Ricky Bibey Reportedly Suffered Heart Attack While Brutally Assaulting Girlfriend

It is claimed that former rugby star Ricky Bibey, who died in an Italian hotel room last month, was "brutally assaulting his girlfriend when he suffered heart attack."

After estate agent Jennie Platt was reportedly viciously beaten up by her 40-year-old lover, she was taken to a hospital where she needed three operations, reported Daily Mail. The mother of two has now been discharged from hospital, but she will need further medical treatment, according to The Sun.

Last month, Bibey and his girlfriend had been staying at the Hotel Continentale in Florence for a spa break when screams were heard coming from their room, reported Metro. Friends of Platt said that following a night of heavy drinking, Bibey subjected her to the vicious assault after they returned to their hotel room in the early hours of July 16.

A family friend said that Platt is devastated, and that she is the "victim of a shocking and violent attack in the hotel room at the hands of the man she had a long-term relationship with." The friend shared that Platt has been doing all she can to help the Italian authorities piece together what "happened that night, speaking to them as a witness and as a victim of a domestic assault."

The friend said that Platt had been with Bibey for three years, and that he had "suffered mental health issues in recent times and experienced a serious downturn in the last six months." The insider noted that the former athlete had been "in and out of various centres, and this trip was to try and get him back on track - but it ended in tragedy."

As for injuries, the source shared that Platt has suffered several "serious injuries, including one to her eye socket which very worrying. She is in a wheelchair currently as she recovers from the assault."

An autopsy showed that Bibey died from a heart attack although toxicology results have yet to be confirmed. But police said that he had taken alcohol and cocaine which had combined to provoke his death.

Platt's lawyer Stefano Goldstein said that his client was the "victim of terrible assault and needed several operations during a lengthy stay in hospital." According to the lawyer, she has cooperated fully with the authorities who are investigating the matter and "we expect the case to be closed within the next few days."