A man has pleaded guilty to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility following the death of a woman at a hotel in Bournemouth.
Stephen Cole, 32 and of Bournemouth, appeared at Winchester Crown Court and admitted the charge on Tuesday 4 May 2021. He is due to be sentenced at the same court on Tuesday 1 June 2021.
At around 8am on Wednesday 9 December 2020 officers were called to the Travelodge hotel on Christchurch Road following reports a woman had sadly been found dead.
A short time later at around 8.20am Cole attended the enquiry office at Bournemouth police station and told a member of staff that he had just killed someone. He was arrested and taken into police custody.
The victim was identified as 27-year-old Marta Elena Vento, a Spanish national who was living in Bournemouth and was working as a receptionist at the hotel.
When Cole attended the police station he was in possession of a carrier bag, which contained items of his clothing that were blood-stained. The bag also contained a lanyard and keys that matched the description of items that would have been used by Marta Elena Vento at work.
During police interview, Cole admitted causing the death of Marta Elena Vento.
Following an assessment by mental health professionals, he was subsequently detained under the Mental Health Act. Cole is continuing to remain in the care of mental health services throughout court proceedings.
A post-mortem examination was carried out on Thursday 10 December 2020 and indicated that the cause of death was multiple blunt force injury.
Detective Chief Inspector Jez Noyce, of Dorset Police’s Major Crime Investigation Team, said: “This is an extremely sad and deeply shocking incident where a young woman lost her life in tragic circumstances.
“My thoughts and sympathies continue to remain with Marta Elena Vento’s family.”
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