A 49-year-old man appeared at Maidstone Crown Court today accused of murdering construction worker Slawomir Bartos in Margate last weekend.

Stanislaw Dubis, of Market Place, Margate, appeared by TV link with Elmley Prison, Sheppey, assisted by a Polish interpreter.

Mr Bartos, from the city of Gnienzo in Poland, died from stab wounds in Market Place in the early hours of Saturday.

He was single and had moved to the town about a year ago.

Ben Turner, from Dover, who worked with Mr Bartos in Thanet, said: “Slavo, as we called him, was a wonderful chap who we thoroughly enjoyed working with.

“He was the hardest-working person I’ve ever met and he will be a huge loss to us, but more importantly to his family back home in Poland.”

Investigating officer Detective Inspector Ivan Beasley, said: “We have been liaising closely with Mr Bartos’ family both in the UK and in Poland.”

Dubis will attend court on December 3 to enter a plea. A provisional trial date was set for February 15 next year.