UK Athletics is landed with £350,000 fine over death of Paralympian and father of five struck by London 2012 metal cage

Published: 13:43, 2 June 2026 | Updated: 13:50, 2 June 2026 UK Athletics Ltd was fined a huge sum over the 'wholly avoidable' death of a father-of-five Paralympian, who was killed after being struck by part of a collapsed metal cage.  United Arab Emirates shot-putter Abdullah Hayayei, 36, suffered life-threatening injuries as he trained for the World Paralympic Athletics Championships at Newham Leisure Centre in east London on July 11, 2017.  The 5ft-high cage, weighing 200kg, toppled on to Mr Hayayei's head after being incorrectly assembled and without its base plate, creating an 'accident waiting to happen'.  The father-of-five had to be cut free from the netting and was pronounced dead at the scene after the police arrived at the leisure centre.  He had been training to compete in the F34 class, which features competitors with functional arms but who have difficulties using their legs.  The athlete, whose coach Ayman Ibrahim and his assistant Abdula Shaik were mere metres away when the structure collapsed, came sixth at javelin and seventh in shot put at the 2016 Paralympics in Rio.  The structure was bought for the London 2012 Olympics, but was gifted by the Organisation Committee to UK Athletics after the Paralympics in September 2012.  UK Athletics, the national governing body for athletics in the UK, pleaded guilty to corporate manslaughter and was landed on Tuesday with a £350,000 fine, plus £44,000 in costs, to be paid over six years.  Abdullah Hayayei, 36, was fatally injured at Newham Leisure Centre in east London on July 11, 2017 Keith Davies, 79, head of sport for the 2017 World Paralympic Athletics Championships, admitted a health and safety charge and was handed a community order of 175 hours of unpaid work  Keith Davies, 79, head of sport for the 2017 World Paralympic Athletics Championships, admitted a health and safety charge and was handed a community order of 175 hours of unpaid work.  Sentencing, Judge Richard Marks KC said the death of Mr Hayayei, who had cerebral palsy, was 'tragic, untimely and wholly avoidable'.  The judge at the Old Bailey 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 retired PE teacher Davies that he knew, or ought to have known, base plates were an 'integral part' of the cage construction.  The incident followed an earlier collapse of an identical cage, leading Davies to be 'on notice', inciting Judge Marks to declare in court: 'This was an accident which sooner or later was waiting to happen.' Mr Hayayei's widow Badriah Al-Yahyaei, who attended court by videolink from the UAE, previously described the emotional turmoil her young family has faced after losing the father. She said: 'He was my husband and father of my children. He was very close to me and cared deeply for us and the house. Despite his disability he was able to provide us with a stable life.' She said Mr Hayayei's surviving five children - aged 14, 13, nine, seven, and two at the time of his death - now rely on his brother financially, after seeing their monthly income plummet from £8,000 to £1,800. 'He used to take care of every detail of the house and follow up on the children's studies and needs,' Ms Al-Yahyaei said. 'His presence was very important to us all. 'It was a huge shock to me because I was waiting for news of his victory and success in the championships. 'At first I could not comprehend what happened and refused to believe the news and until today that moment is still in my mind. 'I bear many responsibilities alone and bear constant fear and anxiety. The children were deeply affected by the loss of their father because he was very close to them and proud of him because he represented the UAE. 'I was pained even more when I knew that what happened could have been avoided if safety processes were present and properly applied.' She added: 'What happened was not just a simple mistake. It was the result of negligence, gross negligence, that could have been avoided.' A photo from Mr Hayayei's family and issued by the Metropolitan Police of the father-of-five  The court heard on Tuesday wheelchair user Mr Hayayei was lined up to compete in the para athletics shot-put event at the World Athletics Championships in Stratford.  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 plates attached, the court heard.  The two practice cages were given to UK Athletics by the organisation committee for the London 2012 Games.  One of them had collapsed in 2012 and luckily no one was injured on that occasion, the court heard.  Prosecutor John Price KC said: 'Over this period, very many athletes will have been within the cages and many more standing or passing close by. 'It was a perennial hazard, or to use a familiar phrase, an accident waiting to happen.' In a statement, Mr Ibrahim, the athlete's coach, said: 'Whilst Abdullah was carrying out the throws, we were surprised by the wind that came all of a sudden and moved the whole cage, causing the bar on the top to fall directly on his head. My assistant and I rushed to help.'  Mr Hayayei collapsed immediately after being struck and, despite the efforts of medics, never regained consciousness and died at 7.20pm. Davies previously claimed UK Athletics had never been supplied with base plates, however this was disproven, the court was told.  This came after photos emerged of the base plates for one of the cages being in storage at the London stadium, but were moved after the incident to Cambridge. Those for the collapsed cage were never recovered despite searches.  In the wake of the fatal incident, a prohibition notice was put on both the cages barring them from being used.  Mr Price said it was a 'remarkable feature' of the case that UK Athletics tried to get the notice lifted on the second cage, which was refused.  According to Sentencing Council guidelines, corporate manslaughter carries a fine of between £180,000 and £20million.  UK Athletics racked in an annual revenue with a 'modest profit' of £107,000, according to accounts to March 2025. The organisation is expected to make a loss of £400,000 in the following year, the court heard.   No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. 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