Paul Brown was arrested in Spain after police travelled to the country

Marco Schiroli died from a single stab wound to the chest after being attacked by Paul Melvin John Brown.

Maidstone Crown Court heard Brown stabbed Mr Schiroli in the heart during a struggle outside the Vineyard pub in Rochester.

Brown, 37, had been arrested in Spain after officers from the Kent force travelled to the Costa Del Sol.

'My rock'

Judge Andrew Patience QC told Brown: "It is quite clear that you left the Vineyard public house deliberately set upon confrontation."

A statement by Mr Schiroli's mother, Pam Schiroli, read outside court said: "To me, Marco was a good son.

"He was caring and considerate and was always trying to make my life that little bit easier. I have lost my son - my rock.

Marco Schiroli died outside the Vineyard pub in Rochester

"The events of that evening have ruined many lives, not just my own.

"My hopes and dreams for Marco died with him that night along with his hopes for a family of his own and a brighter future."

Mr Schiroli, from Copperfield Road, Rochester, was 29 when he died in the confrontation with Brown, who had pleaded not guilty to murder.

A spokeswoman for the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said new technology had allowed an important witness to give evidence live from Hong Kong.

She said it was the first time a television live-link had been used in this way by the CPS in Kent.