Former St Helens rugby player Ricky Bibey attacked his partner, leaving her with life-changing injuries, before he was found dead in a hotel room in Florence, Italy, an inquest has heard. Jennie Platt told Rochdale Coroners' Court she “fought back” during a violent struggle with Bibey in a hotel room at the Continentale Hotel on July 16, 2022. Bibey, 48, a father of three, was found hanged, a postmortem concluded.
Background and Career
Bibey played for Wigan Warriors from 2001 and also represented Leigh Centurions, St Helens, and Wakefield Trinity, winning the Challenge Cup twice. Born in Salford, he lived in Oldham at the time of his death. The inquest heard he struggled with mental health problems and drug addiction after retiring from rugby.
The Attack and Aftermath
Ms Platt, an estate agent owner, said she suffered life-changing injuries in the attack, requiring intensive care and multiple surgeries. She had travelled to Italy with Bibey to try to revive their three-and-a-half-year relationship. Before the trip, his behaviour had become “really erratic” and he had “gone off the rails,” she said. Despite his stays at Sporting Chance clinic and a private rehab in Bolton, he relapsed repeatedly.
Ms Platt described how Bibey consumed cocaine and alcohol in their hotel room. When she tried to sleep in the bathroom, he “yanked her out.” She said she “fought back” and later thought he had left. When he returned, “it was like it wasn’t him,” with “glazed” eyes and agitation. She recalled kicking him and shouting her sons’ names before losing consciousness. Upon waking, she saw Bibey “hanging.” She attempted resuscitation and banged on a neighbor's door for help.
Medical and Legal Findings
Ms Platt was hospitalized in intensive care and unaware of her injuries until Italian investigators showed her photographs. Italian police initially treated the case as potential murder and interviewed her as a suspect, but later took no further action, concluding she was too badly hurt to have applied force to Bibey’s neck. Pathologist Dr Charles Wilson recorded the cause of death as “neck compression,” but could not determine if it was self-inflicted. Toxicology tests showed cocaine and alcohol in Bibey’s system.
Mental Health Struggles
Bibey’s GP, Dr Peter Walsh, said he had been treated for mental health issues since 2017. Colin Bland of Sporting Chance noted Bibey was first referred in 2017 and attended again after a suicide attempt in 2019 and in 2021 and 2022. His father, Ronald Bibey, said his son’s mental health deteriorated after a ruptured Achilles tendon ended his rugby career. “Ricky was very much loved and adored by his family and friends,” he said.
Verdict
Assistant Coroner Lisa Judge recorded an open verdict, saying the evidence did not establish whether Bibey intended to end his life. She found he had been “floundering” after retirement, and drugs and alcohol “materially affected his personality and judgement.” She accepted Ms Platt’s account, noting she had been “subjected to serious violence” and acted in self-defence, with injuries “not compatible with her being responsible for any act of violence.”
