https://nypost.com/2024/06/27/us-ne...allegedly-raping-15-year-old-girl-in-his-car/
A migrant from Turkey was charged with raping a 15-year-old girl in Albany — and questions are swirling about why it took cops more than a month to inform the public about the horrific assault.
Sakir Akkan, 21, is accused of attacking the teen inside his car on Arch Street in the state capital in the early hours of May 14 after she ran away from a local group home, according to the Albany Times-Union and court records obtained by The Post.
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Sakir Akkan is accused of raping a 15-year-old girl in Albany. Albany County Correctional Facility
Akkan — who wasn’t arrested until last week — allegedly told the girl, who was in the passenger seat of his Toyota Prius, that he’d pummel her if she didn’t get into the back, and threatened her with a metal pole, according to the filing.
Once she was inside the backseat, he allegedly took the girl’s clothes off and raped her, the filing charges.
The victim lived in a group home close to where the attack unfolded, according to the Times-Union. She suffered scratches on her legs from trying to resist the attack, according to court docs.
The teen was cut loose soon after and fled to a nearby residence for help, a police report obtained by The Albany Times-Union shows.
The suspect was finally nabbed June 18 and slapped with a first-degree rape charge, Albany cops confirmed.
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Albany cops discovered Akkan’s immigration status upon fingerprinting him for the alleged rape.
Akkan was back in court on Thursday, sporting a pompadour-style hairdo with buzzed sides, with an orange Albany County Correctional Facility jumpsuit and shackles.
Through a Turkish translator, Akkan agreed to waive preliminary hearings and grand jury proceedings.
He was ordered held on $25,000 cash bail, a $50,000 bond or a partial bond of $75,000 by Albany City Court Judge John Reilly.
But his private criminal defense attorney, George LaMarche, said Akkan won’t be able to post bail because the feds have filed an immigration detainer against him, keeping him locked up.
Court records show Akkan has an address listed in Troy, NY, but he is not a US citizen, and his lawyer confirmed on Thursday that he does have family in the Albany capital region.
He was arrested by US Border Patrol agents on Nov. 5 last year after crossing into San Diego, California, illegally, a Homeland Security source told The Post.
Akkan informed agents he was trying to get to Philadelphia but failed to provide an address.
Just days later, he was released on his own recognizance due to a lack of bed space and ordered to appear in a Philadelphia court on Feb. 19, 2025, the source added.
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Akkan is being held in Albany jail until court Thursday.
Albany cops received an alert about his immigration status via an FBI database when he was fingerprinted in the wake of the alleged rape, according to court filings.
Akkan was arraigned last Wednesday and had been held without bail at the Albany County Jail.
Police in Albany have taken heat for failing to notify the public of the vicious sexual assault until after the local news outlet started probing — even as the suspect was on the loose for about a month.
“The reasoning shouldn’t matter, the fact the public wasn’t informed of such an atrocity is disgraceful,” New York State Senate Republicans posted on X.
“A shocking lack of concern for New Yorker’s safety.”
In a statement this week, police defended the decision.
“The common practice by the Albany Police Department is that information regarding sexual assaults are not released through a media release to prevent further trauma to the victim, unless there are other extenuating circumstances,” such as a potential threat to the community, Albany Police Chief Eric Hawkins said.
“We want to assure the community that immediately after this incident was reported an assessment was conducted and it was determined that there was no imminent threat to the public.”
Hawkins said cops weren’t aware of Akkan’s immigration status until after his arrest and that it had no bearing on the handling of the case.
A migrant from Turkey was charged with raping a 15-year-old girl in Albany — and questions are swirling about why it took cops more than a month to inform the public about the horrific assault.
Sakir Akkan, 21, is accused of attacking the teen inside his car on Arch Street in the state capital in the early hours of May 14 after she ran away from a local group home, according to the Albany Times-Union and court records obtained by The Post.
3 Sakir Akkan is accused of raping a 15-year-old girl in Albany. Albany County Correctional Facility
Akkan — who wasn’t arrested until last week — allegedly told the girl, who was in the passenger seat of his Toyota Prius, that he’d pummel her if she didn’t get into the back, and threatened her with a metal pole, according to the filing.
Once she was inside the backseat, he allegedly took the girl’s clothes off and raped her, the filing charges.
The victim lived in a group home close to where the attack unfolded, according to the Times-Union. She suffered scratches on her legs from trying to resist the attack, according to court docs.
The teen was cut loose soon after and fled to a nearby residence for help, a police report obtained by The Albany Times-Union shows.
The suspect was finally nabbed June 18 and slapped with a first-degree rape charge, Albany cops confirmed.
3 Albany cops discovered Akkan’s immigration status upon fingerprinting him for the alleged rape.
Akkan was back in court on Thursday, sporting a pompadour-style hairdo with buzzed sides, with an orange Albany County Correctional Facility jumpsuit and shackles.
Through a Turkish translator, Akkan agreed to waive preliminary hearings and grand jury proceedings.
He was ordered held on $25,000 cash bail, a $50,000 bond or a partial bond of $75,000 by Albany City Court Judge John Reilly.
But his private criminal defense attorney, George LaMarche, said Akkan won’t be able to post bail because the feds have filed an immigration detainer against him, keeping him locked up.
Court records show Akkan has an address listed in Troy, NY, but he is not a US citizen, and his lawyer confirmed on Thursday that he does have family in the Albany capital region.
He was arrested by US Border Patrol agents on Nov. 5 last year after crossing into San Diego, California, illegally, a Homeland Security source told The Post.
Akkan informed agents he was trying to get to Philadelphia but failed to provide an address.
Just days later, he was released on his own recognizance due to a lack of bed space and ordered to appear in a Philadelphia court on Feb. 19, 2025, the source added.
3 Akkan is being held in Albany jail until court Thursday.
Albany cops received an alert about his immigration status via an FBI database when he was fingerprinted in the wake of the alleged rape, according to court filings.
Akkan was arraigned last Wednesday and had been held without bail at the Albany County Jail.
Police in Albany have taken heat for failing to notify the public of the vicious sexual assault until after the local news outlet started probing — even as the suspect was on the loose for about a month.
“The reasoning shouldn’t matter, the fact the public wasn’t informed of such an atrocity is disgraceful,” New York State Senate Republicans posted on X.
“A shocking lack of concern for New Yorker’s safety.”
In a statement this week, police defended the decision.
“The common practice by the Albany Police Department is that information regarding sexual assaults are not released through a media release to prevent further trauma to the victim, unless there are other extenuating circumstances,” such as a potential threat to the community, Albany Police Chief Eric Hawkins said.
“We want to assure the community that immediately after this incident was reported an assessment was conducted and it was determined that there was no imminent threat to the public.”
Hawkins said cops weren’t aware of Akkan’s immigration status until after his arrest and that it had no bearing on the handling of the case.
