The father of an alleged "honour killing" victim has admitted there were times when he slapped the schoolgirl but has denied killing her. Mehmet Goren was giving evidence at the Old Bailey where he and his brothers are accused of murdering his daughter.
Tulay Goren, 15, went missing from Woodford Green, north London, in 1999 and her body has never been found.
Tulay's 49-year-old father and her uncles Ali and Cuma Goren deny the teenager's murder.
Her father said he had slapped his son Tuncay four or five times and Tulay three times - once when she had sworn at him - but he claimed he was "not someone who puts pressure" on his children.
He said he had also hit his wife Hanim on two occasions before they moved to Britain from Turkey. He added: "I may have slapped her here and there, minor incidents, but if you talk about hitting her for the purposes of beating her it happened twice."
Tulay's father, an ethnic Kurd, told the Old Bailey that he had joined his family in Britain in May 1996. He spoke of previously being jailed in Turkey for political activities as well as handling stolen goods.
Mehmet Goren said he was not a believer in the "honour code", saying: "It is impossible for my political views to be in line with such a horrible practice."
He was asked about an occasion in December 1998 when Tulay had called police to say that he had slapped her.
Mehmet said he had gone into the kitchen after he had heard his younger daughter Hatice shouting.
He said Tulay had sworn at him and he then slapped her.
The court previously heard that Mehmet Goren disapproved of Tulay's relationship with Halil Unal because of religious differences and the fact that Mr Unal was 15 years older than Tulay.
Mehmet Goren and Tulay's uncles Cuma Goren, 42, and Ali Goren, 55, both from Walthamstow, east London, also deny conspiring to murder Mr Unal between May 1998 and February 1999.
The trial continues.
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