Strange story about a journalist who allegedly committed suicide at the airport in Istanbul

[Pickman's model]

The whole thing stinks to high heaven.

that'll be the drains

 

[miss direct]

Very interesting theory and background information

Amy L Beam - Jacky Sutton, British Journalist: Suspicious... | Facebook

 

[classicdish]

The UK should demand the body immediately and do its own autopsy as soon as possible.

Hopefully this should be able to spot if she really hung herself using shoelaces or if she was actually chocked to death by bunch of policemen.

 

[Belushi]

Very interesting theory and background information

Amy L Beam - Jacky Sutton, British Journalist: Suspicious... | Facebook

That sounds more likely than she hung herself with her shoelaces because she missed a connecting flight

 

[weltweit]

Interesting link. Does not sound like she was the sort of person to hang herself because she missed a flight.

 

[elbows]

As usual with these sorts of stories I haven't got that much problem keeping an open mind. I don't close my mind to dark possibilities at all, but I will do the same for the more straightforward possibilities too.

Much as I don't have enough info to conclude that a particular dodgy possibility was what happened, I don't have any info about her state of mind at the airport with which to test the validity of the suicide possibility.

What has emerged is that the family and the org she worked for have at least received enough info for them to believe the suicide story is plausible, at least more plausible than when the first drabs of info came out. They obviously haven't seen enough to rule out the other possibilities completely, and neither do I.

Jacky Sutton: Briton found dead at Istanbul airport 'acted alone' - BBC News

Jenny Sutton said: "The family is satisfied with the investigation undertaken by the Turkish authorities.

"We were deeply sceptical about initial reports. But based on the evidence we have seen, at this stage we believe that Jacky acted alone."

The family and the IWPR said the Turkish authorities had provided access to "the complete dossier of evidence" relating to the case, including copies of CCTV images from the airport and witness statements.

This all indicated that Ms Sutton had been alone and there was no evidence of a struggle, they said.

The decision to release information from the investigation had followed "widespread speculation" about the circumstances surrounding Ms Sutton's death, the statement added.

The IWPR and the family said they would seek a further assessment from an independent investigative expert to confirm the findings once the Turkish investigation was complete.

 

[classicdish]

Here's a piece by HerCanberra websitem, "her own incredible story. This is her life, in her words"

Jacky Sutton: A Life

 

[elbows]

The statement in full. I'll quote the main bit the BBC article I already linked to left out:

Although investigation is still ongoing, in order to avoid further distress to family members and friends of Jacky, and given the widespread speculation about the circumstances of her death, we therefore state the following:

• Comprehensive CCTV footage with no apparent time gaps, still photographs, witness statements, a viewing of the body by her sister, and a site visit by IWPR and the family all indicate that Jacky was alone and that there was no sign of struggle.
• Jacky had two credit cards and a large amount of cash with her, and there was no indication of theft or of any missing belongings.
• There is no evidence that any item or material was involved in the incident other than items already in her possession.

A further statement will be made when we are in a position to do so.

In the meantime, we would ask that the privacy of Jacky’s family be respected.

Statement on the Death of Jacqueline Sutton

 

[classicdish]

Just reading the 'jackie sutton: a life' article above, she did an amazing range of things.

This bit made me smile:

"Late 2006 a British friend of mine in Kabul was handed over to the Afghan authorities on charges of trying to murder a Muslim. He had uncovered corruption involving UN officials which had resulted in the death of three Afghan children and I knew that they were trying to cover this up. I managed to get him out of prison and out of the country, but in the process the Afghan authorities tried to arrest me and put me in prison in his stead. So I was evacuated from the country – luckily I had two days notice and managed to get my cat, Genghis, smuggled out of the country across the Khyber Pass to Islamabad and she was put on a plane to Ghana, to where I had been transferred.

Genghis joined me in Ghana and the airport officials couldn’t believe that I had paid for this one eyed, no-toothed, raggy eared tabby to come all the way to be with me. But she had stuck with me during my troubles and I wasn’t going to leave her to die an agonizing death by starvation. She lived with me for another five years before I had her euthanized in Baghdad because she had cancer."

 

[weltweit]

She still doesn't sound like the sort of person who would hang herself over missing a flight.

 

[elbows]

She still doesn't sound like the sort of person who would hang herself over missing a flight.

The problem is that information that might help us to understand the exact chain of events and even her state of mind is not necessarily going to become public. People are complicated, and the picture I have is minimal.

