The latest court hearing in the case of Nurai Serikbay has raised new questions: why the defendant changed his testimony, what the sole eyewitness to the attack actually saw, and whether the family's appeals to the police truly went without an adequate response. These circumstances have become the subject of judicial scrutiny.

In the Specialized Interdistrict Criminal Court of Shymkent, proceedings continued in the high-profile criminal case concerning the murder of 21‑year‑old Nurai Serikbay. At the latest hearing, new evidence was examined, testimony from witnesses and relatives of the deceased was heard, and the defendant's initial confession was once again reviewed. Particular attention during the proceedings was paid to contradictions in the accused's version of events and to the family's claims of law enforcement inaction prior to the tragedy.

One of the key episodes of the hearing was the discussion of changes in the defendant's position. Currently, Sherkhan Aimakhan claims that the fatal conflict was preceded by an attack by Nurai Serikbay, who allegedly inflicted a knife wound on him first. However, the presiding judge drew attention to substantial discrepancies between the defendant's current explanations and his initial testimony given immediately after his arrest.

Addressing the defendant, Judge Samidin Tumaraliyev quoted his earlier testimony: "I tried to take my own life with the same knife I used to stab Nurai. I wounded myself slightly, but couldn't finish it. I didn't have the resolve."

Following this, the presiding judge posed a question to the accused: "In this testimony, you describe in detail what happened. It says here that you did not have a second knife. You repented of what you had done and inflicted injury on yourself. You claimed that you remembered everything. Then how do you explain your current testimony?" the judge asked.

During the judicial investigation, testimony was heard from an eyewitness to the incident. Witness Indira Berkinbayeva reported that she was returning home from work in the evening when she heard a girl screaming. According to her, a young man carrying a knife about 15–20 centimetres long ran toward her, and she noticed no wounds on him.

"He ran past me toward the girl, who was already lying on the ground, and stabbed her another two or three times. For a moment I was literally paralysed. There was another woman standing nearby. She too was frozen in horror. Then I got scared that he would attack me too, and I ran home," said Indira Berkinbayeva.

The testimony of the deceased's relatives was equally emotional. Nurai's parents were present in the courtroom, and her older brother, Sultan Serikbay, described the condition in which he saw his sister's body at the morgue.

"There wasn't a single unharmed spot on her body. The knife even went through her jacket, although it was new and very thick. I don't even want to talk about her neck. Her face was completely disfigured. It felt as if she had been struck without pause. She was unrecognisable. I couldn't hold back my tears," said Sultan Serikbay.

In addition, the court was presented with circumstances that, according to the deceased's family, preceded the crime. The relatives stated that long before the tragedy, the accused had been stalking the girl, following her near her home, and that their appeals to law enforcement had failed to result in the necessary response.

"He stalked her near our house for several days. We reported everything, but the operator didn't even register our complaint. The police effectively didn't accept our statement, and the prosecutor's office refused to initiate a case. Our calls to the hotline also went unanswered," said the deceased's brother, Sultan Serikbay.

According to the information presented during the proceedings, the victim was 21 years old. The defendant faces charges under three articles — murder, stalking, and kidnapping. At this stage of the trial, the examination of evidence and the questioning of witnesses and participants continue.

The final legal assessment of the circumstances of the case, the credibility of the parties' testimony, and the evidence presented will be given by the court after the completion of the judicial investigation and the review of all case materials.

Linarа SAKTAGANOVA
Astana