UK Athletics Admits Corporate Manslaughter in Paralympian's Training Death
UK Athletics Ltd has entered a guilty plea to the corporate manslaughter of Abdullah Hayayei, a 36-year-old Paralympian who was fatally struck on the head by a metal pole during a training session. The tragic incident occurred at Newham Leisure Centre in east London on July 11, 2017, while Hayayei was preparing to represent the United Arab Emirates in the F34 class discus, javelin, and shot put at the World Para Athletics Championships in London.
Details of the Fatal Incident
Emergency services, including police and medical staff, were called to the scene, but despite their efforts, Hayayei was pronounced dead at the leisure centre. Investigations conducted by Scotland Yard in collaboration with Newham Council's health and safety team revealed that the throwing cage involved had not been assembled correctly, rendering it unstable and leading to its collapse.
The charge specified that UK Athletics, as the national governing body for athletics, caused Hayayei's death by supplying a discus and shot put cage for use at an organised para-athletics training event without its base structure, which then collapsed onto him while he was practising shot putting.
Legal Proceedings and Guilty Pleas
On Friday, at an Old Bailey hearing before Judge Mark Lucraft KC, UK Athletics admitted to corporate manslaughter, having previously denied the charge. The organisation had also earlier denied a lesser alternative health and safety offence. In a related development, Keith Davies, 78, of Leytonstone, east London, who served as head of sport for the 2017 World Paralympic Athletics Championships, pleaded guilty to a health and safety charge after initially denying gross negligence manslaughter.
Prosecutor Karen Robinson requested the court to schedule a two-day sentencing hearing in early June, confirming that the prosecution would not seek a trial and that outstanding charges would be addressed at the conclusion of sentencing. Davies was granted continued bail on the condition that he liaise with the Probation Service for a pre-sentence report.
Organisational Response and Investigation
In a statement, UK Athletics expressed deep regret over the incident, stating, 'Our deepest thoughts and sympathy remain with his family, friends, teammates and all those affected by the events of that day.' The organisation added that due to ongoing court proceedings, it is unable to comment further at this time.
The Metropolitan Police highlighted that the conviction resulted from a meticulous investigation requiring detailed engineering expertise to understand the chain of events leading to the tragedy. Officers examined over 1,500 documents, took approximately 160 statements, spoke with more than 80 witnesses, and collated numerous expert reports.
Detective Sergeant Brett Hagen, who led the investigation, remarked, 'Our thoughts are with Mr Hayayei's family during what will be a significant moment for them. We thank them for their ongoing patience, understanding and dignity throughout this lengthy and complex investigation.' He noted that such cases are rare and particularly difficult to prosecute due to legislative complexities, welcoming the outcome as a reflection of the team's perseverance and dedication.