 

[classicdish]

The problem is that information that might help us to understand the exact chain of events and even her state of mind is not necessarily going to become public. People are complicated, and the picture I have is minimal.

I'd like the UK government to ask for her body so that a proper post-mortem is done asap and coroner's investigation is conducted:

link: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploa...data/file/363879/guide-to-coroner-service.pdf

10.2 A death abroad A coroner will investigate a death abroad if the body is brought back into his or her area and the apparent circumstances of the death would have led him or her to investigate it if it had occurred in England or Wales. The standards of service outlined in this booklet, in particular in relation to post-mortem examinations and inquests, may need to be varied due to arrangements following a death being different in other countries and difficulties receiving information from overseas. The coroner will issue a certificate for cremation in all cases coming from abroad where the body is to be cremated. If a cremation takes place abroad and the cremated remains are brought back into England or Wales, the coroner cannot become involved. Deaths abroad are not registered by the registrar of births and deaths when the coroner has finished his or her investigation, but are registered in the country where the death occurred. Further information about what to do when a death occurs abroad is at Coping with death abroad - Publications - GOV.UK.

 

[classicdish]

• Comprehensive CCTV footage with no apparent time gaps, still photographs, witness statements, a viewing of the body by her sister, and a site visit by IWPR and the family all indicate that Jacky was alone and that there was no sign of struggle.
• Jacky had two credit cards and a large amount of cash with her, and there was no indication of theft or of any missing belongings.
• There is no evidence that any item or material was involved in the incident other than items already in her possession.

In don't want to spiral down a 'conspiracy theory logic' rabbit hole and I don't want to disrepect the Sutton family (who have said themselves they are commissioning their own investigation to take place after the Turkish one has been completed) ... but re. the above points:

They do seem to rule out the previous theory that she was done in by Turkish police in a similar way to the American woman and the fact that cash etc were still there rules out robbery. It might be that these witnesses are 100% genuine and were actually inside the toilets at the time of death. It might be that the CCTV coverage is clear, comprehesive, time-stamped and untouched. However if this was a professional 'hit' or if there has been any type of cover up then a possible 'murder scenario' could be:

Someone follows Jacky around airport, waits until there is noone else around and they are out of sight of any cameras (ie in the toilets), quickly renders her unconscious with something that leaves no traces (eg carotid restraint hold, chemical agent) then leaves her hanging with her own shoelaces.

No sign of struggle - check,
Used objects in her possession to kill her - check
Didn't take anything - check

Obviously however this leaves the risk of someone walking into the toilets either before the assassin(s) gets out or before she is actually dead so choosing the right time to strike would be important (preferably when the airport is least busy - hence a delay till late night?) as would using look-outs etc. There is also the risk that CCTV needs to be edited (for example someone notices that she was being followed around - although by using a team this can be far better disguised) and this fact is picked up by a subsequent investigation.

Things that would make doing this without being caught easier:

Knowing exactly when Jacky Sutton was going to be transiting the airport, being able to manufacture an additional delay so she would be there longer, having multiple people involved (including female operatives so they can enter toilets without raising suspicions), having accreditation or passes of some type to be able to move around the airport without anyone questioning you, knowing exactly what areas of the airport are covered by CCTV (or having an insider who is able to retrospectively edit out any bits of CCTV if necessary). If you were actually able to coordinate the hit using the CCTV feeds then you wouldn't even need to follow her around the airport etc. although obviously the more people you involve the less secret it becomes and the more risk of whistleblowers and leaks.

Motivation:

That the victim either knew about something, was getting too close to discovering something or was on their way to meet someone who was going to tell them something. In this case something relating to Turkey/ISIS/Kurds. Alternatively it might have been decided that the general support and training work in Erbil was going to give too much benefit to citizen (ie Kurdish) media and reporting operations over a longer period, so this was more 'strategic sabotage' of the programme rather than linked to any specific story or designed for its 'chilling effect' on other reporters.

 

[ViolentPanda]

The UK should demand the body immediately and do its own autopsy as soon as possible.

And risk the trade we do with Turkey, rinsing their crooked money?

 

[ViolentPanda]

In terms of suicide implements, shoelaces aren't a "go to" solution. Most of them have too low a breaking strain to be effective for anyone weighing more than about 50 kilos, and that's if they're thick, woven laces rather than the cord-like versions used in dress shoes.

 

[classicdish]

And risk the trade we do with Turkey, rinsing their crooked money?

