A homeless man has been remanded in custody by a magistrate on charges of preventing lawful burial after the body of an Italian carpenter was found in a canal in north London.
Paul Williams, 61, of no fixed abode, was unable to appear in person at Highbury magistrates court on Friday morning due to a disability, although he was brought to the building.
Williams is alleged to have disposed of the body of Sebastiano Magnanini in a shopping trolley in Regent’s canal, the court heard.
He was remanded in custody to appear for a pre-trial hearing at Blackfriars crown court on 20 October.
Magnanini, originally from Venice, was spotted by a man and his seven-year-old son near the surface of the water near a tunnel shortly after 9am on 24 September.
The 46 year old, who was 6ft 1in and of medium build, had been living and working in south London, and was last seen by colleagues when he left work in south-west London two days earlier.
A postmortem was carried out but the cause of death could not be determined. Further toxicology tests have been ordered. Magnanini’s family in Venice have been informed of his death.
A 22-year-old man remains in custody.
