The son of former Chelsea star Eddie Newton died with a friend in Dubai's desert valley after ignoring his wife's plea not to hike in 40C heat, an inquest heard.
Cassius Newton, 34, from Poole, Dorset, and his pal Aran Martinson, 33, were found in sweltering heat in the mountainous region of Wadi Naqab, known as the 'Grand Canyon of the UAE', after setting off on a "recreational" expedition at around 7am on July 18. Essex Coroner's Court heard how Newton called his wife, who was in the UK, at about 2am to tell her of their planned hike and "she asked him not to go".
Coroner rules misadventure
Area coroner Michelle Brown ruled their deaths were the result of misadventure, and said the cause included cardiac and respiratory arrest, as well as severe rising body temperature, organ failure, and heat stress due to exposure to high temperature. She said: "This was an intentional trip with unintended consequences."
Speaking about Mr Newton's wife's warnings, Ms Brown added: "She knew it would be very hot and it can get to about 40C, and the feeling is higher because it's in the canyons. He was also out the night before and wouldn't have had much sleep, and she didn't think he would have charged his phone enough."
Rescue efforts
Newton, originally from Poole, Dorset, and Martinson, a dad-of-three originally from Bishop's Stortford, Herts, met through their work at a "global company" and both lived in the luxury resort of Ras Al Khaimah, around 75 miles north-east of Dubai. Rescue efforts were launched after the wives of both men called the authorities, having not heard from them for hours.
Text messages between Martinson and his wife were read to the court, including one at 9:26am when she wrote: "You must be cooking." Having not heard from him five hours later, she later messaged: "[You are] actually trying to tip me over the edge I swear."
The two men were eventually discovered 350 metres apart, between 1.8 miles and 2.5 miles from where they had parked. The coroner said Cassius and Aran were both found lying on their backs surrounded by large rocks.
Tributes to the pair
She described the circular route they were walking as "a recreational hike" on a designated trail that did not require any equipment and should have taken about four hours to complete. The pair were taken to hospital in Ras Al Khaimah before being pronounced dead later that day.
Eddie Newton, who was assistant manager at Chelsea under both Roberto Di Matteo and Rafael Benítez, made 165 appearances for Chelsea between 1990 and 1999. He also scored for the club in the 1997 FA Cup final. Ms Brown said Mr Newton flew to the UAE to identify his son's body.
In an earlier tribute, Chelsea said it was "devastated" to learn of the death of Newton, who once played for the club's academy. National League side Eastleigh, for who Cassius used to play, said the club was "deeply saddened" by his death. Mr Martinson's wife wrote online that her husband was "incredibly driven, hardworking and ambitious". She added: "He had only recently started a new chapter in his career, and I know how excited he was about it."
