Halil Kocyigit: Auburn man sentenced after fight with brother over HNK Masonry business

A terrifying ordeal was sparked when a man was confronted by his brother and business partner about his boozy habits, leading to a trashed family home and menacing death threats.

Halil Kocyigit was sentenced at Burwood Local Court. ​

A fight between two brothers and business partners took a terrifying turn when the older brother was confronted about his alcohol consumption which saw him trash the family home and threaten to kill his family members in a terrifying series of messages and phone calls.

Auburn man Halil Kocyigit, 32, was sentenced for contravening an apprehended violence order (AVO) where he was slammed by a magistrate who said he had “ended up in jail because of two days of stupidity”.

Kocyigit pleaded guilty to a string of offences, including destroying property, common assault, four counts of intimidation with the intention of causing others to fear for their safety and contravening an AVO.

Facts tendered to court outline how Kocyigit’s excessive drinking ignited a family feud which led his mother, father and brother to fear for their lives.

On February 19, Kocyigit started arguing with his younger brother, Yunus Kocyigit, over the business HNK Masonry they ran together.

Generic picture of arrest.

“ (Yunus) believed Kocyigit would take deposits from clients and spend the money to feed his alcohol addiction and other lifestyle purchases,” court documents state.

The court heard the argument became increasingly heated and the brothers’ parents — Mustafa and Fatma Kocyigit — soon became involved with the eldest brother told to leave the home.

Halil Kocyigit was sentenced at Burwood Local Court.

“(He) commenced threatening both (his parents) stating, “I will f**k up your life. I will kill you both and make sure you don’t sleep tonight”,” court documents state.

The parents then called the police, but before the officers arrived Kocyigit had punched a hole through a wall and “charged” at his father.

The younger brother had also wrestled him to the ground and armed himself with a wooden stick to protect the rest of the family, the court heard.

After police arrived, an AVO was taken out to protect Kocyigit’s younger brother and father — but the 32-year-old broke the order’s conditions the very next day.

On February 20 and February 21, he sent multiple threatening messages to his family, including “sleep with one eye or two open” and “you’re death will be in my hands”, a court heard.

He also warned if the family attended a prearranged court hearing “between two and four months, (they) won’t live … they’re not going to live after the court is over”.

The 32-year-old also made multiple mentions to the sentence for murder being 24 years, but said he had the lawyers and money to “make it only 3 years”, the court heard.

In court, Magistrate Andrew Miller described the text messages and phone calls as “disgusting … appalling and disgraceful”.

However, he also told the court Kocyigit had no criminal history prior and alcohol appeared to be at the root of his offences.

Kocyigit was convicted and sentenced to a two-year community correction order, on the condition be abstain from alcohol and participate in alcohol rehabilitation.

“You’ve been in jail for four days, I bet you never thought you’d be in jail … but you’ve ended up in jail because of two days of stupidity,” Mr Miller said.