Rushden manslaughter trial: '˜Our lives have changed forever'

The family of Lorenzo Galluci have issued a statement following the trial of the man accused of killing him

Mohammed Hirsi, 27, of Rowntree Close, Camden, London, has been found guilty of the manslaughter of 60-year-old Lorenzo Gallucci.

The statement said: “Lorenzo, our son, husband, father, brother, grandfather and uncle went to the Rushden Town Band Club on September 20, 2014, to have a social beer with his brother-in-law and nephew.

“He never came home.

“During the course of the evening and in the space of about two minutes our lives have changed forever.

“Lorenzo will never see his grandchildren, who he adored, grow up.

“He will never sit at the head of our dining table, overseeing his family who he doted on and would do anything for.

“The past 16 months have been totally unimaginable.

“From being informed that Lorenzo had died, his funeral and the court case our family have relived the events of that fateful evening over and over again trying to dissect the events and understand why someone would want to take his life away.

“The family would like to express their thanks to Northamptonshire Police, the medical staff at various hospitals and Mr Copeland QC for helping Lorenzo in his hour of need and also to bring him justice.

“Having listened to the evidence we fully appreciate that the police left no stone unturned during the investigation.

“We would like in particular to thank DC Mark Smallwood, our family liaison officer, for his support and guidance through this very traumatic period in our lives.

“Today Mohammed Hirsi was found guilty of the unlawful killing of Lorenzo.

“No sentence will ever compare to the life sentence our family will now have to endure.”