Three men appear in court charged with murder of Hemwand Ali Hussain in Charterhouse Street in Hartlepool

Dorian Pirija, 31, appeared at Teesside Magistrates Court on Monday, September 23, charged with the murder of Hemwand Ali Hussain, aged 30.

Mr Hussain was found dead in a house in Charterhouse Street, in the Oxford Road area of Hartlepool on Sunday, September 15.

Pirija, assisted by an Albanian interpreter, confirmed his name, date of birth, and address of Trillo Avenue, Bolton, to the court before being remanded further in custody until tomorrow when he will appear before the crown court.

Meanwhile, two other men, who have also been charged with murder, made their first appearance at Teesside Crown Court on Monday, September 23.

Preliminary hearings were held for Noza Saffari, 38, of Park Lane, Middlesbrough, and Anxhelo Xhaferi , 22, of Acton Road, also Middlesbrough.

No pleas to the charge were entered and their cases were adjourned until October 17 for plea and trial preparation hearings.

Both defendants were remanded in custody until that date.

Mr Hussain was a father of two young sons.

His heartbroken family said in a statement released last week: “We are deeply saddened by the tragic loss of our partner and father Hemwand and we request that we are left to grieve in peace at this extremely difficult time.”

Anyone with information about Mr Hussain’s death is encouraged to contact Cleveland Police on the non emergency 101 number quoting reference 159141.