A man was due to appear at the Old Bailey yesterday (Thursday) charged with the murder of Patrick Fitzharris.

Leon Maxwell, 23, of Goldsmith Close, Rayners Lane, was arrested on Tuesday last week in Kilburn and appeared before Horseferry magistrates last Friday, when he was remanded in custody.

Mr Fitzharris, 21, died in Austen Road on the Rayners Lane estate at 1am on April 3. A post mortem gave the cause of death as multiple stab wounds.

Last week, his aunt, Barbara Hamza, spoke of her family's grief, saying they were still struggling to come to terms with their loss.

She said: "We are really and truly going through Hell. We just cannot come to terms with the fact that Patrick has been taken from us in such a brutal way. He was our shining star."

She added that the family would not be able to rest until the person responsible was brought to justice.

"We will not have any peace of mind until that happens, and we are able to bury our beloved Patrick and finally lay his soul to rest," she said. "Until then we are in Limbo."

Marvin Sutherland, 29, of Gauntlett Court, Sudbury, who was arrested in connection with the murder on April 4 but released without charge, said this week that he is to sue the Metropolitan Police for wrongful arrest, victimisation and harassment.

April 25, 2003 14:00