Two men charged with the murder of Nicholas Gordon in east Belfast allegedly “gloated” about what they had done after assaulting him, a court has heard.
The 51-year-old, who is known as Nicky, died in hospital from his injuries after being allegedly attacked by the pair using a brush shaft at an apartment complex on the Holywood Road in the early hours of May 12.
Police said they found him conscious but badly injured, and he died several days later in the Royal Victoria Hospital.
Christopher Colin Nobes, 31, of no fixed abode, and Andrew John Matthews, 25, also of no fixed abode, have both been charged with murdering Mr Gordon on May 15, as well as a number of other offences.
They were both remanded in custody following the brief first appearance at Belfast Magistrates’ Court on Friday morning.
Nobes has also been charged with making threats to kill two named women on May 12, theft of a phone and a bank card from Mr Gordon on May 12, as well as aggravated burglary with intent to inflict grievous bodily harm on Mr Gordon with a brush shaft.
He is also charged with possession of a BB gun on May 11.
Matthews is charged with making threats to kill two named women, aggravated burglary with intent to inflict grievous bodily harm on Mr Gordon with a brush shaft, theft of a mobile phone and bank card from Mr Gordon on May 12, and criminal damage of a TV belonging to Mr Gordon on May 12.
He is also charged with possession of a BB gun on May 11.
A detective inspector told the court she believes police can connect the accused to the charges.
She described a “number of incidents” which started at around 10.30pm on Sunday May 10 in the Shorts Social Club in east Belfast.
“It is alleged that both Nobes and Matthews were causing some anti-social behaviour resulting in a banning order being issued by the manager there at the social club,” she told the court.
She went on to say that Nobes and Matthews are alleged to have been involved in an assault involving three foreign nationals at around 8.52pm on May 11 at Tesco in Knocknagoney, footage of which, she said, was “widely viewed on social media”.
The detective inspector said Nobes and Matthews were at the apartment complex on the Holywood Road in the early hours of Tuesday May 12.
“Nobes and Matthews attended that apartment block and assaulted Nicky Gordon in his apartment at flat 16, police received a report of that assault at 8.24am on Tuesday May 12, when police attended they found Nicky Gordon who was conscious but very badly beaten,” she said.
“He was taken to the Royal Victoria Hospital where he died.”
She said police have established the pair arrived at the apartment complex at around 3am and first stayed in a different flat with a number of witnesses, before going upstairs to Mr Gordon’s flat around 4.45am.
“They forcibly entered flat 16 on three occasions and assaulted Nicky Gordon with what is alleged to be a brush shaft, they came back down to the apartment they had been staying in and a number of witnesses stated they were gloating about what they had done, and also about the previous incidents at Shorts Social Club and at Tesco.”
She said the pair also allegedly damaged a television in Mr Gordon’s flat by “taking it off the wall and throwing it out the window”, and threatened a number of witnesses that they would be shot if they reported the matter to police.
The detective inspector said the defendants then left Northern Ireland on Wednesday May 13 to travel to Scotland “under false names”, where they were later apprehended by Police Scotland and returned to Northern Ireland.
“The evidence against them is witness statements, CCTV and there is a fingerprint of Christopher Nobes on the exterior doorframe of the flat belonging to Nicky Gordon,” she added.
A solicitor for Nobes said his client “vehemently denies the allegations”.
No application for bail was made.
Both men were remanded in custody to appear next on June 19.
