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'Hair-in-hand' killer Danilo Restivo allowed appeal | 'Hair-in-hand' killer Danilo Restivo allowed appeal |
(about 6 hours later) | |
A killer who mutilated a Dorset mother before leaving someone else's hair in her hand has been given the right to challenge his whole-life jail sentence. | |
Danilo Restivo, 39, was told last year he would never be released from jail, following the 2002 murder of his Bournemouth neighbour Heather Barnett. | |
Mrs Barnett was bludgeoned with a hammer before having her throat cut. | Mrs Barnett was bludgeoned with a hammer before having her throat cut. |
Restivo has been told he cannot appeal against last June's conviction at Winchester Crown Court. | Restivo has been told he cannot appeal against last June's conviction at Winchester Crown Court. |
Since the conviction, Restivo has also been found guilty of murdering 16-year-old Elisa Claps in Potenza, Italy, in 1993. | |
'Damaged individual' | |
He was given a 30-year term for the killing by an Italian court in his absence in November. | |
Speaking about Restivo's sentence for the murder of Heather Barnett, her sister Denise Le Voir said: "The judge took the line that this was actually not just the first murder but one of perhaps more, perhaps a serial murderer, and therefore he felt that a whole life, meaning Mr Restivo would never come out of jail, was appropriate. | |
"We were really quite relieved at that because both ourselves and the Italian family of Elisa Claps who was murdered before my sister were very clear that he was a very dangerous man and that Mr Restivo should never again be out in public. | |
"I think that spending the rest of his life in prison is exactly the right sentence for Mr Restivo. | |
"I don't think he would ever be able to return to normal society. | |
"He seems to be a very damaged individual who saw himself as the victim and really didn't accept the absolutely horrendous injuries that he subjected both my sister and Elisa Claps to." |