet attacking him with an axe after tricking him into attending a meeting at a pub some two weeks after Tulay was last seen. Expert in "honour" crimes, Professor

Yakin Ertürk Yakin Ertürk (born 1945) is a Turkish former United Nations special rapporteur on violence against women and board member of the United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD), and was a professor of Sociology. Early life an ...

, gave evidence in what was the first use of expert witnesses in a case of this kind in the United Kingdom. Mehmet Goren was found guilty of murder on 17 December 2009 and sentenced to life imprisonment, with a minimum tariff of 22 years. He was

acquitted In common law jurisdictions, an acquittal certifies that the accused is free from the charge of an offense, as far as criminal law is concerned. The finality of an acquittal is dependent on the jurisdiction. In some countries, such as the ...

of conspiring to murder Halil Unal. Ali and Cuma Goren were acquitted on both charges. After the trial, Hanim Goren's bravery in testifying against her husband was praised by the police and her daughter Nuray, who stated: "No one should fail to realise what this means within our culture. These people do not forget". Following her testimony, the police installed extra security measures in Hanim's home.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Goren, Tulay Honour killing in the United Kingdom Murder trials Violence against women in England Filicides in England Incidents of violence against girls Murder convictions without a body Formerly missing people Missing person cases in England