An architect has been struck off after subjecting his former clients to a months-long campaign of “harassment, abuse and threats” over construction blunders at a new clinic project.

Joan Beltri even said that he was “so angry” with Dr James Escoda-Francoli and Carolina Sampietro that he would kill them and their five-year-old daughter.

The married couple hired Mr Beltri to work on their beauty clinic in the cathedral city of Winchester.

However, the architect, who first registered in the UK in 2010, failed to gain council permission for work on the Grade II-listed building, a tribunal has heard.

He also severed a gas pipe while doing work that he was unqualified to do.

The Spanish national then threatened to "kill them all" and insulted Dr Escoda-Francoli, claiming that his wife was sleeping with other men.

He said: "If I saw you in the street, I would spit in your face."

Mr Beltri has now been struck off by the Architects Registration Board (ARB).

Dr Escoda-Francoli is a top oral surgeon working in Hampshire, who was previously an associate professor at the University of Barcelona, and Ms Sampietro is a registered aesthetics nurse.

The couple moved to the UK from northern Spain in 2016.

Mr Beltri started working for Ms Sampietro and Dr Escoda-Francoli in August 2024 after they bought the Winchester building, which they planned to turn into an aesthetics clinic which will open in October.

When he was working on the project, he failed to make a written agreement about the works, failed to ensure the build was in accordance with building control, and did not get planning permission to start work on a Grade II listed property.

Mr Beltri also carried out work that he was not qualified to do, such as cutting a gas pipe because there was a leak after the boiler was changed.

The couple ended Mr Beltri’s contract in November 2024 and reported him to the ARB.

In the following months, he became increasingly abusive, leaving voicemails saying "I have never come across such a son of a b**** as you" and "you’re a bunch of motherf******".

He referred to Dr Escoda-Francoli as a "homosexual" and alleged that Ms Samprieto was unfaithful.

It was also heard that Mr Beltri threatened the couple’s daughter while speaking to ARB officials.

Mr Beltri said "he was so angry he would kill them and their child", the tribunal heard.

The architect told an ARB official: "I will kill them all. It’s what I will do. Their parents, their family, and their children."

Mr Beltri told the ARB tribunal: "I do not apologise for the communications because I maintain that I did not use abusive or threatening language. I do not accept the characterisation of my conduct as harassment, abuse or threats."

In its decision, the panel said: "The Committee accepted the evidence of all the witnesses that they had found the communications from [Mr Beltri] deeply distressing.

"The Committee is satisfied that it is appropriate to describe [Mr Beltri]’s actions as a campaign of harassment, abuse and threats from April until August 2025, when the ARB instructed solicitors to write to [Mr Beltri]."

Speaking after the tribunal concluded, Ms Sampietro said that her experience with Mr Beltri had been a "nightmare".

She said that friends recommended Mr Beltri to her, as they were both from the north of Spain.

However, the last straw was when he cut the gas pipe in the building, which had residents upstairs, and left it open for several hours, she said.

She claimed that Mr Beltri sent her "hundreds of emails every day" and that her Facebook account was blocked because there were so many fraudulent attempts to log in.

"He is obsessed with all of this, but with me particularly. He doesn’t go after my husband usually. He is more abusive with me.

"I reported him to the police and at the moment he is living in Spain so that is better."

Mrs Sampietro said that she now takes more safety precautions, including making sure the windows and doors are shut and locked, due to Mr Beltri’s threats against her family, including her young daughter.

"It reassures me that he won’t come back to the UK if he can’t work as an architect here," she said.

"It is not done yet, but it is a little bit better because at least he can’t work in that space and he can’t do that to any other people.

"It is peace of mind because I wouldn’t want this to happen to anyone ... it was a nightmare."