IT was in 2004 that the Daily Echo exclusively broke the story that Heather Barnett’s death was linked to the then disappearance of Elisa Claps.

On June 16 the paper splashed with the front page lead ‘Murder Hunt Moves To Italy’.

The story made the first public connection between Heather and Elisa and said that Detective Supt Phil James, who was heading the Barnett inquiry, had been to Italy discuss both cases with Italian police and prosecutors.

For legal reasons, we didn’t at that point name Danilo Restivo as the common factor, but six days later he was arrested and named as the key suspect.

Our story in June was spotted on the internet in Italy by Elisa’s brother, Gildo, who immediately came to Bournemouth to find out what was happening.

The Echo coverage was the first he knew of the link - though he was all too familiar with the name Danilo Restivo.

In September Andy Martin met up with James in Salerno and the Claps family in Potenza as part of the Echo’s intensive coverage of the Heather Barnett investigation.

While in Potenza he interviewed Restivo’s father Maurizio in his office at the National Library, about his son’s arrest, Elisa Claps and Heather Barnett.

He has never spoken to any other journalist.

Danilo Restivo later blamed the Echo for being part of his predicament because “you accused me of being mafioso”.

This followed a story which said the Anti Mafia police in Italy had joined the Claps enquiry.

In email correspondence with an Italian journalist in early 2010 Restivo complained to him that in 2004 Gildo Claps “went to Andy Martin to declare I am Sicilian mafia”.

He added: “It’s in article in September 2004. I live in absolute terror because of him (Gildo). I am afraid even to leave the house. My human rights have been violated.”

Restivo urged the journalist to “contact the editors of the Daily Echo,” to find out if they had seen the Nacro log which he was later accused of falsifying to create an alibi – and to ask who had leaked it.

Restivo and his wife Fiamma, whom he married at the end of 2004, later reported the Echo to the Press Complaints Commission over another story. Mrs Restivo asked for a clarification – and an apology.

In the witness box during the trial, Restivo accused both Andy Martin and Phil James of leaking details of police interviews to the Italian media.

Pointing he said: “Both these people are in court today.”