Ali Watson, 28, was killed in a jetski crash in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE), as his partner Charlotte Lescott watched on helplessly while holding their four-month-old baby
A British dad was tragically killed in a jetski crash in front of his devastated partner and their four-month old baby, an inquest was told yesterday.
Ali Watson, 28, was hurled through the air and landed face down in the the water following a collision with an instructor in Dubai. He died at the scene from severe blunt force chest trauma.
Ali and partner Charlotte Lescott had emigrated to the UAE with their newborn daughter Soulie just a couple of months earlier to enjoy “a better life”. Charlotte felt “complete” in the new life they were building, until tragedy struck when they went on a boat trip together.
Her heartbreaking final words to her husband before the accident were “be safe, I love you”.
Wednesday’s inquest – conducted nearly five years after the devastating incident – heard that Ali was an experienced jetski rider who was operating his craft alone.
The other watercraft was being piloted by an instructor carrying a female passenger, who had leapt off moments before impact due to being frightened by the speed, Exeter Coroner’s Court in Devon heard.
Assistant Devon coroner Luisa Nicholson determined that Ali’s death was accidental. She was told that suspended prison sentences and financial penalties were imposed on those deemed responsible for the collision, reports the Mirror.
Giving evidence at the hearing, Charlotte revealed: “I was holding the baby on the boat and witnessed it. My world stopped spinning the moment Ali died. I couldn’t function. The world around you is still carrying on.”
Charlotte and Ali met in 2018 and moved in together three months later, reports the Daily Mail.
In December 2019 they found out they were expecting a baby together. The couple were over the moon – and then wee, and Soulie arrived in July 2020.
Due to the Covid restrictions in the UK at the time, the UK the family decided to move to Dubai in September.
Charlotte said of Ali: “He really wasn’t happy in the UK. There was no quality of life. We ended up building a life there.
“It was just nice. We had a better quality of life. We could take Soulie swimming. I felt life was complete.”
A post-mortem examination confirmed that Ali,a sales and marketing manager from Coventry, succumbed to catastrophic head and chest injuries sustained in the watercraft collision. No traces of alcohol or drugs were detected in his system.
During the hearing, the young man’s stepfather described him as having the “gift of the gab” and achieving success in his professional endeavours. He was described as someone who consistently sought to make others happy and possessed “strong family values”.
The businessman had previously been hailed as a “remarkable young man” in heartfelt tributes led by his mother.
His mum said: “Ali was a remarkable young man whose untimely death has left us utterly heartbroken. Nothing will fill the hole in our lives that Ali’s passing has left us with.
“We’ve lost a devoted son, a loyal brother, an amazing uncle, a loving partner, and a doting dad in horrific circumstances. The world is unquestionably a poorer place without him in it.”
Online fundraisers set up to help the family after his death raised thousands of pounds. His partner Charlotte, who was also on the boat trip, told the BBC her ‘whole world came crashing down’ when he was killed. She used TikTok to educate people about the importance of life insurance after being forced back to work during maternity leave.
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