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, known as Nicky, died in hospital from his injuries after being attacked with a brush shaft at an apartment complex on the Holywood Road in the early hours of May 12.
Christopher Colin Nobes, 31, and Andrew John Matthews, 25, both of no fixed abode, appeared at Belfast Magistrates’ Court on Friday morning charged with murdering Mr Gordon on May 15, along with other offences. They were remanded in custody.
A detective inspector told the court that police believe the pair arrived at the apartment complex around 3am on May 12, staying in a different flat before going 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,” she said. “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.”
The court also heard that Nobes and Matthews are alleged to have been involved in an assault on three foreign nationals at a Tesco in Knocknagoney on May 11, footage of which was widely shared on social media. They are also accused of making threats to kill two named women and damaging a television in Mr Gordon’s flat.
The detective inspector said the defendants left Northern Ireland for Scotland on May 13 under false names, where they were apprehended by Police Scotland and returned. A solicitor for Nobes said his client “vehemently denies the allegations”. Both men were remanded to appear next on June 19.
