Former Regent Square Restaurateur's Sex Assault Retrial Begins

Pittsburgh PA

06 October, 2021

8:26 AM

Description

PITTSBURGH, PA — The retrial of former Regent Square restaurant owner Adnan Pehlivan on sexual assault charges began Tuesday, more than two years after the first trial ended with his acquittal on some charges and the jury deadlocked on others. Pehlivan, 50, is being tried this time on charges of burglary, sexual assault and involuntary deviate sexual assault in connection with the incident in the city's South Side in May 2018. Pehlivan is accused of following the alleged victim and her friends after meeting them at Kopy's Bar in the South Side. He allegedly entered the victim's residence through a basement apartment window and sexually assaulting her. Prosecutors alleged during the initial trial that surveillance footage showed Pehlivan stalking the women in his car as they walked on East Carson Street. The defense argued the alleged victim secretly told Pehlivan when she met him at Kopy's that she was interested in an encounter with him, and told him to follow her home so her friends wouldn't know. Pehlivian owned the former Istanbul Sofra on South Braddock Avenue at the time of his arrest but has since sold the restaurant, now known as Bosphorus Mediterranean Cuisine. He also purchased the former Ryan's Pub next door and was planning to reopen it a Hilton's Lounge; those plans never materialized and the space eventually became part of the local Dive Bar chain. Be the first to know what's happening in your community and region. With a free Patch subscription, you'll always be up to date on local and state news: https://patch.com/subscribe.