There is no way any more can come from what happened on the top of Beachy Head that night because only two people really know

Det Insp Tim Guyton

East Sussex coroner Alan Craze said he did not believe Mr Ramsden's claim that the mother-of-two, who was afraid of heights, fell accidentally from the beauty spot on 9 January, 2000.

At the inquest, he recorded an open verdict into her death.

Mr Ramsden, 38, who was having an affair with a work colleague, was arrested on suspicion of murder but released without charge.

Detectives said after the inquest they would be looking again at the evidence against Mr Ramsden.

Life insurance

But now they say they have nothing new to work on and cannot put the case back before the Crown Prosecution Service.

Meanwhile, Mr Ramsden, an operations manager for Shell UK, said he has "no interest" in pursuing a �225,000 life insurance policy on his wife's life, taken out just months before she died.

Detective Inspector Tim Guyton, who led the inquiry into Mrs Ramsden's death, said there was no new evidence.

Mr Ramsden was arrested after Paula's death

"There will not be a new inquiry unless we receive new information," he said.

"One possible source of that new information would be from a third party who may have been told something in confidence, but as yet that has not happened.

"There is no way any more can come from what happened on the top of Beachy Head that night because only two people really know.

"One is gone and the other, Paul Ramsden, is sticking to his guns."

Evidence

In an extraordinary summing up, Mr Craze called Mr Ramsden a manipulating control freak.

But Mr Ramsden maintains he and his wife were kissing just moments before she turned and fell at the beauty spot near Eastbourne.

Beachy Head is a popular Sussex beauty spot

Now Mrs Ramsden's family, who after the inquest said many questions remained unanswered, say they are considering a civil action against Mr Ramsden.

At the inquest, Mr Craze said: "This inquest has been like a murder trial but there is no prosecution.

"My feeling is that if you asked 100 people who had heard all the evidence over the last three days and had seen and assessed Mr Ramsden, in their heart of hearts, 'Do you believe he killed his wife?' a very considerable number would say 'yes'.

"But that is not the right question.

"I have to decide whether it's been proven on the evidence that he did so.

"There is plenty of evidence, mostly circumstantial, which would show he had a motive.

"If he did not do it the death was a huge coincidence.

"In my judgment he would have been capable of doing so."