Villagers in Lecco, Italy, attend funeral of 20-year-old Joele Leotta who was killed in a Maidstone flat
00:00, 16 December 2013
updated: 08:56, 16 December 2013
Italian waiter Joele Leotta was laid to rest yesterday - almost two months after he was killed in a Maidstone flat.
Dozens of mourners gathered in the village of Nibionno, in the Lecco province of Italy, for the 20-year-old's funeral.
The basketball fan was fatally wounded in an alleged assault at a bedsit above Vesuvius restaurant, in Lower Stone Street.
Mr Leotta and his best friend Alex Galbiati had arrived in the UK just eight days before the fatal incident on Sunday, October 20, and were working at the Italian eatery.
Mr Galbiati, who was seriously injured, helped carry his friend's coffin at the service.
The waiter's body was only released by the Mid Kent and Medway coroner just over a week ago.
Villagers in his grieving community wrote tributes on banners and staged a torchlight procession.
Four Lithuanian men have been charged with murder and causing grievous bodily harm with intent.
Mr Leotta leaves behind parents Ivan and Patrizia, and younger brother Massimo.
Latest news
Beauty therapist left with head injury after being ‘glassed’ on a night out
Coroner orders hospital bosses to take action after teacher’s ‘avoidable’ death
Man accused of murdering dad of three outside pub: ‘I only wanted to scare him off’
Kent garden centres saved amid wave of nationwide closures
Most popular
- 1
Motorway blocked due to ‘police incident’
- 2
Inside late TV star’s multi-million-pound home
9 - 3
Everything we know about the Russian ship stranded off Kent carrying explosives
29 - 4
No end in sight for ‘absolute disaster’ one-way system
21 - 5
‘The nursery called and said ‘don’t panic - but she’s choked’’
8