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19. 03. 10. - 13:00

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19. 03. 10. - 13:00

Brit mum murder: Suspect vanishes, paper names priest as teen´s killer

Kathryn Quinn

An Italian man who was the prime suspect in the murder of Bournemouth mum Heather Barnett has suddenly disappeared.

Danilo Restivo, 38, was also the subject of an investigation into the disappearance of 16-year-old Elisa Claps in 1993. The teenager's body was found Wednesday during maintenance work on a church in southern Italy.

Restivo was jailed for two years for perjury in connection with the case, and later moved to Bournemouth, where he was living when Miss Barnett was bludgeoned and stabbed to death. He was arrested twice during the investigation, but released without charge both times.

Following the discovery of Elisa's corpse in the remote village of Potenza, Italian media descended on Bournemouth looking for Restivo, but said he was nowhere to be found. Reporters managed to speak with his wife, who said only: "Leave him alone and speak with his lawyer."

A neighbour, however, said: "We haven't seen Restivo for two weeks, although his car is still parked here.

"The Restivo family are very shy. I don't usually see them very much. I only know they let some rooms to students, and a few months ago they got a letter with a bullet inside and have been afraid."

Restivo's lawyer, Mario Marinelli, would not say where his client was, but revealed that he had spoken with him.

"He only wants to say that he has nothing to do with that case," he said.

Elisa's brother Gildo said yesterday: "Elisa's body has been found but that's not enough for my family. Now we can start a new fight to find her killer."

The family's lawyer said: "We want the British police to send Restivo back to Italy."

Meanwhile, the discovery of Elisa's body has thrown up more speculation

The discovery was made only on Wednesday despite renovation work taking place on the church twice since her disappearance, prompting claims that her body may have been moved since she was killed.

A local newspaper has also printed claims that Elisa was killed by a priest who worked in the Most Holy Trinity Church at the time she vanished, and died two years ago.

"It's impossible Father Mimì Sabia didn't know anything about what had happened in his church. The truth is that he got Elisa pregnant and killed her," La Gazzetta del Mezzogiorno reported an unnamed local source as saying.

Another local priest, Father Marcello Cozzi, said: "There was an atmosphere of a conspiracy of silence in those years. I think someone wanted to help the killer evade capture."

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