“FAILINGS” by numerous organisations in dealing with a man who bludgeoned a Bournemouth hotel receptionist to death will be further investigated, an inquest has heard.
Several bodies in law, health and social care are being asked to submit new evidence into their handling of Stephen Richard Cole in the months before he killed Travelodge employee Marta Elena Vento in December 2020.
Ms Vento, a 27-year-old Spanish national who was living in Bournemouth, was found dead at her place of work in Christchurch Road following the unprovoked attack by Cole.
Cole, a paranoid schizophrenic, received a hospital order with no time limit from a crown court judge after pleading guilty to the manslaughter of Ms Vento.
In a pre-inquest review hearing into her death on Monday, February 27, 2023, senior coroner for Dorset Rachael Griffin expressed dissatisfaction that the circumstances leading to Ms Vento’s death had not been properly scrutinised.
The family of Ms Vento heard proceedings remotely, as did representatives from numerous interested parties including Dorset Police, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ), Dorset and BCP councils, NHS England, Travelodge and Practice Plus Group.
At Cole’s sentencing at Winchester Crown Court on June 1, 2021, Judge Angela Morris said there was a “regrettable and irreversible failure by some to spot” his health deterioration.
He had also been released from prison two months before the killing.
At Monday’s coroner's court hearing, Mrs Griffin stated she received a late submission the night before from the MoJ stating that Cole was not under the supervision of the probation service following his release.
NHS England is undertaking an independent review into its care and treatment of Cole, as is Practice Plus Group, the court heard.
Mrs Griffin deemed the eventual conclusions of these reports as of interest to her investigation, and declared she would seek further evidence from other interested parties as it pertained to dealings with Cole.
She said: “I’m not satisfied that there has been enough public scrutiny as to how Marta came by her death.
“It is clear there were arguable failings in the care and supervision of Mr Cole and these have not been adequately explored in public as being contributory to Marta’s death.”
The inquest was adjourned to a further pre-inquest hearing on Wednesday, September 27.
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