An Istanbul court docket Wednesday sentenced a Muslim televangelist who surrounded himself with scantily clad ladies he referred to as “kittens” to eight,658 years in jail in a retrial, native media reported.

Adnan Oktar led tv programmes surrounded by ladies sporting numerous make-up and little garments as he preached creationism and conservative values.

Additionally Learn | Kremlin ‘neither confirms nor denies’ talks with US in Turkey

Final yr, the 66-year-old was sentenced to 1,075 years for crimes together with sexual assault, sexual abuse of minors, fraud and tried political and army espionage.

However that ruling was overturned by an higher court docket.

Throughout the retrial, Istanbul excessive prison court docket sentenced Oktar to eight,658 years in jail on a number of costs together with sexual abuse and depriving somebody of their liberty, the Anadolu information company reported.

Additionally Learn | Bombing suspect arrested hours after explosion killed six in Turkey, minister accuses Kurdish PKK of assault

The court docket additionally sentenced 10 different suspects to eight,658 years in jail every, the company mentioned.

Oktar, whom critics see because the chief of a cult, gained notoriety for his programmes on the net A9 tv channel and had usually been denounced by Turkey’s spiritual leaders.

In a significant crackdown on his group, he was taken into custody in Istanbul in 2018 as a part of a probe by the town’s police monetary crimes unit.