A Sussex man today denied he pushed his wife 500ft to her death from the cliff top at Beachy Head.

Paul Ramsden, 38, told an inquest on his 32-year-old wife Paula, a mother-of-two, that she fell accidentally.

He rejected suggestions that he pushed her to her death in order to collect £200,000 life insurance and start a new life with his mistress.

The inquest has heard that Mr Ramsden stood to gain that sum from his wife's life insurance policy and had been having an affair with a work colleague.

Mr Ramsden, who was arrested on suspicion of murder but never charged, told the Eastbourne inquest it was not possible that his wife committed suicide.

He said it was also not possible that he might accidentally have caused her to fall from the cliff as he went to hold her hand while they watched the sunset on January 9, 2000.

East Sussex Coroner Alan Craze asked Mr Ramsden, of Crofton Cottages, Horsham: "Looking back, do you think there is any possibility that by putting your hand out for hers, you could have accidentally knocked her over?"

Mr Ramsden replied: "No".

Mr Craze said: "So it is either accidental that she slipped, or it was deliberate. Was it as a result of anything you did?"

As Mrs Ramsden's parents and sister watched, Mr Ramsden, a £31,000-a-year operations superintendent at Gatwick Airport, said: "I did not push my wife over the cliff."

On the first day, the inquest heard that friends of Mrs Ramsden believed she knew about her husband's affair with 30-year-old Elizabeth Harrison.

Mr Ramsden said his wife, who had a son from a previous marriage, would have been "disgusted", but said she never once challenged him about his affair.

Mr Craze questioned Mr Ramsden what he and his wife had been talking about on January 9 before walking to the cliff top.

The coroner asked: "How are people to know that you did not spend the day having a blazing row?

"How are people to know whether or not questions about your affair or the possible termination of your marriage were discussed?

"Some suicides are without premeditation. How are we to know it was not one of those?"

Mr Ramsden replied: "We are not to know. I do not think it was suicide. I would not have thought she could commit suicide."

The hearing continues.