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The devastated sister of a man with Down's Syndrome who died in hospital after not being fed for 19 days has spoken of her heartbreak.

Giuseppe 'Joe' Ulleri, 61, had been neglected and wasted away in hospital.

His inquest earlier this month heard he lost 26lbs in weight and wasted away at Manchester Royal Infirmary .

Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust since apologised and promised it would not happen again.

But Joe's grief-stricken sister Ria Ulleri, who helped care for her brother, called his death "cruel and horrific".

Speaking for the first time since her loss, the 48-year-old actress told Manchester Evening News : "Joe was a sweet and funny man, but he needed support. It is tragic that the people he relied on to care for him were the ones who let him down.

(Image: MEN Media)

(Image: MEN Media)

"It wasn’t until the inquest that we learned just how much Joe had been neglected. It was horrific. It seemed so cruel."

The man's weight dropped from 56kg to just 44kg and despite his desperate pleas from family and friends, he continued to deteriorate.

"All through Joe’s life, we had fought for him to be included, and treated with respect. Yet at the very end, he was failed by the people who were supposed to look after him," Ria, who now lives in London, added.

Giuseppe, known as Joe, was the eldest of four children. Their mother died when they were little and they were raised by their father, Pietro.

Recalling her childhood, Ria said: "Growing up, we knew there was something different about Joe, but we took it all in our stride. He couldn’t really talk much, but he made himself understood no problem.

(Image: Ria Ulleri) (Image: Ria Ulleri)

"He was really funny and entertaining and we were very close. Our parents were Sardinian and Joe loved to dance to Sardinian music. He liked gardening too.

"There was pressure from the doctors for Joe to go into residential care, but my dad wouldn’t hear of it. Joe was part of the family and that’s just how it was."

Ria was later diagnosed with MS and her health suffered. Her father also suffered from ill-health in old age and in 2013 it was decided Joe would move into supported living with L’Arche Manchester, which supports people living with learning disabilities.

She continued: "The move gave Joe independence and it gave my dad some respite so it was better for everyone, although it was a difficult decision. He liked it there and the staff were fantastic."

(Image: MEN Media)

In February 2016, Joe had a fall at his new home and was taken to hospital, with fractures to his pelvis, wrist and neck.

He was found, after his death, to have undiagnosed osteoporosis.

His family – Ria, and brothers Peter and Gio, a respected documentary film maker - were told he needed surgery and as he had difficulty swallowing, with his neck fracture, he was made 'nil by mouth'.

Ria added: "I visited Joe in hospital and he wasn’t happy at all. He hated being in there. But I just thought it was a fall and that he’d soon be home again.

(Image: Family handout)

"I had no idea what lay ahead.

"When I left, he held my hands and he wouldn’t let go. Looking back, it was as if he knew."

Two weeks on, doctors told Ria that Joe was dying.

She said: "I held him in my arms and I said goodbye as he took his last breath. My heart was breaking. He had lost so much weight. He was a shadow of himself."

He died on March 20, 2016, while medics were still debating how best to feed him.

(Image: MEN Media)

His cause of death was given as insufficient nutrition, osteopathic fractures, and pneumonia.

Joe was cremated at his local church, where his family played his favourite song Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life.

The inquest earlier this month a inquest jury recorded a narrative conclusion and cited an 'overall failure of care' and a 'failure to provide adequate nutrition' which 'constituted neglect'.

Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust apologised and said it has implemented 'measures to ensure that this does not happen again'.

The trust said it has 'undertaken extensive work on nutrition and hydration" and 'focused on how we care for our patients who have a learning disability'.