Man 'boiled brother's head'

2008-12-01 22:41

The Hague - Prosecutors sought a life sentence on Monday for a 52-year-old Dutchman accused of murdering his brother 11 years ago, hacking up the body and boiling the head in a pressure cooker.

He is also accused of strangling to death his ex-wife, who had been a co-conspirator in the first murder, five years later.

"We asked the court today for a life sentence" for Mehmet Yildirim for the murder of his brother, 28-year-old Ali Yildirim, and that of his 30-year-old ex-wife Myral Caliskan, prosecution spokesperson Tine Zwiers said.

Prosecutors believe Caliskan may have been killed because she was about to spill the beans on the first murder. Her body was never found.

"We think the suspect is so dangerous that he should not be allowed back in society. Therefore, a life sentence is appropriate," said Zwiers.

According to court documents, the first murder on November 11 1997, had been planned for weeks and even rehearsed by Yildirim, Caliskan and her best friend, Tamara Nooy.

On the day of the crime, the victim was allegedly made to lie down in front of a fireplace in a house in the northern city of Haarlem, whereupon the women sat on him and rubbed cream on his back.

Yildirim is then alleged to have repeatedly hit his brother over the head with a hammer.

The body was dragged to a bedroom and over the next two weeks skinned, cut into pieces and minced.

"The head was boiled in a pressure cooker," states court documents, which make no mention of a possible motive. "The penis was cut off and flushed down the toilet."

Remaining parts of the body were dumped at various spots in the Dutch countryside. The head was found next to a national road a few days after the murder, but only linked to the victim years later.

Investigations started in 2004 after municipal authorities started inquiring into the whereabouts of Caliskan, which led them to Nooy.

Nooy was convicted for her part in the first murder in January last year, and sentenced to eight years imprisonment. The sentence was reduced to seven years on appeal.

Yildirim has pleaded not guilty. Judgement is expected in January.

- AFP