Superyacht stewardess, 21, took her own life after row with her on-off boyfriend when they downed wine and took cocaine, inquest hears

A superyacht stewardess took her own life following a row with her on-off boyfriend after they had been drinking and she had taken cocaine, an inquest has heard.Imogen Amesbury, who was known to her family as Imo, had worked abroad on boats for several months in 2021 before returning to her home in Lyme Regis, Dorset.After her arrival back in the UK she rekindled her romance with her ex-partner Andrew Hewitt, but they had a falling out while staying at her mother's home on January 12, 2022.Mr Hewitt left the house at 4.10am prompting Ms Amesbury to follow him for a short time.They then spoke on the phone about an hour later and Ms Amesbury told him she was 'going to kill herself and wanted to die'.Mr Hewitt responded by telling her 'don't be stupid', the inquest heard, before Ms Amesbury told him to 'f*** off' and hung up on him.Her partner did not raise the alarm with her family or the authorities and her body was found at the property later that day.The inquest heard Ms Amesbury's cause of death was hanging. Imogen Amesbury, who was known to her family as Imo, had worked abroad on yachts for several months in 2021 before returning to her home in Lyme Regis, Dorset, where she later diedThe 21-year-old had previously struggled with her mental health but had returned from a three-month stint working on a superyacht sailing across to the Caribbean in 'good spirits'.Her mother, Marie Amesbury, broke down in tears as she paid tribute to her daughter, who was awarded an art scholarship to Queen's College Taunton and was also a talented sportswoman.She said: 'Imo was gentle and warmhearted but quietly determined, adventurous and courageous.'At 19 she became a stewardess on superyachts. She was my most beautiful, talented and adventurous child.'She was just 21 when she died and she should have had so much more time, she should have had the opportunity to continue travelling, developing her talents and pursuing her ambitions.'There are no words that can adequately describe the deep pain her death has left in her family or what it means to try and create our lives without her.'The inquest heard that Imogen had struggled with her mental health in the spring of 2021, self-harmed and ended up in The Priory treatment centre for two weeks.However, her aunt said she was in a better place and 'making short and long term plans for the future' after she got back from working on the superyacht.Mr Hewitt, giving evidence, said he and Ms Amesbury had an on-off relationship for five years and that their parents did not approve of it.However, they were 'too deeply intertwined with each other' to break up permanently.He said: 'We tried to end the relationship multiple times but we were too deeply intertwined with each other and we couldn't handle going our separate ways.'He told the inquest that they had spent the evening of January 11 together and consumed two bottles of wine, while Ms Amesbury also took cocaine.During the night, tensions flared when they talked about their exes and she chased after him for a short time after he left the house.Mr Hewitt said he sent Ms Amesbury WhatsApp messages and called her when he got home, and that was when she made the threat to end her own life.He said: 'She said she was going to kill herself and she wanted to die.'I said "don't be stupid" and she said "f*** off" and hung up on me.'I thought it was at the time an empty threat as she had been known to say it.'When she spoke to me on the phone she sounded so nonchalant about killing herself but I didn't think she was being serious.'The inquest heard that a police investigation was carried out into Imogen's death but no further action was taken against any individual.Mr Hewitt was asked if he had hit Imogen or threatened to send intimate pictures of her, which he denied.He was also asked if he had ever sent her text messages telling her to 'go kill herself' or been verbally abusive to her, to which he said he did not wish to comment.A toxicology report reveals that Imogen was in a state of drunkenness when she died and nearly three times over the alcohol drink drive limit.She also had a 'recreational' amount of cocaine in her system.Ms Amesbury's family raised concerns about the nature of their relationship and the impact it had on her state of mind, the court heard.The inquest in Bournemouth continues.- For confidential support, call Samaritans on 116 123, visit samaritans.org or visit https://www.thecalmzone.net/get-support