Paralegal and ex-Met policeman Stephen Knight died of coronavirus on the day of his 70th birthday - a death his brother thinks could have been prevented.

Folkestone resident Mr Knight had served in The Force all of his life, and had been heavily involved in a number of prolific cases.

As a key member of the Flying Squad - a famous branch of the Serious and Organised Crime Command - he had headed surveillance teams across the country and abroad.

Having staked out some of the most prolific criminals of the latter-half of the 20th Century, it came as a shock that he died due to an invisible killer on Friday at the William Harvey Hospital.

But his brother Ian has said that it could have been prevented, had proper protective measures been put in place.

He also believes that other legal representatives are being put at risk.

After his illustrious career, Mr Knight moved near St Tropez, but returned two years later and trained to be a paralegal.

Being the first port of call for people appearing in court, he couldn't work from home and had to visit courts and prisons to talk to clients confidentially.

His brother recalls: "On March 10 he had a job at the Folkestone Police Station, which was representing someone who couldn't speak English.

"The interpretor at the meeting was coughing and spluttering, and they had to be together in a small room for two hours.

"He came home and said 'If I don't catch it from that I'll never get it'."

Mr Knight would go on to have the symptoms, and went to hospital with "terrible" chest pains and difficult breathing.

Brother Ian added: "He was admitted on March 27 and they worked tremendously hard - they did everything they could do and more.

"They kept us informed two or three times a day."

Despite these best efforts Stephen's lungs failed on April 17, his 70th birthday.

His brother, also from Folkestone, believes not enough is being done to protect those offering legal aid.

He said: "There's no way of keeping the solicitors or representatives at police stations safe.

"There was no PPE for them, there's no testing so they don't know if their clients might have it or people in the station.

"Lawyers and paralegals can't do their jobs over the phones, because someone might listen in but the conversations are supposed to be protected by law."

Stephen Knight leaves behind a widow and brother, two children and three grandchildren.

Read more: All the latest news from Folkestone

For the latest coronavirus news and advice, click here.