A husband pushed his heavily pregnant wife off a cliff to her death in a bid to cash in on insurance, it has been alleged.
Hakan Aysal, 40, has been arrested on suspicion of murder after his wife and unborn child were killed in the horrific fall.
Aysal allegedly pushed Semra Aysal, 32, off a 1,000ft beauty spot while on holiday in Turkey in June 2018, according to claims.
Prosecutors have argued the husband killed his wife to cash in on her life insurance.
Semra and her unborn child were instantly killed after they fell – she was seven months pregnant at the time.
Chilling pictures of the couple show Aysal taking a selfie with Semra just moments before she died.
Prosecutors argue she plunged to her death because her husband pushed her, and it was not an “accident.”
Aysal had taken out her life insurance a short while before her death.
In the indictment prepared for the crime of ‘deliberate murder’ against the husband, it states that he “planned the murder of his wife by first taking out a personal accident insurance on her behalf with a guarantee of 400,000 Turkish lira (TRY) (£40,865) and where the only beneficiary was himself”
Prosecutors claimed that the only reason they sat on top of the cliff for three hours was so that he could make sure no one was around, and as soon as he realised they were alone, he deliberately killed her by pushing her off the cliff.
The indictment also noted that Aysal had claimed the insurance payment of TRY 400,000 a short while later, but it was declined when news of the investigation was unveiled.
The Fethiye High Criminal Court has ruled that he be remanded in custody for premeditated murder.
In a video interview, the court heard from the victim’s brother, Naim Yolcu, who said: “When we went to the Forensic Medicine Institute to get the body, Hakan was sitting in the car. My family and I were destroyed, but Hakan did not even appear sad.”
He added: “My sister was always against taking out loans.
“However, after she died, we learned that she had three loans taken by Hakan on behalf of my sister. Also, she had a fear of heights, what extreme sport is she going to be doing when she is scared of heights?”
Asked about the questionable insurance premiums, Aysal said: “I have been interested in extreme sports since 2014; parachute, bungee jumping, rafting. That is why I had life insurance before I got married.”
Aysal was also asked about the article in the accident personal insurance stating that “in case Semra Aysal dies, her heir will be husband Hakan Aysal. In case Hakan Aysal dies, his heirs will be family relatives”.
Aysal said; “I did not examine the policy much. The banker arranged the paperwork. I just brought it to my wife to get it signed. I was not aware that there was such an article.”
He has denied being responsible for her death, saying: “After taking a photo, my wife put the phone in her bag.
“Later she asked me to give her the phone. I got up and then heard my wife scream behind me when I walked a few steps away to get the phone from her bag. When I turned back, she was not there. I did not push my wife.”
The investigation continues.