THE man accused of the murder of Rodger Tett will go on trial at Winchester Crown Court on Monday.

Stephen Gibbs, 33, is charged with murdering the 42-year-old at an address in Luckham Road, Charminster, on Saturday, September 7 last year.

Gibbs, of Maxwell Road, Winton, first appeared at Bournemouth Magistrates’ Court on September 11, and entered a not guilty plea to the charge in December.

Police were called to the home of Mr Tett’s fiancée Kim Trevillion in Luckham Road, off Charminster Road, at 6.15pm on September 7. He was treated at the scene for severe head injuries before being taken by air ambulance to the Neurology Unit at Southampton hospital.

Despite treatment, he died on Monday, September 9.

His family paid tribute to him last year, and mother Judith Tett, 67, said: “He was a practical joker.

“He was the life and soul of the party with a kind heart. He would do anything for anyone.”

Mr Tett attended Winton Boys School and sixth form before becoming a graphic designer.

The avid Chelsea Football Club fan then moved into the building trade and worked for a local firm.

Fiancée Kim said: “He was loving, caring, and I have been robbed of a happy life with him.”

The couple had planned their wedding for May 30 this year after Mr Tett proposed on Valentine’s Day 2012.