Bournemouth hotel receptionist’s killer not referred for healthcare after prison release
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Inquest into Marta Elena Vento’s killing by Stephen Cole, who had psychosis, told of ‘crisis’ on mental health team at Winchester prison. A man with psychosis who killed a hotel receptionist weeks after being set free from prison was not referred to community care teams or a GP when he was released, an inquest has heard.
![[Marta Elena Vento.]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/b871e97206606c6d95a79791468fa91e95fecedb/0_40_960_1200/master/960.jpg?width=120&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
The mental health team at Winchester prison was understaffed and lacked leadership after a takeover of its services by a private provider, the inquest was told. Stephen Cole killed Spanish national Marta Elena Vento, 27, in the reception of a Travelodge in Bournemouth after his supply of an antipsychotic medication given to him as he left prison ran out. He and his family had tried unsuccessfully to get him more medication.
A senior mental health nurse who was involved in Cole’s care in prison told Vento’s inquest on Thursday that when he was freed in autumn 2020, the mental health care team was struggling because of Covid and getting used to the new private health provider, Practice Plus Group (PPG).
Antoinette Hopkin said it was “crisis work”. She said: “We had limited staffing and we tried to keep things going, tried to keep people safe in prison. We would attend to immediate risks, the crisis events going on in the prison. Administrative work would build up. Administrative tasks were not being completed in a timely manner. I don’t think we had the capacity to keep everything up to date.”.
