Man remanded in custody on Hartlepool dad's murder charge

Eugert Merizaj, aged 30, appeared at Teesside Magistrates’ Court for the first time on Thursday in connection with the death of Hemawand Ali Hussein in 2019.

Merizaj, whose address was listed as Montague Street, Leicester, was remanded in custody until Monday, November 15, when the case will be heard by a judge at Teesside Crown Court.

Father-of-two Mr Hussein, 30, was found dead in a property in Hartlepool’s Charterhouse Street in September 2019.

He had suffered a gunshot wound.

Three men stood trial at Teesside Crown Court earlier this year after they charged with murdering Mr Hussein.

Noza Saffari, 39, of Park Lane, Middlesbrough, was jailed for 15 years after he was convicted of manslaughter and cleared of murder.

Qazim Marku, 25, of Maxwell Road, West Drayton, in London, Dorian Pirija, 33, of Trillo Avenue, Bolton, each got 19 years after they too were found guilty of manslaughter and cleared of murder.

Mr Hussein previously fought so-called Islamic State in his home country of Kurdistan and was a much-loved father to two young sons.

His partner Jennifer Buller said after the conclusion of the original case that his death had left his family “crushed and devastated beyond measure”.

She said: “He was a brilliant father and his children saw him as their hero, a brave man who protected them.

“They knew about his involvement fighting against ISIS and felt so proud of this, as did the family and the rest of the Kurdish community.

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