The family of suspected Northampton murder victim, Giuseppe “Joe” Miceli, today spoke publicly for the first time about the killing saying they were “devastated” by his death.
Mr Miceli’s body was found on Saturday, July 13, at his home in Bants Lane, Duston.
Northamptonshire Police subsequently revealed the 72-year-old, who used to run a coin and medal dealing business in Wellingborough Road, had died as a result of head injuries.
Mark Ellson, aged 40, from Wellingborough, appeared at Northampton Crown Court last Monday to face one charge of murder. He entered no plea, but the judge warned that a trial was unlikely to take place before February next year.
In a statement issued today, the victim’s younger brother Domenico Miceli, aged 68, and Carmela Miceli, said: “Joe was only a young man when he came on his own to this country. He came not just on an adventure but to help his family. He taught himself English and managed to keep himself employed until he opened his own business.
“He worked in Italy from the age of six. He would travel to work, do his work and come home. Working from such a young age made him independent and defined his personality.
“When he was in his late 20s he had an accident and lost part of his lower leg. He had to learn to walk again. It was around this time that he met a man who used to deal in coins and that’s where his interest started. So you could say it was an accident that he fell into coins, but it turned out to be one of the biggest passions of his life.
“Joe was always working hard. He didn’t have an education so his priority was to ensure his children got the best by sending them to private schools. However, this meant he and his family had to live simply in a simple home. He believed education would be more worthwhile than nice furnishings for the house.”
His brother said that because Joe had to work on his own from a young age, he was “fiercely independent and strong minded” and once he had founded the coins business it became his world.
He added: “Joe was a generous man, always insisting on paying for our family gatherings to his favourite restaurant. Arguing was no use, that’s just how he was. Determination should have been his middle name because no matter what he faced or whatever held him back, it wasn’t going to beat him. He was such a strong character, some people didn’t agree with his ways and some respected them.
“If he ever had a problem, you wouldn’t know it. He just got on with it, with an air of cheerfulness. Everything will be alright in the world.
“He worked hard his whole life and never claimed anything. It always amazed us that he was never ill and never took a single day off work.
“He was a bit of a character for sure. We will miss that. We’ll miss the fact that you always knew where you stood with him, no messing about. We’ll miss him at our family gatherings and our occasional outings together. We are devastated over what has happened. He was a good man and didn’t deserve this.
“A big regret we all have is that next year he could have enjoyed his retirement, but he’s no longer with us. He always said 2014 would be his year. That’s when he would relax and life would start. Sad.”