Vet jailed for brutal murder of mother-of-two

A veterinarian who stabbed his ex-girlfriend to death in a savage attack has been jailed.

Alberto Fioletti, 31, fatally stabbed Stephanie Hodgkinson, 34, seven times when she decided to end their relationship, before going on to stab himself.

Fioletti, of Fordingbridge, pleaded guilty to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility but denied murder.

However, prosecutors from CPS Wessex successfully argued that Fioletti was fully aware of his actions by citing the findings of different medical reports and he was ultimately found guilty of murder at trial.

At Bournemouth Crown Court on Monday 15 January 2024, Fioletti was given a life sentence with a minimum of 15 years' imprisonment.

Daniel Marsh, Senior Crown Prosecutor with CPS Wessex, said: “This was a senseless attack on an innocent young woman who was well within her rights to end a relationship she no longer wanted.

“Fioletti’s inability to come to terms with this and failure to manage his own emotions culminated in the needless murder of Ms Hodgkinson.

“Working closely with Dorset Police, the CPS set out to prove that Fioletti’s emotionally unstable personality disorder did not have a substantial impact upon his actions.

“We want to pay tribute to Ms Hodgkinson’s family for the courage and dignity they have shown throughout this process, and hope today’s sentence provides some closure on this awful chapter for them.”

Fioletti went to Ms Hodgkinson’s flat in Bournemouth on 12 May 2023 to try and reconcile their relationship.

Within minutes, he began his attack after she had told the defendant that she no longer saw a future together.

The court heard how after he attacked Ms Hodgkinson, Fioletti stabbed himself in the stomach before phoning 999 and telling the operator that he had ‘killed his girlfriend'.

He was convicted of murder after a four-week trial.