Colchester housemates brawled in house after disagreement, court told

Ali Hassan is accused of causing grievous bodily harm when he and Turgut Celik had a disagreement over the messiness of their house in New Park Street, Colchester.

Chelmsford Crown Court heard on Wednesday how the pair had to be pulled apart by their two other housemates before a neighbour called the police.

Mr Celik was taken to Colchester Hospital, but the part of his ear which he lost during the brawl could not be reattached.

Housemates – the defendant and complainant were awaiting the outcome of asylum claims at the time of the incident (Image: Google Street View)

All four men were living in Colchester awaiting a decision on their asylum applications at the time of the incident.

Opening the case for the prosecution, Matthew Kirk said Mr Celik confronted Hassan after the defendant upturned furniture in the hallway.

Speaking through a Turkish interpreter, he said: “His messiness around the house was bothering us, he was banging the doors and leaving the communal kitchen dirty.”

He also said Hassan would “get angry” when he was confronted about his untidiness.

Mr Celik said he had raised their concerns with a manager at the Home Office before the incident took place in October 2022, telling the jury Hassan was making loud noises with pots and pans in the kitchen and “looked quite angry”.

Mr Celik said he then went upstairs to a bathroom, when Hassan started banging on the door.

He told the jury he left the bathroom a few minutes later and found “all the settees in the hallway had been turned upside down” and a knife had been left on the floor.

Mr Celik and two of the housemates then confronted Hassan about the upended sofas, with Mr Celik showing the defendant a video of the mess after Hassan denied any involvement.

Court – a jury is considering one charge of grievous bodily harm (Image: Daniel Rees, Newsquest)

“He said ‘why did you record this’ and started punching me”, Mr Celik told the court.

Two housemates separated Hassan and Mr Celik.

He said: “I looked down at the floor and it was covered in blood. “I realised my ear was cut, and when he spat, a piece of my ear flew out of his mouth.”

Hassan, of North Downs Road, Croydon, claims he was attacked by Celik first and acted in self-defence. The trial continues.