Sefer Bugra Altundag, the man accused of killing 16-year-old Turkish Cypriot girl Zehie Helin Reessur, was sentenced to three years in military prison on Monday for “violating a military base” after committing the murder.

Altundag appeared in military court, where judge Murat Soytac said the statement he had given to police on the day of the murder had confirmed that he had illegally entered a military base while fleeing the murder scene.

His civilian trial for the murder is set to continue on Tuesday in Trikomo, though it is believed the case may be transferred to the north’s high criminal court in Nicosia.

The murder took place between 1:55am and 2:12am in the Long Beach area of Trikomo on January 25, with Altundag leaving Reessur’s body in a construction site before fleeing to the Republic from where he was returned to face trial.