Four men charged with murder will now appear at Maidstone Crown Court on Friday.

The defendants were due to attend a preliminary hearing today, but confusion between the prison and court meant they were not present.

The Lithuanians were charged with murder after 20-year-old Joele Leotta was fatally injured in an attack at a flat above an Italian restaurant in Lower Stone Street.

The four, from Maidstone, are also accused of causing grievous bodily harm to Mr Leotta's best friend Alex Galbiati, who was taken to hospital and is now recovering from his wounds.

The defendants are Lithuanians Aleksandras Zuravliovas, 26, of Beaumont Road; Tomas Gelezinis, 30, of Lower Stone Street; Saulius Tamoliunas, 23, of Union Street; and 21-year-old Linas Zidonis, of no fixed address.

Friday's case will be heard by Judge Philip Statman.

Mr Leotta only arrived in Maidstone with Mr Galbiati to learn English 10 days before his death.

He was working as a waiter at Vesuvius Italian restaurant - below a bedsit where he was assaulted last Sunday night.

He was taken to King's College Hospital in London, but later died from what are believed to have been head and chest injuries.

Just days before his death, Mr Leotta told his Facebook friends he wanted to settle in the UK and describing life as "perfect".

He wrote: "I have found work in an Italian restaurant, people from Naples, and now I've started to make friends. Really everything is going swimmingly!"

But three days after posting the uplifting message he was fatally injured when he and Alex were assaulted above his workplace.

According to sources, Mr Galbiati had the devastating task of calling Mr Leotta's parents to break the news.

His grief-stricken mother and father made the heartbreaking journey - along with his 15-year-old brother - to where their eldest son was killed.

His father Ivan Leotta was quoted in Italian newspapers as saying: "All I know is that my son is dead. I don't know anything of the motive.

"We are all so shocked by what has happened. He was so happy to be in England. We can't bring ourselves to think about it. We just want to know what happened.

"My son was not the sort to go looking for trouble and had only just arrived. He hadn't had time to make any enemies."

A total of 10 men have been arrested in connection with Mr Leotta's death.

Two have been released without charge and four released on police bail pending further inquiries.

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