If the UK government really wants a good cover up then it should take it in-house and make everyone believe it. Refusing to investigate or going along with a obviously bodged cover-up investigation that is going to get pulled to bits for the next 50 years or so is arguably a worse tactic than appearing really concerned and at least appearing to be doing an investigation. Even if the end result suggested a politically-motivated murder I'm sure they could find some 'rogue agent' or terrorist-colluding criminal group to put all the blame on in any case, to paper over the strategic issues relating to NATO and EU membership.

 

[classicdish]

I've just spotted the following on bgnnews.com

Late British journalist Jacky Sutton chose not to board flight voluntarily (timestamp: 21/10/15 14:40)

New details have further muddied the case of British journalist and humanitarian worker Jacqueline Anne Sutton, who allegedly committed suicide at Istanbul Airport on Saturday after missing her connecting flight. New information reveals that she voluntarily chose not to board the plane.

Recently appointed as the Iraq director for the London-based Institute for War and Peace Reporting (IWPR), an organization that promotes journalism in conflict zones, British national Jacqueline Anne Sutton (50) arrived in Istanbul’s Ataturk International Airport from London Saturday night at 9:58 p.m local time (6:58 p.m. GMT), en route to the Iraqi city of Erbil.

However, after missing her connecting flight scheduled for 12:15 a.m. local time, she went to the ticket purchase counter, where she reportedly wept over being unable to afford a new ticket. Sutton allegedly then proceeded to the airport lavatories and hung herself with her shoelaces. Her body was later discovered by some Russian passengers.

But footage of the terminal building shows Sutton arriving at the gate where her flight was supposed to take off and waiting in the seating area despite repeated announcements. She finally proceeded to the Turkish Airlines counter seven minutes after the gate was closed, telling the counter personnel that she had just missed her flight.

Turkish authorities are looking into whether Sutton did not board her flight out of fear, or for another reason.

Among other suspicious details was the discovery of €2,300 in Sutton's pocket, contradicting the claim that she was distraught over being unable to purchase a ticket to Erbil.

However, the preliminary autopsy report by the Forensic Medicine Institute appears to confirm her death as a suicide, noting that there were no signs of struggle or bruising on her body.

Furthermore, the toilet stall where Sutton's body was found had been locked from the inside, requiring the door be broken down to retrieve her body. The Russian passengers who found her had reported seeing her feet dangling.

The Bakırköy chief public prosecutor’s office in Istanbul is focusing on the possibility of suicide.

Sutton’s older sister, meanwhile, arrived at the public prosecutor’s office Wednesday morning along with a friend and a consular representative to receive information on the ongoing investigation.

PS: I've checked the flight times for TK1998 on FlightStats and "9:58 p.m local time (6:58 p.m. GMT)" seems to be about an hour wrong - at that time the plane was still in en route. Actual arrival is listed as 11:00pm (although 'status-landed' appeared 10.37pm, with 'actual gate' briefly changing to 10.47pm). Flight TK1998 was from Gatwick. Seems like she was on a different flight ie TK1986 from Heathrow which did disembark at 9.58pm local time.

flightstats also indicates:
Departure Gate 305 (nb I think flights using 'gates 301/312' mean that passengers need to get onto a bus to board their planes) with "actual departure" = 12.35am local

BGNnews also published this yesterday (21/10/15 19:05)

Turkish autopsy report confirms former BBC journalist committed suicide

Jacqueline Anne Sutton, 50, hanged herself in the toilets at the airport in the early hours of Sunday as she travelled from London to Irbil, northern Iraq, according to the Council of Forensic Medicine’s report.

The report found she was carrying nearly $2,400 in various foreign currencies -- the bulk, $2,081, in U.S. currency.

Following the findings of the report the public prosecutor recorded her cause of death as suicide.

Sutton, who worked as acting Iraq director for the Institute for War and Peace Reporting, was a former BBC journalist.

The forensics report found she arrived at Atatürk Airport at 9.58 p.m. local time (1858GMT) Saturday and missed her onward 12.15 a.m. (2115GMT) flight to Erbil.

Her body was found by a 25-year-old Russian woman at 1 a.m. (2200GMT), the report added. Officials were alerted and found her hanging behind the toilet door and a police investigation found nothing suspicious.

 

[LDC]

She still doesn't sound like the sort of person who would hang herself over missing a flight.

No, and that's probably because that wasn't the reason really.

But it is possible for people who might have otherwise seemed well balanced and happy to either be hiding things that drive them to such acts seemingly 'out of the blue', or for people to have sudden psychotic episodes that result in the same act.

