A FARM manager has spoken of his shock after a young fruit picker died in hospital following an incident at a party.

Valdas Urba, 25, a Lithuanian, fell on to a concrete floor and sustained severe head injuries at a hut on Gaskains Farm, Selling, near Faversham, last Friday.

Ambulance staff found him lying unconscious and called police. It is thought Mr Urba fell following a scuffle, believed to be have been over a girl. He died in hospital on Monday.

Acting Det Ch Insp Mick Costello said: "A post-mortem has established he died as a result of a blow to the head. We have set up an incident room and our inquiries are ongoing at this stage."

Mark Gaskain, manager of the farm, said it appeared to have been a freak incident. "It's unspeakably tragic," he added. An inquest is expected to open next week.

The farm employs around 80 students, mainly from eastern Europe, under a Home Office approved scheme. A community hut is set aside for them on the site.

On Saturday, a 23-year-old Romanian appeared before magistrates at Sittingbourne accused of grievous bodily harm. He was remanded in custody for a week.