Businessman uses Aston Martin to decapitate himself in horrific suicide as revenge against his ex-wife

A businessman decapitated himself in his sports car to get back at his younger wife for leaving him, an inquest has heard.

Gerald Mellin, 54, taunted his estranged wife Mirrielle, 33, with threats of suicide.

He even showed her the rope he was going to use, which he kept in the boot of his open-top Aston Martin DB7.

The court heard that the day before his death Mrs Mellin had been awarded an extra £100 a week in maintenance from her former husband.

Mr Mellin had then sent her a text message which read: 'Congratulations XXX.'

It was the last time she heard from him.

The businessman tied one end of the rope to a tree, then climbed into his Aston Martin and wrapped the other end around his neck.

He then drove the £90,000 car into a busy main road, forcing other drivers to watch his horrific death. Yesterday Mrs Millen, a mother of two, 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 owned the gym and sun tanning centre where his wife had worked as a beautician.

The inquest heard the pair had both been married before their wedding in 2002.

They split up five years later, and Mrs Mellin continued to live in their luxury farmhouse in the village of Crumlin, near Neath, South Wales. She told the court: '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.'

The inquest in Swansea heard that after her husband's death she discovered he had cancelled a life insurance policy which would have paid out to her.

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

A suicide note was found in Mr Mellin's pocket detailing his funeral wishes.

The cause of death was given as decapitation. Recording a verdict of suicide, Coroner Phillip Rogers said: 'I'm satisfied this was a deliberate attempt by Mr Mellin to kill himself.'