An Istanbul court Wednesday sentenced a Muslim televangelist who surrounded himself with scantily clad women he called "kittens" to 8,658 years in prison in a retrial, local media reported.
Adnan Oktar led television programmes surrounded by women wearing lots of makeup and little clothes as he preached creationism and conservative values.
Last year, the 66-year-old was sentenced to 1,075 years for crimes including sexual assault, sexual abuse of minors, fraud and attempted political and military espionage.
But that ruling was overturned by an upper court.
During the retrial, Istanbul high criminal court sentenced Oktar to 8,658 years in prison on several charges including sexual abuse and depriving someone of their liberty, the Anadolu news agency reported.
The court also sentenced 10 other suspects to 8,658 years in prison each, the agency said.
Oktar, whom critics see as the leader of a cult, gained notoriety for his programmes on the online A9 television channel and had regularly been denounced by Turkey's religious leaders.
In a major crackdown on his group, he was taken into custody in Istanbul in 2018 as part of a probe by the city's police financial crimes unit.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Featured Video Of The Day
Sara Tendulkar's Girls' Trip To Turkey Is The Perfect Excuse To Plan One With Your Girlfriends Mumbai Restaurant Employee Cleans Drain With "Frying Net", Owner Clarifies Built Over 100 Years Ago, Istanbul's Iconic Trams To Get Makeovers Mamata Banerjee's Sunday Ultimatum To CBI For Death Penalty In Rape-Murder How Extreme Weather Is Leading To Rise In Child Marriages In Pakistan Who Is Jasveen Sangha, "Ketamine Queen" Charged With Matthew Perry's Death Explained: Occupational English Test For Healthcare Professionals "I Am Sorry": KTR Apologises For Remarks After Woman's Panel Begins Probe Hyderabad Restaurant Raids: Food Safety Violations Found In And Around DLF Cyber City, Gachibowli Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.