A young woman who moved from Bucks to Italy to work as a PA to a company Chief Executive Officer took her own life after having a row with her boyfriend who she met through work.

A coroner heard that Katherine Ahn hanged herself at her partner's Milan home whilst he was away on an overnight stay beside Lake Como.

He returned to his home, for which the 33-year-old had a key and discovered her hanged in the kitchen. The couple had had a row over the phone as he set off for Lake Como.

Katherine was working as a personal assistant for the CEO of a medical technology firm having moved from Buckinghamshire to Italy to take up the post.

An inquest held in Beaconsfield, to where her body was repatriated for a funeral, heard evidence from Chief Executive Matteo Lai who was contacted by Katherine's partner when he found her body.

Ms Ahn met her love, Yaniv Turgerman, whilst working in Milan as a personal assistant for the CEO. The consultant had left the company just a week prior to her death and the coroner heard she had emailed her resignation just days before the hanging tragedy.

Coroner Crispin Butler heard on Wednesday that the couple had an argument over the phone before Yaniv travelled to Lake Como for a few days with friends. When he arrived back home, he saw Katherine's shadow in the kitchen.

He said: "I thought she was waiting for me in the dark, I thought it was quite sad. She was lying lifeless. I had a panic attack, I only remember trying to contact my former employer and friend. I left the apartment screaming asking for help."

Evidence from neighbour Salomone Concetta heard the man shouting "no, no, no, why did she do it" and rushed to his aid.

The young woman who had turned 33 just a week before her death had worked as the personal assistant to the CEO of Empatica in Milan since May 2017.

He said: "I was the employer of the English girl with Korean origin. She had an exceptional work ethic with mood swings. Her performance depended on her feelings.

"I received an email saying she was going to resign. She said she felt she wanted to go back to London to look after her parents."

Just before 9.30pm on September 14, 2018, Mr Lai received five phone calls from former employee and friend Yaniv Turgerman.

He said: "Katherine and Yaniv had a relationship but they always showed the highest professionalism. I managed to answer the fifth phone call, I thought it unusual trying to contact me so persistently.

"I said ‘I am busy, is it urgent? Can I call you back,’ but I heard sobbing and moaning. Soon after I heard ‘why did you do this, how could you do this, no no no.’

"It seemed something very serious was happening to my friend."

Matteo was on the phone for eight minutes as he travelled to Mr Turgerman’s property in Via Foppa, Milan. The inquest heard that on Matteo’s arrival, Yaniv told him he had been at Lake Como and came back to find his girlfriend dead.

In his evidence, Yaniv said: "I worked as a consultant until September 7, 2018. I never lived with Katherine, she had the keys to my apartment. I went to Lake Como on September 13 and returned on September 14 at around 9.30pm.

"Before leaving for Como we had an argument over the phone. I did not pay attention, I was talking to my friends and she possibly took offence. She put the phone down. I was sorry about talking like this but she said she had a personal crisis."

Pathologist Dr Vera Morelli said her body had been there for some time before she was found. The medical cause of death was confirmed as mechanical asphyxia due to hanging.

Senior coroner Crispin Butler concluded that Katherine died as a result of suicide.

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