UK Athletics admits causing death of Paralympian hit on head by metal pole during training
UK Athletics has admitted causing the death of a Paralympic athlete who was struck in the head by a metal pole during training.
Abdullah Hayayei, 36, a father of five representing the United Arab Emirates, was fatally injured at Newham Leisure Center in east London on 11 July 2017. While he was preparing to represent his country in the F34 class discus, javelin and shot put at the World Para Athletics Championships held in London, a piece of the cage fell on him and he died at the scene.
A joint investigation launched by Scotland Yard and Newham Council’s health and safety team found that the launch cage was not installed correctly, causing it to become unstable.
UK Athletics Ltd pleaded not guilty to corporate manslaughter at the Old Bailey on Friday, having previously pleaded not guilty. The charge stated that the national athletics governing body caused Mr. Hayayei’s death by “procuring for use at an organized para-athletics training event in which he was participating a discus/shot put cage that he used and operated without a base structure, which collapsed on the Paralympian while he was practicing the shot put.”
At the same hearing on Friday, Keith Davies, 78, head of sport at the 2017 World Paralympic Athletics Championships, pleaded guilty to the health and safety charge. The 78-year-old man, from Leytonstone, east London, has pleaded not guilty to manslaughter by gross negligence.
In a statement, UK Athletics said it was “deeply saddened” by the incident, adding: “Our deepest thoughts and sympathies are with his family, friends, team-mates and everyone else affected by the events of the day.”
“As you will appreciate, due to ongoing court proceedings UK Athletics are unable to comment further at this time.”
Prosecutor Karen Robinson urged the court to hold a two-day sentencing hearing in early June. He confirmed that the prosecution would not press charges and that any outstanding charges would be dealt with at the conclusion of the sentence.
Davies was granted continued bail on the condition that he contact the Probation Service for a pre-sentence report.
The Metropolitan Police said the conviction was the result of a meticulous investigation that required detailed engineering expertise to understand the chain of events that led to the tragedy. Officers reviewed more than 1,500 documents, took approximately 160 statements, spoke with more than 80 witnesses and compiled numerous expert reports.
Detective Sergeant Brett Hagen, who led the investigation, said: “Our thoughts are with Mr Hayayei’s family at what will be a significant moment for them. We thank them for their patience, understanding and dignity throughout this long and complex investigation.”
“The resulting charges and early admission of guilt reflect our tenacity and determination and the significant work we have undertaken to build a comprehensive and compelling case against the defendants. Such cases are rare and particularly difficult to prosecute due to the various complexities surrounding the legislation, so we welcome this outcome.”
Colin Gibbs, of the Crown Prosecution Service, said: “Abdullah Hayayei was a father of five who should have been able to compete on the world stage and return home to his family safely.
“There is no doubt that the UK Athletics Team were grossly negligent in their safety management which resulted in the death of a talented athlete. They left the equipment in a seriously unsafe condition and Mr Hayayei’s death was entirely preventable, a fact which the organization recognises. “There has been a failure over the years to inspect, maintain and properly manage key safety components, leaving a heavy metal structure dangerously unstable.
“Our thoughts are with Mr. Hayayei’s family and we hope these convictions will bring them some justice.”
