A TRAGIC Travelodge receptionist was punched and attacked with hair clippers for 42 minutes by a freed prisoner, an inquest heard.
Marta Elena Vento, 27, was working in the lobby alone at the Bournemouth hotel when she was killed by Stephen Cole.
Marta Vento was killed in a brutal attack while working at a TravelodgePA
Dorset PoliceStephen Cole had been released from prison before the horror[/caption]
The guest, 32, had been released from prison in October 2020 – just two months before the horrific attack.
Cole pleaded guilty to manslaughter through diminished responsibility and has been detained indefinitely in hospital under the Mental Health Act.
An inquest heard how Cole was freed from jail with a supply of antipsychotic medication six weeks before the attack but the pills had run out.
Marta was working her second shift at the hotel when the killer left his room in the early hours of the morning.
CCTV showed him kicking and punching Marta before attacking her with hair clippers in the 42-minute rampage.
Marta, from Valencia, Spain, suffered “very heavy blows to the face and head” and put up a “most spirited defence”, the court heard.
She was discovered two hours later in the restaurant area by a manager and had to be identified by her fingerprints.
Cole left the hotel at 5.58am and went to Bournemouth police station where he confessed he had killed someone.
He had a bag of items, including Marta’s lanyard and a panic button that had not been activated during the attack.
The court heard Cole had a history of violence and was being investigated by police for assaults at HMP Winchester.
Prison clinicians wanted to refer him to a psychiatric intensive care unit but no space was available, it was said.
The inquest was told his pills had been due to last until November 23 and that his family had attempted to get him more medication the day before the attack.
But a doctor did not issue a prescription because he felt it needed to be referred to an NHS community mental team.
Speaking ahead of the inquest, the family said: “Four years have passed since Marta was brutally taken from us.
“Now we desperately need answers about how such a brutal assault can have happened and whether it could have been prevented.”
Marta’s loved ones continued: “She was the source of joyfulness to our family.
“She was an inspiration, our pride and hope, a true friend who loved to share her life and her happiness.
“She was strong, tenacious, hard-working and active. Without her we are no longer the same people.”
The inquest continues.
PAMarta was working her second shift at the hotel when she was attacked[/caption]
PAShe was attacked with hair clippers and punched and kicked[/caption]
She was discovered by a manager two hours laterPA
Graham Hunt/BNPSThe inquest into her death is continuing[/caption] Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
