According to MailOnline, the British woman who fled covered in blood and yelling “help me” after discovering her ex-rugby star boyfriend dead in their hotel room in Italy had been the victim of a “shocking and horrific assault.”
Jennie Platt, a successful estate agent, was brutally assaulted by her lover Ricky Bibey, 40, in Florence’s four-star Hotel Continentale, which costs £350 per night, and was taken to the hospital where she required three operations.
Ricky Bibey later died from what is believed to have been a heart attack.
Friends of Jennie, a 44-year-old mother of two, claim that the violent assault was carried out by Mr. Bibey, a 6ft 3in man who weighed 17 stones, after they returned to their opulent hotel in the early hours of July 16 after a night of heavy drinking in the Italian city.
Because of the severity of her injuries, prosecutors looking into the attack had to wait more than a week to speak with Jennie and collect her account of what happened.
She has just just been released from the hospital and is now permitted to go home, but she will need continued medical care.
A family friend who spoke exclusively to MailOnline said: “Jennie is horrified.” The man with whom she had a protracted relationship attacks her shockingly and violently in the hotel room.
She is a powerful lady who successfully manages a business and is frantically attempting to understand what has happened to her and Ricky’s behaviour prior to his death.
She has been doing every effort to assist the Italian authorities in reconstructing what took place that evening by providing testimony and providing information as a victim of a domestic violence.
Jennie had been seeing Ricky for three years, the buddy added. They travelled to Florence for what was meant to be a spa vacation. Ricky has recently struggled with mental health concerns and had gone through a rough patch in the previous six months.
The purpose of this trip was to try to get him back on track because he had been in and out of several centres; nevertheless, it ended tragically.
As everyone is aware, Florence is a wonderful city. They had gone out for the evening and loved taking in the famous sights like the Ponte Vecchio and Michelangelo’s David.
The buddy continued, “Jennie is fortunate to be with us after the attack, but it will be difficult for people to hear because Ricky was much liked and regarded in the rugby league world.
She thinks the formal probe will yield the answers she is looking for.
She has sustained a number of severe wounds, including one to her eye socket that is highly concerning. She is presently recovering from the attack while in a wheelchair.
She was just released from the hospital and has been residing in a different area of the city.
Although returning home presents some logistical difficulties, it is believed that she is best off staying at home.
Her friends and family will help her while she recovers. Her family is in the northwest.
Jennie is a resilient person who will overcome this with the help of her loved ones, but she will need to take each day as it comes.
In the early hours of July 16, according to CCTV footage obtained by MailOnline, Ricky and Jennie could be seen leaving their hotel room. Ricky previously played at prop for the Wakefield Trinity Wildcats before an injury ended his playing career.
He played for Wigan Warriors, Leigh Centurions, and St Helens after going professional in 2001. He also played three times for England before his career was cut short in 2012 due to an Achilles injury.
He died of a heart attack, according to an autopsy, but police claim he also consumed cocaine and alcohol, which together caused his death. Toxicology results have not yet been confirmed.
Both members of the pair, who are from Manchester, were real estate brokers.
Jennie owns her own company, Jennie Platt Sales and Lettings, and she appeared in the BBC documentary Mantopia about the north west of England’s real estate market.
She gained notoriety in 2013 when it was discovered that she was charging Manchester United star Phil Neville £15,000 a week to live in his opulent apartment.
According to Jennie’s attorney Stefano Goldstein, “My client Jennie was the victim of a horrendous assault and required many procedures during a protracted hospital stay.”
“She has fully cooperated with the law enforcement officials who are looking into the matter, and we expect the case to be resolved within the next few days.
However, for Jennie, the trauma of what happened won’t end because she will need medical attention in England.
“Jennie has told the police that Ricky attacked her the night before he died because he was totally out of control.”
She has been released from the hospital but is still in Italy because she needs a specialised medical flight to return her to her country, where she can perhaps try to start over.
‘We were unable to speak to the woman for more than a week due to her injuries, but when we did we were able to build up a clearer picture of what transpired that night between them and it’s apparent she was the victim of a severe attack,’ a police source in Florence told MailOnline.
We are awaiting the full toxicology results, but we do know that Ricky Bibey had used cocaine and alcohol in the hours before his death, according to the autopsy, which revealed that he had suffered a heart attack.