Friday, 08 Aug, 2008 Offbeat

A businessman committed suicide by decapitating himself in his £90,000 ($137,300) Aston Martin in order to get revenge on his younger wife who left him. For some time the 54-year old Gerald Mellin warned 33-year old Mirrielle that he would commit suicide. In addition, he showed his estranged wife the rope for the suicide, which was kept in his sports car.

A day prior to the man's death he awarded Mrs Mellin, a mother of two, additional £100 a week in maintenance, the court was heard. Shortly after that he sent his wife a text message that said: "Congratulations XXX". That was the last trace he left before his death.

One end of the rope Mr Mellin tied up to a tree, while the other to his neck after climbing into the car. Afterwards he drove his Astor Martin into a busy road so other drivers could observe his terrible death.

On August 7 Mrs Mellin told the inquest: "We had split up and been to court. He wanted me to walk away from the farmhouse and the business and leave me with nothing. We met in a pub after a court hearing and he started having a tantrum. As we made our way back to our cars he opened the boot and said: "There's my rope, that's what I'm going to kill myself with. I told him to grow up and give me the rope. But he just laughed."

Mr Mellin was the proprietor of the gym and sun tanning centre. This is where Mrs Mellin worked as a beautician. It was heard that the two had been married prior to their wedding, which took place in 2002. In 2007 the pair split and Mrs Mellin carried on living in the luxury farmhouse, located in the village of Crumlin, next to Neath, South Wales.

The court was told: "Our marriage was horrendous most of the time. After we split he phoned me and said he wanted to do a deal with selling the business. He had been to see an accountant but the way he did it was all wrong. I said it was about time we stopped arguing and started behaving like adults. That was when I met him in the pub and he showed me the rope."

During the investigation it was heard that before committing suicide Mr Mellin had cancelled a life insurance policy, so his wife could not get paid.

"He ran up an extortionate amount of debt. I've got to sell the farmhouse now, just to pay the debts," said Mrs Mellin.

There was a suicide note found in the pocket of the businessman, stating his funeral wishes.

The official cause of death was given as decapitation. During the recording of a suicide verdict, Coroner Phillip Rogers stated: "I'm satisfied this was a deliberate attempt by Mr Mellin to kill himself."

Source: Mirror.co.uk

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