Inquest hears Cassius Newton died on 40C UAE desert hike despite wife's plea not to go

MixedAn inquest at Essex Coroner's Court heard that Cassius Newton, 34, son of former Chelsea midfielder Eddie Newton, died on a desert hike in the mountainous Wadi Naqab region of the United Arab Emirates, after his wife asked him not to go. 1 2 MixedRescuers found his body on 18 July; his friend Aran Martinson, 33, a father of three, also died. 1 2 CentreArea coroner Michelle Brown ruled the deaths were the result of misadventure, saying: "This was an intentional trip with unintended consequences." 1

MixedNewton called his wife at about 02:00 to say he planned to hike; the coroner said she knew it would be very hot, that it can reach about 40C and feel hotter in the canyons, that he had been out the night before and would have had little sleep, and that she doubted his phone was sufficiently charged. 1 2 MixedThe men set off at about 07:00 local time and lived in the Ras Al Khaimah resort, having met through work; the BBC says it was a "global company". 1 2 CentreRescue efforts began after both men's wives called the authorities having not heard from them for hours. 1

MixedThe men were found 3-4km from where they had parked, their bodies 350m apart, lying on their backs among large rocks; they were taken to hospital in Ras Al Khaimah and pronounced dead later that day. 1 2 CentreThe coroner described the route as a recreational hike needing no equipment that should take four hours, and said both men died from severe rising body temperature leading to organ failure. 1 MixedThe BBC reports that a previous hearing was told it was 50C but the coroner said it was 40C earlier; the Daily Mail says temperatures would have exceeded 40C. 1 2

MixedTexts from Martinson's wife were read to the court: "You must be cooking" at 09:26, then, after five hours without a reply, "[You are] actually trying to tip me over the edge I swear." 1 2 CentreEddie Newton flew to the UAE to identify his son's body. 1 MixedTributes came from Chelsea, which said it was "devastated", and from Blackfield & Langley and Eastleigh, clubs Cassius Newton was linked to; Martinson's wife called him "incredibly driven, hardworking and ambitious". 1 2