A British boxer facing 33 years in a Turkish prison for allegedly brutally assaulting a taxi driver told a court he acted in panic because he thought he was being kidnapped.
The case was heard at the 18th High Criminal Court at the Caglayan courthouse in Istanbul, Turkey, on November 4 following an assault in Eyupsultan on April 25.
Prosecutors said taxi driver Kadir Bicer, 56, picked up British national Ross Kitchen at Istanbul Airport for a journey into the city.
Dashcam footage showed the boxer becoming increasingly agitated in the back seat before attacking Bicer mid-ride.
Then, he slips one arm around the cabbie’s throat and uses the other to twist his face towards his mouth.
At one point, while the taxi is still in busy traffic, Kitchen seems to claw the struggling driver’s nose towards his jaw.
The boxer then jams his fingers in the cabbie’s eyes blinding him while they are surrounded by other cars.
Moments later, Kitchen is seen grappling on the tarmac with the terrified driver, who had managed to pull over and escape from the cab.
The boxer reportedly left Bicer for dead at the roadside and it was a fellow cabbie who spotted him lying unconscious and called paramedics and police.
Police arrested Kitchen after the incident and a court later remanded him in custody pending trial.
In court, Kitchen said he suffers from panic attacks and claimed: ‘I wasn’t feeling well even before coming to Turkey. I thought I was being kidnapped. That’s why I attacked.’
Meanwhile, the victim claimed that the brawl erupted over the taxi fare: ‘On the day of the incident, the suspect got into my car.
‘I was told he would pay [£30] to go to Taksim, but I said I’d only charge what the meter shows.’
The victim also accused Kitchen of stealing 60,000 Turkish lira (£1,094) and €45 (£45) from his car and pocket.
Bicer also said that the assault left him with lasting effects, adding: ‘Part of my face is still numb, I can’t see from one eye, I lost some movement, and at night I wake up screaming. I want justice.’
Prosecutors charged Kitchen with ‘aggravated intentional injury causing bone fractures with monstrous sentiment’ and ‘aggravated robbery,’ seeking a prison sentence of 13 to 33 years.
The court ordered Kitchen to remain in custody.
The trial continues.
