Two men charged with the murder of Nicholas Gordon in Belfast were allegedly heard “gloating” about what they had done after assaulting him, a court has heard.Gordon (51) died in hospital from his injuries days after allegedly being attacked by the pair using a brush shaft at an apartment complex on the Holywood Road early on May 12th.Christopher Colin Nobes (31) and Andrew John Matthews (25), both of no fixed abode, were remanded in custody after being charged at Belfast Magistrates’ Court on Friday with murdering Gordon on May 15th, as well as other offences.Nobes is also accused of making threats to kill two named women on May 12th, theft of a phone and a bank card from Gordon on May 12th, and aggravated burglary with intent to inflict grievous bodily harm on Gordon with a brush shaft. He is also charged with possession of a BB gun on May 11th.Matthews is charged with making threats to kill two named women, aggravated burglary with intent to inflict grievous bodily harm on Gordon with a brush shaft, theft of a mobile phone and bank card from Gordon on May 12th, and causing criminal damage to a TV belonging to Gordon on May 12th. He is also charged with possession of a BB gun on May 11th.A detective inspector told the court she believes police can connect the accused to the charges. She gave details of a “number of incidents” which started at around 10.30pm on May 10th in the Shorts social club in east Belfast.She said Nobes and Matthews were allegedly involved in antisocial behaviour that resulted in a banning order being issued by the manager of the social club.She said the two accused are alleged to have been involved in an assault involving three foreign nationals at around 8.52pm on May 11th 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 May 12th.[ Murder investigation begins after man dies following east Belfast break-inOpens in new window ]“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 12th. 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 Gordon’s flat at 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 took a television off the wall in Gordon’s flat and threw it “out the window”. They are also alleged to have threatened that witnesses would be shot if they reported the incident to police.The detective inspector said the defendants left Northern Ireland on May 13th to travel to Scotland “under false names”, where they were later apprehended by Police Scotland and returned to Northern Ireland.She said the evidence included witness statements and CCTV and that “there is a fingerprint of Christopher Nobes on the exterior doorframe” of Gordon’s flat.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 before the court on June 19th. – PA