An architect has been removed from the UK register of architects after a professional dispute over a planned clinic in Winchester escalated into allegations of harassment, abuse and threats against the clients who hired him.
Joan Manuel Barrera Beltri, who registered as an architect in the UK in 2010, was found by an Architects Registration Board (ARB) professional conduct committee to have engaged in a prolonged campaign of abusive communications against oral surgeon Dr James Escoda-Francoli and aesthetics practitioner Carolina Sampietro.
The dispute began after the couple appointed Beltri to work on a Grade II listed property they had purchased in Winchester, Hampshire, with plans to transform it into an aesthetics clinic.
Problems emerged during the building work
Beltri began working for the couple in August 2024, but disagreements soon developed over the project, including arguments about which tasks should be undertaken by him and which should be handed to qualified subcontractors.
The tribunal heard that he failed to establish a written agreement covering the works and did not ensure that the construction complied with building control requirements.
He also failed to obtain the necessary planning permission before carrying out work on the listed property.
Concerns became more serious when Beltri undertook work that the tribunal heard he was not qualified to perform. One incident involved a gas pipe being cut after a boiler replacement had resulted in a leak.
Sampietro said she became alarmed when Beltri sent her a photograph showing the pipe had been cut.
She immediately contacted an engineer and was told the situation was dangerous because the gas pipe had been left open in a building where people lived upstairs.
Contract was terminated months later
The relationship between the architect and his clients eventually broke down completely, with the couple terminating his contract in November 2024.
They subsequently reported Beltri to the ARB.
According to the tribunal evidence, the dispute did not end when the professional relationship was terminated.
Instead, Beltri allegedly began sending increasingly hostile emails and voicemail messages to the couple.
Among the abusive communications were insults directed at Dr Escoda-Francoli, including references to his sexuality and his wife.
Beltri was also accused of telling Dr Escoda-Francoli that if he encountered him in the street, he would spit in his face.
Threats extended to the family
The allegations became particularly serious when statements concerning the couple’s family were raised during the ARB proceedings.
An ARB official was told that Beltri had expressed anger to the point of threatening to kill the couple and their child.
The tribunal also heard that he told an ARB official: “I will kill them all. It’s what I will do. Their parents, their family, and their children.”
The couple’s five-year-old daughter was among those whose safety became a concern as a result of the alleged threats.
The conduct committee said the witnesses had found Beltri’s communications deeply distressing and concluded that his behaviour amounted to a campaign of harassment, abuse and threats between April and August 2025.
Beltri denied the allegations
Beltri represented himself at the tribunal and rejected the characterisation of his conduct.
He told the committee that he did not apologise for his communications because he maintained that he had not used abusive or threatening language.
“I do not accept the characterisation of my conduct as harassment, abuse or threats,” he said.
The committee nevertheless accepted the evidence presented by the witnesses and determined that disciplinary action was warranted.
ARB orders architect to be struck off
The professional conduct committee ultimately ruled that Beltri should be struck off the Architects Registration Board’s register.
The decision means he can no longer practise as a registered architect in the UK.
The case centred on both his professional conduct during the Winchester project and the communications that followed the collapse of his relationship with the couple.
Client describes the ordeal as a nightmare
Speaking after the hearing, Sampietro described her experience with Beltri as a “nightmare”.
She said she had initially been introduced to him through friends because they were both from northern Spain and believed that shared background would make the professional relationship easier.
However, she said concerns grew when she believed Beltri was carrying out electrical and other specialist work himself rather than bringing in appropriately qualified professionals.
Sampietro said the incident involving the gas pipe was the point at which she became particularly alarmed.
“He had left a gas pipe open in a building where there are people living upstairs,” she said.
Alleged harassment continued after the project
Sampietro also described receiving what she said were hundreds of emails and continued contact attempts.
She said she blocked Beltri across multiple platforms but still received indications that attempts were being made to contact her or access her social media accounts.
According to Sampietro, her Facebook account was blocked after numerous attempts were made to enter it.
She said she reported the matter to police and took additional precautions at home because of the threats involving her and her family.
Couple hope the dispute is now behind them
Sampietro said the ARB decision had provided some reassurance, particularly because Beltri could no longer work as a registered architect in Britain.
Although she acknowledged that the experience had affected the way she approached her family’s security, she said the ruling offered a measure of peace of mind.
She added that she would not want another person to experience what she and her family had endured during the dispute.
The Winchester clinic remains the project at the centre of the professional disagreement, while the tribunal’s decision brings the disciplinary proceedings against Beltri to a close.
