Turkey: 572-year jail term for man who sexually abused 18 kids

A janitor has been sentenced to 572 years in prison for sexually abusing 18 children in student dorms in Turkey.

Mehmet Sait Güler began working at the school in southeastern Turkey’s Adıyaman in 2012 and he shared a dormitory with the students even though this was against official regulations, the Hurriyet Daily News reported.

He allegedly raped children in the boiler room after luring them in using the excuse that he would teach them how to use the heating system. He also snuck into their beds at night.

“In February 2015, after leaving his lodging at the dormitory, he reportedly took a number of children to his own home and raped them,” the paper reported. “It was also reported that he exposed the children to pornographic content, forced them to smoke and beat them.”

His jail term, the highest issued by a Turkish court, was handed down after he was found guilty of “sexually abusing children,” “bodily harm,” “deprivation of liberty” and “blackmailing.”