An Italian vet arrived at his girlfriend’s flat with flowers and a card in a bid to save their relationship – before stabbing her seven times after she told him they had no future, a court was told.

Dr Alberto Fioletti told Stephanie Hodgkinson ‘I hope you’re happy with yourself…you’re going to have a death on your hands’ days before he killed her at her home in Bournemouth, Dorset.

Stephanie, 34, agreed to meet Fioletti to talk on May 12 this year but intended to go on a beach walk in public as she was worried about being alone with him.

The 31-year-old vet went to her flat with gifts in an attempt to reconcile but snapped when she insisted they had no future together – and he stabbed her six times in the chest and once in the back with a kitchen knife.

Fioletti then stabbed himself in the stomach before calling 999, telling the operator: ‘I killed my girlfriend.’

Stephanie Hodgkinson, 34, was told ‘I hope you’re happy, you’re going to have a death on your hands’ by boyfriend Alberto Fioletti days before she was killed

Alberto Fioletti has denied murder but admitted a charge of manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility. This has not been accepted by prosecutors

Alberto Fioletti ‘profound inability to come to terms with her rejection’ prompted him to kill Ms Hodgkinson, prosecutors say

Police at Stephanie Hodgkinson’s flat in May. The court heard Alberto Fioletti called 999 and told the operator: ‘I killed my girlfriend’

Police and paramedics arrived at the flat in Alum Chine, Bournemouth, Dorset, and found Stephanie on the floor next to the breakfast bar in her kitchen.

Her injuries were ‘non-survivable’ with severe injuries to her heart, lungs and great vessels – the arteries and veins directly connected to the heart – causing catastrophic bleeding.

Fioletti was arrested for murder and taken to hospital for treatment to his wounds. He has admitted a charge of manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility but he denies murder.

Bournemouth Crown Court heard that Stephanie, a divorced mum-of-two, had met Fioletti through a dating website and they had been in a relationship since October 2022.

He had met her children, she had travelled to Italy to meet his parents and they had planned to buy a house together.

Although they were both employed at veterinary practices their workplace only overlapped for a month when Fioletti worked at Southern Counties Veterinary Specialists in Ringwood, Hampshire, in January this year.

He was working at Medivet clinic at the time of the alleged murder and she had quit her job to study for a degree in philosophy of art.

The court heard Fioletti had a narcissistic personality disorder and had several intense relationships with female work colleagues at other practices he had previously worked at.

Steven Perian KC, prosecuting, told the jury Fioletti had used his mental health problems to gain sympathy from former girlfriends.

The court heard on one occasion he had even sent one of them pictures of a syringe indicating he was going to kill himself with veterinary euthanasia drugs.

He and Stephenie had a heated argument on May 5 this year when she kicked him out of her home.

Before he left he told her: ‘I hope you’re happy with yourself. You’re going to have a death on your hands now.’

Stephanie Hogkinson was stabbed six times in the chest and once in the back with a kitchen knife

A forensics van at the scene of Stephanie Hodgkinson’s death at her flat in Bournemouth

Police officers stood guard outside her home as they continued to make inquiries before charging Alberto Fioletti with murder

Stephanie had told her sister she wanted to meet him in a public place to tell him she couldn’t see a future together.

The court heard the day before the meeting Fioletti texted his Italian doctor saying: ‘If I had to definitely lose her tomorrow night, this time I will have to put an end to it once and for all.’

Stephanie had been chopping vegetables in her kitchen when Fioletti arrived.

Mr Perian said: ‘This tragedy unfolds as an intimate partner killing, ignited by Stephanie Hodgkinson’s courageous decision to terminate their relationship.

‘She was not prepared to be manipulated by him. The defendant’s profound inability to come to terms with her rejection culminated in his relentless, brutal assault, marked by seven merciless and devastating stab wounds.

‘Regrettably, despite their best efforts, Stephanie could not be saved, succumbing to the grievous injuries she had received due to the relentless bleeding.

‘He was interviewed…he admitted to punching Stephanie Hodgkinson in the face. He said, he was completely out of control. The trigger for his loss of control was because of his breakdown of the relationship with Stephanie Hodgkinson.

‘He does not challenge the fact he stabbed and killed her but he does not have exact memories of stabbing her. The prosecution has rejected his plea of manslaughter. 

‘We say despite any mental health issues the defendant may have experienced, they did not result in a substantial impairment of his ability to understand the nature of his conduct, form a rational judgement, exercise self-control.

‘Importantly, his mental health was not a significant contributory factor when he inflicted seven stab wounds upon Stephanie Hodgkinson with a knife.

‘The prosecution’s case is that when you hear all the evidence, despite any mental health issues he may have dealt with, he has been dealing with it since childhood, he has learned to effectively manage them.

‘These issues did not hinder his scholarly and academic pursuits, as he remains highly driven by a strong desire to excel in his career.’

The trial continues.