Gokan Uygur: Builder brute bashed in-laws, hit wife with copper pipe
‘Romeo and Juliet’: A lawyer has likened the life of his violent client to that of the families in the Shakespearean tragedy.
South East
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A tradie thug who attacked his wife and hit his parents-in-law in petty disputes over a parked car and a computer game has been remanded in jail.
Gokan Uygur cracked his partner with a copper pipe and punched both her mum and dad in the chest during heated encounters.
Uygur’s lawyer Aaron Eidelson said his client’s family life was a “modern day Romeo and Juliet”, with the in-laws hating him and not even turning up to their own daughter’s wedding.
The 36-year old pleaded guilty to assault charges at Dandenong Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday.
The court heard on June 11 this year the mother-in-law was at Uygur’s house when an argument broke out over one of the children playing Fortnite.
The row escalated, Uygur wasn’t happy when his wife took the side of her mother and he struck her leg with a piece of copper pipe.
He then grabbed her briefly by the throat before he let go and she managed to flee to her parents’ house, which happens to be in the same street.
This wasn’t the first ugly incident involving the in-laws.
In August 2019 Uygur had parked his car at their house and had been blocked in, so called them and asked for their vehicle to be moved out of the way.
He walked to their home, argued with the mother-in-law and punched her in the chest.
Her husband came out to see what the commotion was and he too was punched in the chest.
Mr Eidelson said Uygur, who had already spent 60 days behind bars, was “an intelligent man” who had anger management issues, but he was not an “evil” person.
He said he had set up a successful building and renovating business, which had all but collapsed due to his remand and the Covid pandemic lockdowns.
He said he had been struggling with finances, stressed and was having something akin to a nervous breakdown.
But Magistrate Andrew Halse scoffed at that, saying Uygur was not having a breakdown — he was “just violent”.
He said he had a “troubling” history which included four separate assault-related court appearances dating back to 2009.
“If he is such an intelligent man, why is he carrying on like a thug?” Mr Halse said.
“What is he doing with a copper pole, striking someone?
“He has displayed outrageous behaviour over a period of time.”
He said the 60 days already spent in custody was not enough, but had yet to decide how much more time he would serve.
Uygur was remanded and will be sentenced on August 20.
