Sean Emmett became angry with his new bride moments before she fell out of a Dubai hotel window because she refused to ‘obey’ him and turn down the music she was playing, an inquest into her death heard.
Giving evidence for a second day at Surrey coroner’s court, Mr Emmett described the moments leading up to Abigail Elson’s fall.
The couple, who were on their honeymoon, had been on a 12-hour drinking session before returning to their hotel room on the fourth floor in February 2013.
He claims his wife ‘flipped’ out of the window after dropping her wedding ring.
The inquest has already heard how the couple had previously had violent rows, that he was jailed for three months for hitting his third wife and breached a previous order relating to his first wife.
Today, Mr Emmett, 50, told the inquest that after putting on loud music, Ms Elson, 31, was dancing around the room as he sat on the bed having a coffee.
He denied becoming ‘irritated’ and angry over her refusal to turn the volume down and her wedding ring subsequently falling, insisting that they were ‘happy’ and ‘merry.’
Sean Emmett became angry with his new bride moments before she fell out of a Dubai hotel window because she refused to ‘obey’ him and turn down music that was playing, an inquest into her death heard. Pictured together on their wedding day
Giving evidence for a second day at Surrey coroner’s court, Emmett described the moments leading up to Abigail Elson’s fall. The couple had been on a 12-hour drinking session before returning to fourth floor at the Jumeirah Creekside Hotel on February 19, 2013
Alexandra Felix, the lawyer for Ms Elson’s parents, Reverend Christopher Elson and his wife Carolyn, claimed she threw her wedding ring out of the window as the two argued and did not accidentally drop it.
Ms Felix alleged: ‘You were talking about obey because she was not doing as she was told after you asked her to turn the music down.
‘You know that something untoward was going on between you two. You have changed your account to dropped because that’s a better explanation for an accident.’
Mr Emmett claimed that they opened their fourth-floor window to have a cigarette and were having a light-hearted conversation about Ms Elson having to obey him, following their marriage. He insisted that they were ‘standing comfortably.’
Mr Emmett alleged that Ms Elson kept on pulling her wedding ring on and off her finger and joking ‘I obey you’ when she had it on and ‘I don’t obey you’ when she took it off.
He added: ‘It slipped out of her hand as she was playing with it. And then it went ‘ting, ting, ting and fell to the floor.’
Mr Emmett admitted that he thought it was a ‘bit queer’ that a fourth-floor window with such a drop could fully open but he did not consider it dangerous.
Mr Emmett claims his wife ‘flipped’ out of the window after dropping her wedding ring. The 50-year-old told the inquest that after putting on loud music, Ms Elson was dancing around the room as he was sat on the bed having a coffee.
Alexandra Felix, the lawyer for Ms Elson’s parents, Reverend Christopher Elson and his wife Carolyn (pictured left and right) claimed she threw her wedding ring out of the window as the two argued and did not accidentally drop it
Emmett, a former professional Grand Prix racer, denied that he became ‘irritated’ and angry over Ms Elson’s refusal to turn the music down and her wedding ring subsequently falling, insisting that they were ‘happy’ and ‘merry’
The inquest also heard how Ms Elson had received £35,000 as a result of botched surgery that had taken place at Cardiff Hospital while she was studying in the city.
Ms Felix claimed: ‘What made the wedding possible was her compensation payment. Getting married was not possible until Abigail got her compensation.’
The inquest has already heard how Ms Elson told a close friend in a Facebook message that she did not want Mr Emmett to have access to her money because she feared that he would squander it and accused him of being a ‘control freak.’
Yesterday, MailOnline revealed that Mr Emmett was convicted of attacking his third wife Lana Saoud and sentenced to three months imprisonment following a row over the way she was eating after a boozy night out.
He was jailed twice in relation to incidents against Ms Saoud and given a caution in January 2004 for breaching a civil injunction, put up between him and his first wife, which was thought to be related to domestic violence.
Referring to the night Ms Elson died, Ms Felix accused Mr Emmett underplaying the amount of alcohol the couple had drunk.
On the first day of his evidence, he admitted that they had spent most of the day drinking while in Dubai, describing it as a ‘long session.’ But Emmett claimed that this only amounted to six bottles of beer.
Ms Felix alleged: ‘You are trying to row back on the amount you had to drink.’
The inquest has already been told that Ms Elson visited her GP over her drinking, which was recorded at 200 units per week.
On the night of Ms Elson’s death, Emmett recalled: ‘She was leaning in and out of the window, on her tip toes, standing on a ledge, her hands on a rail. It was a really dangerous position to be in. I saw her feet and legs go in the air and disappear. It happened so quickly’
Ms Elson fell to her death from a fourth-storey window at the Jumeirah Creekside Hotel in Dubai (pictured). The inquest heard that a medical examination of Ms Elson’s body showed she had bruises to her arms, legs and thighs. Emmett said he could not explain how she got them
On the night of Ms Elson’s death, Mr Emmett recalled: ‘She was leaning in and out of the window, on her tip toes, standing on a ledge, her hands on a rail. It was a really dangerous position to be in.
‘I saw her feet and legs go in the air and disappear. It happened so quickly. By the time she fell I was going towards the door.’
Mr Emmett revealed that he was on the other side of the room and about to return downstairs to try and find Ms Elson’s wedding ring but that he was worried for her safety when he saw here leaning out of the window.
Ms Felix alleged: ‘Despite that worry for her, your solution was to leave her there.’
He replied: ‘I wish now that I had gone over, given her a bear hug and taken her away downstairs to look for that ring.’
The inquest heard that a medical examination of Ms Elson’s body showed that she had bruises to her arms, legs and thighs When asked about them, Mr Emmett said that he could not explain how she got them.
Earlier, the inquest heard about the moment Ms Saoud – whom he met in Dubai shortly after Ms Elson’s death – called the police after he hit her in 2015.
Yesterday, the inquest heard about the moment his terrified third wife Lana Saoud (pictured with Emmett above) – whom he met in Dubai shortly after Ms Elson’s death – called the police after he hit her in 2015
Ms Saoud (pictured), a Lebanese national who sat next to her husband before he was called to give evidence, is not expected to give evidence at the inquest
Lana Saoud sat at the back of the court as Ms Felix read out a transcript from a 999 call, she made following an incident in January 2015.
In it, Ms Saoud tells a 999 operator: ‘My boyfriend is hitting me. My boyfriend is a wife beater.’
She adds: ‘Apologise right now. You are a wife beater.’
When asked about the incident Mr Emmett replied: ‘I decline to answer.’
Regarding Ms Elson, Mr Emmett was arrested by detectives from Surrey Police and the Dubai authorities on his return to the UK in December 2013 – but no charges were ever brought and he has always denied any involvement in her death.
The hearing continues.