Husband who pushed pregnant wife off cliff to redeem life insurance appeal verdict

Hakan Aysal, who lured his pregnant wife to a clifftop beauty spot for a selfie and then pushed her away, is now trying to appeal his 30-year sentence

A calculating husband who pushed his wife off a cliff to collect her life insurance is trying to escape his 30-year sentence.

Hakan Aysal, 41, lured his pregnant wife to a cliff-top beauty spot for a selfie and then pushed her away.

Now the sick killer is appealing his sentence, claiming he was mentally unfit to stand trial.

Turkey’s Fethiye Criminal Court sentenced Aysal to an increased life sentence on February 15 for the murder of his wife Semra Aysal, 33, who was seven months pregnant.

Under Turkish law, he would not be eligible for parole for 30 years.

But now, in a morbid attempt to evade justice, Aysal claims he is unfit to stand trial.

He appealed to the Izmir Regional Court, requesting that the 1st Supreme Council of the Institute of Forensic Medicine of Istanbul review his criminal capacity.

The court agreed and referred the case back to the Fethiye Criminal Court for reconsideration.

Aysal will now appear before the judge again.

In June 2018, Aysal forced his heavily pregnant wife, who was afraid of heights, to go up a cliff in Butterfly Valley in Fethiye.

Arriving at the beauty spot, he made her wait for three hours until it was empty of other tourists so he could discreetly carry out the heinous act.

He then used the money from seven loans and £18,800 guaranteed personal accident insurance, which he had taken out in Semra’s name before her death, to fund a life of luxury before the law caught up to him.

Shortly after being jailed for murder, he attempted to sue 200 people he claimed had insulted him on social media for £236 each.

It’s not clear if any of those lawsuits ended up in court.

Femicide is a growing problem in Turkey, especially after the country officially withdrew from the Istanbul Convention last July.

According to the 2021 Annual Data Report published by the We Will Stop Femicide Platform, 280 women were killed by men in 2021, while 217 women were found suspected dead.

According to the Monument Counter, which is “a digital memorial to women killed by violence” and is updated daily, 176 femicides have been committed in Turkey so far this year.