Former motorcycle champion Sean Emmett started a relationship in Dubai while under investigation for his wife’s murder and transferred part of her money to his new girlfriend’s account, an inquest heard on Thursday.
Emmett, now 50, started dating Beirut-born Lana Saoud in Dubai three months after his wife Abigail Elson fell to her death from their fourth-floor honeymoon suite in the city.
The inquest was told he continued to spend Abbie’s money after she died in February 2013, less than two weeks after they were married on a beach in South Africa.
She was awarded compensation of £35,000 ($45,168) from a hospital trust in late 2012 for a botched operation on her appendix six years earlier.
While part of her payout went towards the wedding, Emmett spent the rest after she died on debts and maintaining his lifestyle while on bail in Dubai for 10 months.
And in October 2013, he transferred some of the compensation cash to Ms Saoud, who is now his wife.
“I had no way of accessing my money in Dubai,” Emmett told the hearing, when asked why he had transferred the money to her account.
Friends hoped the payout would lead to Abbie leaving Emmett because she had not been able to afford to do so earlier.
In December 2012, she emailed her close friend Dana Hashem to tell her the news.
Abbie said she stashed the money somewhere safe “so that Sean does not touch it without permission".
"I am not dumb," she said. "Sean would have me for every penny.”
The inquest heard the money was kept in the bank account of Emmett’s racing friend Steve Wheatman, who helped to organise their wedding.
After Abbie died, Mr Wheatman transferred sums to Emmett.
Emmett returned to the UK in December 2013 when Dubai police closed their murder investigation.
He was arrested when he landed at London Heathrow airport and investigated by Surrey police, who eventually closed their inquiries without any charges after three years.
But they prosecuted him for assaulting Ms Saoud and breaching a domestic violence protection order in 2015.
Emmett married Ms Saoud, now 30, in April 2016, shortly after serving three months in prison for the offences.
She told police he tried to throttle her and left her with bruises and finger marks on her neck. But she later withdrew her statement.
Abbie married Emmett in Cape Town in February 2013, despite years of complaining to police, friends and family of his violence towards her, the inquest was told.
They began dating in May 2010 and quickly moved in together, but by December that year she was regularly carrying bruises and injuries, and became known to the domestic violence team in her area.
In July 2011, Abbie's ear had to be stitched back together after she suffered severe cuts in an alleged assault.
She also complained to police that Emmett had choked her until she was nearly unconscious and threw knives and glasses at her.
Emmett’s neighbour, Paul Chitty, told the inquest he often heard their screaming matches.
Mr Chitty told the inquest that a month before their wedding, he found Abbie in his garden with a large indentation on her right cheek, which she said she got when Emmett slammed her face into a car door.
Abbie sought medical help four weeks before her wedding for bruises on her chest from an alleged assault.
And in December 2012, she rang police begging for advice on how to leave Emmett.
In the inquest hearing on Thursday, Emmett refused to comment when asked about the incidents and his alleged violent episodes.
But he admitted he used “excessive force in self-defence” towards Ms Saoud.
Emmett said Abbie had fallen from their hotel window during their honeymoon after an all-day drinking binge.
He told the inquest she had dropped her wedding ring and was leaning out of the window to try to see it in the bushes below.
But the inquest heard that immediately after his arrest, Emmett told Sam Hayes from the British embassy in Dubai that she had thrown the ring.
And in text messages to a friend, he said Abbie had been threatening to jump.
"She just played with fire and got burnt in the worst possible way," Emmett wrote.
He told the hearing: "If I could turn the clock back, I would have given Abbie a bear hug, taken her from that window and taken her back down with me to find that ring. I didn't but I wish I had."
When asked if he had played any part in her fall from the window, he replied: "No, absolutely not."
The inquest continues.
The%20specs%3A%202024%20Mercedes%20E200
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?
The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.
A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.
Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.
The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.
When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
Tips to stay safe during hot weather
- Stay hydrated: Drink plenty of fluids, especially water. Avoid alcohol and caffeine, which can increase dehydration.
- Seek cool environments: Use air conditioning, fans, or visit community spaces with climate control.
- Limit outdoor activities: Avoid strenuous activity during peak heat. If outside, seek shade and wear a wide-brimmed hat.
- Dress appropriately: Wear lightweight, loose and light-coloured clothing to facilitate heat loss.
- Check on vulnerable people: Regularly check in on elderly neighbours, young children and those with health conditions.
- Home adaptations: Use blinds or curtains to block sunlight, avoid using ovens or stoves, and ventilate living spaces during cooler hours.
- Recognise heat illness: Learn the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke (dizziness, confusion, rapid pulse, nausea), and seek medical attention if symptoms occur.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
About Karol Nawrocki
• Supports military aid for Ukraine, unlike other eurosceptic leaders, but he will oppose its membership in western alliances.
• A nationalist, his campaign slogan was Poland First. "Let's help others, but let's take care of our own citizens first," he said on social media in April.
• Cultivates tough-guy image, posting videos of himself at shooting ranges and in boxing rings.
• Met Donald Trump at the White House and received his backing.
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
Company profile
Name: Back to Games and Boardgame Space
Started: Back to Games (2015); Boardgame Space (Mark Azzam became co-founder in 2017)
Founder: Back to Games (Mr Azzam); Boardgame Space (Mr Azzam and Feras Al Bastaki)
Based: Dubai and Abu Dhabi
Industry: Back to Games (retail); Boardgame Space (wholesale and distribution)
Funding: Back to Games: self-funded by Mr Azzam with Dh1.3 million; Mr Azzam invested Dh250,000 in Boardgame Space
Growth: Back to Games: from 300 products in 2015 to 7,000 in 2019; Boardgame Space: from 34 games in 2017 to 3,500 in 2019
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League, semi-final result:
Liverpool 4-0 Barcelona
Liverpool win 4-3 on aggregate
Champions Legaue final: June 1, Madrid
UAE squad to face Ireland
Ahmed Raza (captain), Chirag Suri (vice-captain), Rohan Mustafa, Mohammed Usman, Mohammed Boota, Zahoor Khan, Junaid Siddique, Waheed Ahmad, Zawar Farid, CP Rizwaan, Aryan Lakra, Karthik Meiyappan, Alishan Sharafu, Basil Hameed, Kashif Daud, Adithya Shetty, Vriitya Aravind
