A quiet Newport street erupted into shocking violence as two families, bound by the ownership of competing kebab shops, unleashed a brutal brawl. The conflict, rooted in long-simmering tensions, spilled onto the pavement with terrifying speed.
It began with a single blow – Firat Sayak striking Mehmet Aksoy outside Antalya Kebab. The initial assault quickly escalated, the two men grappling and slamming against a parked car before collapsing to the ground. This single act ignited a furious chain of events.
Mehmet Aksoy, desperately seeking support, made a frantic phone call. Within moments, reinforcements arrived, including his son Murat Aksoy, who roared onto the scene in a grey Mercedes, wielding a metal pole. The Sayak family responded in kind, brandishing their own weapons from the kebab shop window.
The street transformed into a chaotic battleground as family members from both sides joined the fray. Punches and blows rained down, fueled by deep-seated animosity. The violence was relentless, leaving a trail of injuries in its wake.
The scene descended into a desperate struggle for control. As the fight raged, makeshift bandages – torn shirts – were used to staunch the flow of blood. Many participants were visibly injured, their faces and clothing stained crimson.
Police arrived to find Savas Sayak suffering from a severe head wound and Yagmur Sayak with multiple injuries. The origin of this bitter feud, investigators discovered, lay in internal conflicts within the families’ connections back in Turkey.
Remarkably, even amidst the violence, efforts at reconciliation were underway. Community leaders from the Kurdish and Turkish communities in Wales had begun a process of mediation between the Aksoy and Sayak families, hoping to quell the escalating tensions.
Judge Kember acknowledged the community’s concern, emphasizing that the brawl did not reflect the values of the Kurdish and Turkish communities. The court handed down sentences reflecting the severity of the violence.
Mehmet, Murat, and Mazhar Aksoy, along with Savas and Firat Sayak, were each sentenced to 24 months in prison. Burak Aksoy and Yagmur Sayak received 12-month suspended sentences, coupled with 150 hours of unpaid work, acknowledging their lesser roles in the conflict.
The incident serves as a stark reminder of how quickly personal disputes can escalate, and the devastating consequences that can follow when long-held grievances are allowed to boil over into open violence.
