UK Athletics pleads guilty to corporate manslaughter over death of Paralympian Abdullah Hayayei
LONDON — UK Athletics Ltd has pleaded guilty to corporate manslaughter over the death of Paralympian Abdullah Hayayei, who was fatally struck on the head by a metal pole during a training session in east London in 2017.
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Hayayei, 36, who represented the United Arab Emirates, died on July 11, 2017, at Newham Leisure Centre after part of a throwing cage fell on him. He had been preparing to compete in the F34 classification in the discus, javelin and shot put at the World Para Athletics Championships in London.
The national governing body previously denied the corporate manslaughter charge, as well as a lesser health and safety offense, before entering the new plea at a hearing at the Old Bailey before Judge Mark Lucraft KC.
In a related development, Keith Davies, 78, who served as head of sport for the 2017 World Para Athletics Championships, pleaded guilty to a health and safety charge. Davies, of east London, had earlier denied gross negligence manslaughter.
Prosecutor Karen Robinson invited the court to list a two-day sentencing hearing in early June. She said the prosecution would not seek a trial and that outstanding matters 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.
Hayayei’s death sent shock waves through the global para athletics community at the time, occurring just days before the World Para Athletics Championships opened in the capital. The fatal injury, sustained during a regular training session at a host-city facility, raised urgent questions about venue readiness and equipment safety procedures around elite para sport competition.
The fresh guilty pleas consolidate the long-running case into a focused sentencing process. A conviction for corporate manslaughter reflects a finding that an organization’s management failures were a substantial element in a death, while health and safety offenses concern breaches of statutory duties designed to protect workers and participants. Specific sentencing outcomes will be determined by the court after reviewing pre-sentence reports and submissions from both sides.
The Old Bailey hearing offers a measure of resolution nearly seven years after the incident. Prosecutors indicated that no further trial would be sought, signaling that the criminal proceedings are likely to conclude at sentencing in early June.
By Abdiwahab Ahmed
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
