Court Orders Gollum Examination In Erdogan Case

Bilgin Ciftci is facing up to two years in prison for "insulting" Recep Tayyip Erdogan when he shared images comparing him to JRR Tolkien's thin, pale creature on social media.

Mr Erdogan at the presidential palace

A court in the western province of Aydin has asked two academics, two psychologists and a film expert to determine if the comparison was an insult, Milliyet newspaper reported.

The judge took the decision after admitting to not having seen Peter Jackson's trilogy of blockbusters, based on the novel.

The court agreed to adjourn the case until February while the experts analyse Gollum, Milliyet said.

Ciftci was sacked from his hospital and briefly detained in October for sharing images comparing Mr Erdogan's facial expressions to those of Gollum when eating, expressing surprise and amazement.

Gollum has a personality split between good and evil

The case comes amid growing concern over the spiralling numbers of journalists, bloggers and ordinary people who are being taken to court on charges of insulting Mr Erdogan and other top officials.

In another case that has garnered huge attention, former Miss Turkey beauty queen Merve Buyuksarac went on trial in May on charges of insulting the president.