A professor working at a private university in Istanbul was arrested on charges of beating his wife, the Sabah newspaper reported on Wednesday. The 70-year-old suspect identified as N.L. faces charges of inflicting injury, insult and threat.
The newspaper reported that N.L. is an accomplished animation expert who worked on prominent films and animated series including "Space Jam" and "Scooby-Doo." Turkish media had reported earlier that the couple was South Korean nationals, but the South Korean Consulate in Istanbul corrected the reports, with an official saying in a written statement that N.L. and his wife were Canadian citizens and the Canadian Consulate was looking into their case.
According to the criminal complaint filed against N.L. by his wife, 62-year-old J.L., the suspect punched her multiple times after a domestic dispute in their residence in Istanbul’s Beyoğlu district on May 26. The next day, the couple quarreled again at a restaurant where N.L. hit her multiple times. The woman passed out due to the beating and was taken to the hospital. She told police about the incident after recovering from multiple fractures. The suspect was detained by police later and acknowledged that they had argued but rejected the allegations that he hit her. He was remanded in custody by a court and will appear before the court at an unscheduled date. Prosecutors are asking for up to seven and a half years of jail time for N.L.
