Istanbul,Sept 7. (dpa/GNA) – The trial of the parents of a teenage gunman who killed 10 people at a school in south-eastern Türkiye, opened on Friday, with the defendants telling the court they had no idea their son was planning an attack, local media reported.
Uğur Mersinli, a police chief inspector, and his wife Peyman Pınar, appeared before a court in Kahramanmaraş over the April shooting carried out by their son, then an eighth-grader. The 14-year-old gunman killed nine students and a teacher. The gunman also died during the attack, and the motive remains unclear.
Prosecutors are seeking 10 consecutive life sentences plus up to 30 years for the father, arguing he knew of his son’s psychological problems and interest in weapons but failed to act, including letting him fire guns at a range, and keeping several accessible at home.
The mother faces up to 22.5 years for allegedly failing to follow up on warnings her son needed treatment, according to private broadcaster NTV.
The father told the court his son took the weapons “without my knowledge.” The mother said she knew where the guns were kept, but not how many there were.
Investigators found hand-drawn floor plans of the school and an attack plan on the gunman’s computer, along with five pistols and 84 shell casings at the scene, all registered to the father. The parents had twice been told the boy needed psychological referral.
Both defendants deny the charges. The trial continues.
GNA