 

[miss direct]

BG news is shit - it's just the translated version of the Turkish newspaper Bir Gün - BirGün - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lots of rehashed press releases.

 

[Diamond]

Gosh - I was in Ataturk that night.

It's by some distance the most secure airport that I have ever been through so the chances of some kind of hit seem vanishingly small to me without some insider involvement...

 

[weltweit]

.. But it is possible for people who might have otherwise seemed well balanced and happy to either be hiding things that drive them to such acts seemingly 'out of the blue', or for people to have sudden psychotic episodes that result in the same act.

You are quite right, that is possible.

 

[ATOMIC SUPLEX]

I've been to istanbul airport twice, and if I had missed my flight either time and had to wait around there any longer I might have considered taking my own life.

 

[Jon-of-arc]

It's a very weird story. Brings to mind the spook in a suitcase, for some reason.

 

[DotCommunist]

It's a very weird story. Brings to mind the spook in a suitcase, for some reason.

not just you- its the total impluasability of it and hasty post-hoc 'well we must consider all factors and possibilities' stuff that does it. I think she was killed by turkish sate security. We'll never know though I suppose

 

[Jon-of-arc]

not just you- its the total impluasability of it and hasty post-hoc 'well we must consider all factors and possibilities' stuff that does it. I think she was killed by turkish sate security. We'll never know though I suppose

There's quite a few parallels with yeh man in the bag. Improbable method of "suicide". Authorities not acknowledging that it happened on their watch. Any evidence of wrong doing clearly been gathered and destroyed. No suspect. Some obvious covering up.

The theory posted up page is perfectly plausible, but part of me wonders if she found out something she wasn't supposed to. The lack of outcry from the foreign office about this screams to me that British intelligence know something about it. British nationals offed in the dodgiest of circumstances whilst engaging in the noble pursuit of journalism isn't supposed to go unmentioned, unchallenged. Well dodge.

 

[Jon-of-arc]

I say all this, but I just read a beeb article where the family say they are convinced, having seen all the ccctv, witness statements etc, that she "acted alone" (an odd turn of phrase, fwiw).

Jacky Sutton: Briton found dead at Istanbul airport 'acted alone' - BBC News

 

[classicdish]

BG news is shit - it's just the translated version of the Turkish newspaper Bir Gün - BirGün - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lots of rehashed press releases.

Yes I agree that bgnews needs a big health warning - when I started to investigate this I immediately came across two completely contradictory descriptions of its political views and some - lets say - 'diverse' editorial lines/stories, so I decided against getting into any Gullenist v. AKP, left-or-right description and leave that to the u75 posters like yourself who do know about Turkish politics and media). I didn't mean to suggest what they have been publishing is true. What I found interesting is the 'drip, drip' of information from mostly unidentified sources (police? airport staff? someone else?) - for example where did the claim about her being 'broke' and 'upset' originate exactly? Where has this claim about her deliberately missing her flight come from? Is this just airport staff chit-chat to journalists or is it a deliberate attempt to shape the narrative and coming from official channels? I would definitely appreciate your guidance about any good quality english-language Turkish media that is available.

 

[classicdish]

Jon-of-arc

The "lack of outcry" and the family statement could actually be a sign that there is some serious behind the scenes pressure / investigation / monitoring / diplomacy going on but that the UK government is being careful to not let this get whipped up into a "Turkey versus the west" nationalistic issue (or a pro/anti government-versus-Kurds one) especially right now during a Turkish election period.

Its worth noting that although the family seem to be 'going along with' the initial forensic report they did also say at the end that they will be commissioning their own investigation afterwards. This could suggest that their statement is tactical - ie designed not to get any Turkish backs up or in any way contradict any Turkish bodies for the time being, but at the same time serve a very subtle warning that they expect to have full access to all the evidence and details of the investigation and will be pursuing this further in the future. They are in a a bit of a delicate situation.

 

[miss direct]

I would definitely appreciate your guidance about any good quality english-language Turkish media that is available.

I'm still looking...
Turkey is a pretty dangerous place to be a journalist although a very interesting one too. I generally follow (on twitter) Mark Lowen from the BBC and Constanze Letsch | The Guardian - good indepth objective stuff, which I have consistently failed to find here.

 

[Plumdaff]

If she deliberately missed the flight that could mean she was trying to do the unexpected, although it could indicate someone in an emotional crisis. Just doesn't scan right, eh.