Man Without Fixed Address Pleads Not Guilty to Charges in Body Disposal Case

An individual without a fixed address is scheduled for trial next year, having entered a not guilty plea to charges of assisting in the disposal of a deceased person’s body with the intent to hinder the capture of a murder suspect. Essex Police continues its search efforts within a landfill site for the remains of Cumali Turhan, 45, a man reported missing who was last observed in Chelmsford on 19 November. Authorities stated that Ceyhan Dinler, 38, a person sought in relation to Mr. Turhan’s disappearance, departed the United Kingdom via Stansted Airport on the same day Mr. Turhan was last known to have communicated with anyone. Ciprian Ilie, 44, who is of no fixed address, appeared before Chelmsford Crown Court and entered a plea of not guilty to a charge of assisting an offender, with the alleged actions occurring between 18 and 20 November. A Romanian interpreter provided assistance to Mr. Ilie as the court clerk presented the two charges against him. Regarding one of the charges, the clerk conveyed the allegation that Mr. Ilie “without lawful authority or reasonable excuse did an act, namely assisted in the disposal of the body of Cumali Turhan with intent to impede the apprehension or prosecution of Ceyhan Dinler who had committed the arrestable offence of murder, knowing or believing him to be guilty of the offence or some other arrestable offence”. He denied the charge, stating through the interpreter positioned next to him: “I didn’t do anything.” Furthermore, he entered a not guilty plea to the accusation of obstructing the lawful and proper burial of a deceased individual. The second charge, as articulated by the clerk, claimed that between the aforementioned dates, Ilie “prevented the lawful and decent burial of the body of Cumali Turhan”. Mr. Turhan’s last confirmed sighting occurred during the early morning hours of 19 November at The Globe pub, located on Rainsford Road in the city. Law enforcement indicated that the missing individual might have subsequently visited Barista, a bar and restaurant on Duke Street, although surveillance footage did not capture his departure from the establishment. He was reported as a missing person to the police later on the evening of 19 November, following his failure to report for work. Officers initially conducted a search of a refuse transfer facility within the Chelmsford vicinity, prior to commencing an expanded search across a 5,000 square metre section of a landfill site on 27 November. Judge Christopher Morgan ordered Mr. Ilie to remain in custody until 15 September 2025, the date set for his trial at Chelmsford Crown Court. Updates on Essex news are available via BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram, and X. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC disclaims responsibility for the content found on external websites. Information regarding our policy on external linking is available.