Superbike racer ‘had extremely controlling influence over’ his new wife who died on Dubai honeymoon

A superbike racer had an ‘extremely controlling influence over’ his new wife who died when she fell from a Dubai hotel window on honeymoon, an inquest has been told. 

Abigail Elson, a 27-year-old vicar’s daughter, plunged to her death while on honeymoon on February 19 2013, but the circumstances surrounding her death are shrouded in mystery.  

A Surrey police detective who investigated the case told the inquest how the bride’s superbike racer husband, Sean Emmett, 50, was ‘excessively jealous’ and ‘controlling’ during their relationship.

An inquest has heard how superbike racer Sean Emmett, 50, had an ‘extremely controlling influence over’ his new wife, Abigail Elson, 27. Pictured together on their wedding day

Abigail Elson plunged to her death from a Dubai hotel window while on honeymoon with her new husband on February 19 2013

Mr Emmett, who was 43 at the time of Abigail’s death, was arrested on suspicion of her murder on his return to the UK in December 2013, although no charges were ever brought. 

Ms Elson’s family told the inquest that Abigail had recently come into £35,000 after receiving compensation from a hospital where she was given unnecessary keyhole surgery which led to her appendix being removed. 

Detective Constable Caroline Snape, appearing at the inquest as a witness, provided the police records of occasions where Mr Emmett and Ms Elson had been spoken to by police over domestic incidents during the course of their three-year relationship.

The inquest heard how Ms Elson had once jumped in front of a moving car in Weybridge after she found out Mr Emmett had abandoned her during a night out and gone home.

Ms Elson’s family had raised the alarm with police, claiming Mr Emmett (right) had delivered beatings upon his younger partner, (left) before their whirlwind wedding at a biker’s church in South Africa

‘Throughout the police contact with her, Mr Emmett was ringing her phone. Police took the handset from her. Mr Emmett told police to f*** off. He stated that he would get the Met Police and SO19 on them’, the assistant Coroner for Surrey, Alison Hewitt said, reading the evidence.

‘Sean is considerably older than Abigail and is an extremely controlling influence over her. He is excessively jealous, calls and texts her repeatedly she she is not with him, accusing her of being with other people, refused to believe she was in police care and said he could hear people in the background.’      

Det. Con. Snape also said she believed more evidence existed in the Arab country which British police did have access to. 

The officer had visited Dubai with one of her colleagues and gained access to the Jumeirah Creekside Hotel room where former professional Grand Prix racer Sean Emmett had been staying with his bride.

Mr Emmett, a former professional Grand Prix racer, was arrested on suspicion of Abigail’s murder on his return to the UK in December 2013, although no charges were ever brought

Although the Surrey Police officers took pictures of the room on their cameras, they said their investigation was limited in the foreign jurisdiction.

Det. Con. Snape told the inquest in Woking, Surrey: ‘We were not able to take away any evidence at that time.

‘There is obviously material that we believe is out in Dubai, we obviously do not know the full extent of what is out there. It is a question that we have asked.

‘I cannot speculate about what it is because we do not know.’

The officer told how she had obtained a copy of two radio interviews which Mr Emmett had given in Dubai after his new wife’s death.

An element of Mr Emmett’s police interview, where he described having fallen into a swimming pool at a Cuban bar, meaning he had to go back to his room and change, seemed unlikely, according to the officer.

Det. Con. Snape added: ‘The description that was given in interview was that he was looking around and he was so amazed by the cityscape – it looked like Gotham City – that he did not notice the pool and he fell in.

‘Back in the evening there was a metal bar so you could not fall into the pool. The description, in my opinion, did not seem to match up the description that he had given.’ 

Ms Elson fell to her death from a fourth-storey window at the Jumeirah Creekside Hotel in Dubai (pictured). Mr Emmett claimed his wife had been reaching over their balcony in the honeymoon suite to try and retrieve her wedding ring when she fell

After a three-year investigation into Mr Emmett, no charges were brought against the father-of-three and a coroner’s inquest was held in Woking.

Mr Emmett claimed his wife had been reaching over their balcony in the honeymoon suite, which Ms Elson’s cousin had booked for the couple as a treat, to try and retrieve her wedding ring when she fell.

However, Ms Elson’s family had raised the alarm with police, claiming Mr Emmett had delivered beatings upon his younger partner, before their whirlwind wedding at a biker’s church in South Africa.

Mr Emmett, who had been due to give evidence to the inquest today, was given a further week to prepare with his legal team before he gives evidence.

The hearing continues.