UK Athletics has pleaded guilty to corporate manslaughter following the death of Paralympian Abdullah Hayayei. The 36-year-old was hit on the head by a metal pole during training nearly nine years ago.
Hayayei was preparing to represent the United Arab Emirates in the F34 class discus, javelin, and shot put at the World Para Athletics Championships at Newham Leisure Centre in East London in July 2017. During preparations, part of a throwing cage fell on him.
Despite the efforts of the emergency services and medical staff, the athlete was pronounced dead at the scene, 20 minutes later. The incident led to an investigation being launched by Scotland Yard.
It was established that the throwing cage had not been put up properly, which therefore made it unstable.
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On Friday, UK Athletics Ltd pleaded guilty to corporate manslaughter, having previously denied the charge. The charge read that the corporation caused the death by "supplying for use at an organized para-athletics training event in which he participated a discus/shot put cage which it used and operated without its base structure and which collapsed."
In a statement, UK Athletics said: “UK Athletics deeply regrets that the incident in July 2017 resulted in the tragic loss of Abdullah Hayayei’s life. Our deepest thoughts and sympathy remain with his family, friends, teammates and all those affected by the events of that day.
“As you will appreciate, due to the ongoing court proceedings UK Athletics is unable to comment any further at this time.”
In a separate charge, the head of sport for the 2017 World Paralympic Athletics Championships has denied gross negligence manslaughter but has pleaded guilty to a health and safety offense. Both Davies and UK Athletics will be sentenced by the court at a later date.
It has been confirmed that the prosecution will not seek a trial and the outstanding charges will be dealt with at the end of the sentencing.
UK Athletics is likely to receive a fine between £1.2 million and £5 million for the offense, although there can be deductions if the offense is admitted before trial.
Responding to the outcome, Detective Sergeant Brett Hagen, who led the Metropolitan Police investigation, said: "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.
"The resulting charges and early guilty plea reflect our perseverance and dedication, and the significant work undertaken to build a comprehensive and compelling case against the defendants.
"Cases of this nature are rare and particularly difficult to prosecute due to various complexities surrounding the legislation, so we welcome this outcome."
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