THE family of an Italian schoolgirl murdered by the man who killed Bournemouth mum Heather Barnett will finally lay their daughter to rest today in the knowledge he will never be free.

Jailing Danilo Restivo, 39, of Chatsworth Road, Charminster, on Thursday, Judge Mr Justice Burnett said that the evidence provided during the trial for the killing of Heather in 2002 proved “without a doubt you murdered Elisa Claps as well”.

In a landmark case, the prosecution showed that Restivo, who was told he would never be released from prison, had to be responsible for both killings because they were so similar.

It was the discovery of Elisa’s remains in the loft of the Church of the Most Holy Trinity in Potenza – the place where she was last seen in 1993 – last year that led to the arrest and conviction of Restivo for Heather’s murder at her Charminster home.

Today, the Claps family will finally lay their daughter to rest in Potenza, 18 years after Restivo killed her.

Her body was due to be released yesterday and her funeral will take place in the open air today – Elisa’s mother, Filomena, said she did not want her daughter to go back inside a church.

Speaking to the Daily Echo after the Heather Barnett murder verdict, Elisa’s brother Gildo said: “Elisa is the last thing we think about before going to sleep and the first thing we think about in the morning.”

He added: “She was a very sweet girl, quite sensitive, and maybe she trusted people too much and this is something we always told her not to do.”

Extradition proceedings have already begun so that Restivo can face trial over the murder of Elisa Claps in Italy.