UK Athletics fined £350,000 over death of Paralympian hit by falling metal cage

UK Athletics has been fined £350,000 over the "wholly avoidable" death of a Paralympian who was killed when a shot-put cage collapsed during training.

Abdullah Hayayei, 36, who represented the United Arab Emirates, was killed at Newham Leisure Centre, east London, during a practice session in 2017.

The father-of-five was preparing to represent his country in the F34 class discus, javelin and shot put at the World Para Athletics Championships in London when part of a 31st throwing cage fell on him.

The 5ft high cage toppled over because it was put up incorrectly and without its base plate, in an "accident waiting to happen", a court was told.

The national governing body for athletics was charged with causing the death of Mr Hayayei by "supplying for use... a discus/shot put cage which it used and operated without its base structure and which collapsed" into the Paralympian while he was practising shot putting.

In February, UK Athletics Ltd admitted corporate manslaughter at the Old Bailey, having previously denied the charge.

On Tuesday the firm was ordered to pay nearly £400,000 over six years - made up of a fine of £350,000 and legal costs of £44,000, as well as a statutory surcharge.

Keith Davies, who was the head of sport for the 2017 World Para Athletics Championships, also pleaded guilty to a health and safety charge.

The 79-year-old was handed a community order to do 175 hours of unpaid work, to be carried out in the next 12 months.

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Sentencing, Judge Richard Marks KC said Mr Hayayei's death was "tragic, untimely and wholly avoidable".

He noted failings by UK Athletics were not a "one-off" but said any financial penalty would "weaken" its ability to support individual athletes and athletics in the community.

He told Davies, a retired PE teacher, that he knew, or ought to have known, base plates were an "integral part" of the cage construction.

He was "on notice" following an earlier collapse of an identical cage, the judge said, adding: "This was an accident which sooner or later was waiting to happen."

In the five years since UK Athletics acquired two identical cages originally used in the 2012 Olympics, they had never been properly assembled with the base plates attached, the court heard.

Davies had claimed UK Athletics had never been supplied with base plates, but this proved not to be true, the court was told.

In a statement, UK Athletics said: "Today's sentence marks a significant moment for UK Athletics, and our thoughts remain with the family, friends and loved ones of Abdullah Hayayei following his tragic death in 2017.

"The failings identified in this case should never have happened, and UK Athletics is deeply and genuinely sorry for what occurred and for the impact it has had on all those affected.

"Since then, substantial changes have been made to strengthen the way safety, governance and event operations are managed across the sport. While nothing can undo what happened, there has been a determined focus on learning from these events and ensuring stronger standards and safeguards are in place throughout athletics."

Detective Chief Inspector Lucie Card of Scotland Yard said: "Abdullah was a talented athlete whose life was cruelly cut short by the failings by those who were meant to keep him safe.

"The lead technician of the firm that had manufactured the throwing cage knew within seconds of seeing the scene that the equipment hadn't been erected properly.

"Our investigation demonstrated that for years, the cage, which was donated to UK Athletics after the 2012 Olympics, wasn't being properly secured by UK Athletics and its representatives.

"Establishing what failures caused Abdullah's death has taken years of meticulous work by a committed team of detectives. It is no less than his family deserved."

Mr Hayayei had cerebral palsy and had been due to compete in the para athletics shot-put event during the World Athletics Championships in Stratford, the court heard. He had five children aged between two and 14 when they lost their father.

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