Man faces up to 6 years in prison for cutting down neighbor’s trees.
Man Arrested for Cutting Neighbor’s Trees with a Spiral Machine
A man, identified as E.Ç, was arrested for cutting down six ornamental lemon pine trees in front of a summer house owned by Mustafa Özcan without permission. The incident took place on September 16, 2020, at the Sefa Tatil Sitesi in the Manavgat District of Turkey.
According to Özcan’s complaint to the Manavgat District Gendarmerie Command Çenger Police Station, he found out about the incident while receiving medical treatment in Ankara. The police detained E.Ç while he was cutting the trees using a spiral machine. In his statement to the gendarmerie, E.Ç claimed that he was the owner of the flat and the chairman of the supervisory board in the holiday site, and that Mustafa Özcan had turned the common area into his private garden, thus provoking the incident.
During the hearing at the Manavgat 6th Criminal Court of First Instance, Mustafa Özcan testified that he had his own house and garden in the site. He added that the garden area in front of his building belonged to him, as included in the site management plan as well as in his title deed. On the other hand, E.Ç argued that he only performed his duty as the chairman of the supervisory board, clearing the bushes in the common area while cutting down small ornamental trees that obstructed his maintenance.
The Manavgat Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office prepared an indictment requesting E.Ç to be sentenced to up to six years in prison for damaging planted trees. The trial was adjourned to correct deficiencies in the file.
Mustafa Özcan explained that the cut trees were 13-year-old lemon pine trees that he had taken care of as his children. Even after the incident, he planted new trees, showing no animosity towards E.Ç.
The case is ongoing, and the court will decide on the charges presented in the indictment. Damaging planted trees without permission is prohibited by the law in Turkey and can result in imprisonment and a fine.
