The Turkish waiter accused of murdering Marion Graham and Kathy Dinsmore has caused further agony for their families by claiming he killed them in self-defence

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In a desperate attempt to avoid a heavy jail sentence, Recep Cetin told his lawyer that he stabbed the women after they had attacked him, cutting his hand.

A source close to the investigation told the Belfast Telegraph that when Cetin realised that he faced at least two decades in prison if convicted of two murders, he "panicked".

The source said: "When he realised he could be convicted of two premeditated murders he panicked. When his lawyer spoke to him he told his lawyer it was self-defence, because the women had attacked him."

Cetin has claimed the women brought him to the area where their bodies were later discovered and attacked him.

However, Marion's former partner Raymond McGuinness last night rejected Cetin's claims.

Speaking to the Belfast Telegraph, he said: "It's impossible, just impossible. He feigned injury, he was lying outside the villa and when Shannon (Marion's daughter) came up he said that Kathy had been pulled into a transporter and he was trying to save Marion, and that is how he cut his hand.

"It's just impossible. The police saw through it straight away. It was just an unbelievable story that he had made up."

The Belfast Telegraph can also reveal details of events after the murders, including how Cetin escaped the murder scene, how the murders were discovered and how the bodies were eventually found.

On Thursday afternoon Cetin arranged a taxi to take him, Marion and Kathy from the Turkish seaside resort of Kusadasi, where they lived, to Izmir for a short trip.

The taxi dropped them off outside Cetin's father's market at around 1pm and was due to collect them again at 2pm, but they never arrived for their journey.

Marion and Kathy had been murdered and their bodies left in a wooded park on the outskirts of the city.

After he allegedly murdered the two women, Cetin then took his father's car and drove back to Kusadasi.

The police became involved in the case when someone contacted them to say they had spotted Cetin with blood on his T-shirt and a cut to his hand.

When they spoke with him he told them someone had kidnapped the two women and attacked him. Suspicious about his claims, police interrogated him for three hours until he allegedly admitted to killing them. Shortly before midnight on Thursday he took police to the spot in Izmir where he had left their bodies. A knife was recovered at the scene.

It is understood that a bail application is to be made within the next few days, however this is just a formality and he will not be released.

His next court hearing is not expected for at least two months. During this hearing Cetin will take the judge to the scene of the murders and demonstrate what happened on the day of the murders.

The Belfast Telegraph also understands that the court is intending to ask for medical tests to be carried out on Cetin as soon as possible to determine his age.

Bone marrow tests will establish if Cetin is indeed 17. The police believe that he could actually be older.

In parts of south east Turkey births are not registered immediately, and police and court officials believe this has happened in Cetin's case.

If the tests show he is older than 17 he will be tried as an adult, and therefore faces the rest of his life behind bars.

He is currently being detained in a youth prison outside Izmir.

A coroner's report showed that both women were stabbed around 15 times each, mainly in the chest area.

It is understood his family have since left Kusadasi because there is so much hostility from locals over the murders. Local business owners are concerned that the attacks will affect tourism and business