3 May 2022
The victim of the notorious Drypool Bridge rapist has been left "extremely distressed" after the jailing of her attacker was delayed because no Turkish interpreter turned up at court. A mix-up in booking an interpreter meant that convicted sex offender Tamer Eren could not be sentenced at Hull Crown Court at because the defence needed to ensure that he understood the complex issues surrounding the potential danger that he posed to the public. Efforts by his barrister to speak to him in "pidgin English" had failed because he claimed that he did not understand what she was saying. […] In court, after it became apparent that Eren could not be sentenced because no interpreter was present, Judge Sophie McKone said: "I am very sorry to say that there is no interpreter. One tried to be sourced but, I'm afraid, there isn't one. I know that's incredibly disappointing." Prosecutor Jeremy Evans said that the victim had taken time off work to attend court for the hearing only to find that the case could not be concluded. "She is extremely distressed," he said. "It's weighing slightly heavily on my shoulders, I have to say." Judge McKone said: "I completely understand that." She added that she believed that there was a shortage of interpreters and that the Covid-19 pandemic had played a part in how they were allocated for court cases. "It's not particularly helpful," said Judge McKone. The chances of getting an interpreter were greater over a video link than face to face but it was preferable if efforts could be made to get one to attend court in person.
The reason why an interpreter was needed for the case was that the issues involved in deciding Eren's level of dangerousness needed to be explained to him for legal reasons so that he understood them. Defence barrister Michele Stuart-Lofthouse said: "I tried to speak to him in pidgin English this morning but he kept saying he didn't understand."
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