Husband arrested on suspicion of murder over wife's Caribbean holiday death tells inquest '˜I know what happened'

Giving evidence at Portsmouth Coroner’s Court, David Amey said his 53-year-old wife, Jeanette, had become unwell while on holiday and he took her to hospital after she collapsed in their hotel room.

Under repeated questioning on the second day of the hearing he said: ‘I was there, I know what happened.

‘I didn’t assault her, I was being a model husband looking after her.

‘We were having a good holiday.’

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But Mr Amey, a taxi driver by trade, added: ‘I know that things have happened before and I sincerely regret them.

‘That doesn’t mean anything happened out there and it certainly didn’t. I was there, we were having a great time.’

He spoke out to disagree with the combined opinions of pathologist Dr Basil Purdue and consultant surgeon Dr Ralph Antrum, who said Jeanette’s injuries would ‘unlikely’ have been caused by a simple fall to the floor without hitting an object on the way down.

Mr Amey told the inquest the area around the bed where he said she fell was clear.

He added: ‘They wanted to bury Jen there and then in Dominican soil.

‘I was frog-marched to a cash point to stop that from happening.

‘If I had anything to hide I just would have let her be buried.’

Asked by Jeanette’s daughter Claire Harper, 33, of Portsmouth, why he did not mention the fall to medics, Mr Amey said: ‘Not at any time did Jen mention to anyone that I was the cause of her injuries.’

Claire said: ‘Why did you not say she had fainted or fallen?’

Mr Amey replied: ‘I would say to any single one of you if you had went through what I went through and lost your wife on a Caribbean holiday, let’s see how any of you would cope.’

His evidence came after he was previously arrested for ‘inconsistencies’ in retelling how his late wife picked up her injuries, the inquest heard.