Son of Ex-Chelsea Midfielder Eddie Newton Dies in UAE Desert Hike Despite Wife's Pleas

• Cassius Newton, 34, died alongside friend Aran Martinson during a hike in Wadi Naqab, UAE, in temperatures reaching 40C
• Newton's wife begged him not to go, citing the extreme heat, his lack of sleep, and fears his phone was not sufficiently charged
• Essex Coroner's Court heard both men's wives raised the alarm after losing contact, prompting a rescue operation that found the bodies hours later

A coroner has found that Cassius Newton, 34, the son of former Chelsea midfielder Eddie Newton, died during a desert hike in the United Arab Emirates after ignoring his wife's warnings against making the trip.

The inquest, heard at Essex Coroner's Court, was told that Newton and his friend Aran Martinson set off into the mountainous terrain of Wadi Naqab at approximately 07:00 local time on 18 July.

BBC reported that rescue teams recovered both men's bodies later that day, several kilometres from where they had left their vehicle.

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Newton rang his wife at around 02:00 to tell her about the planned outing.

She urged him to cancel. Area coroner Michelle Brown told the court that Newton's wife was aware temperatures could reach 40C in the canyon environment, and she was also concerned that her husband had been out the previous night and would not have slept sufficiently, nor charged his phone adequately before setting out.

The wives of both men eventually contacted authorities after receiving no word for several hours. Martinson's wife had texted him at 09:26 saying, "You must be cooking," and later, having still not heard from him: "[You are] actually trying to tip me over the edge I swear."

Both bodies were found lying on their backs amid large rocks, positioned between 3km and 4km from their parked vehicle. The two men were approximately 350 metres apart. They were transported to hospital in Ras Al Khaimah but were pronounced dead the same day.

Deaths Ruled Misadventure

Coroner Brown ruled that the deaths were the result of misadventure, describing the outing as "an intentional trip with unintended consequences."

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Medically, she attributed both deaths to severely elevated body temperatures that ultimately caused organ failure.

Brown described the route as a recreational hike requiring no specialist equipment, with an expected duration of around four hours.

Though a previous court session had referenced temperatures of 50C in the desert, Brown confirmed the figure at the time of the hike was 40C, though the canyon setting would have made conditions feel considerably hotter.

Newton, originally from Poole, and Martinson, a father of three from Bishop's Stortford in Hertfordshire, had met through their roles at a global company and both lived in the resort town of Ras Al Khaimah, north-east of Dubai. Eddie Newton, the former Chelsea player, travelled to the UAE to formally identify his son's body.

Chelsea had previously described themselves as "devastated" to learn of Cassius Newton's death, noting his connection to the club's academy. Martinson's wife paid tribute to her husband online, describing him as "incredibly driven, hardworking and ambitious."

Source: YEN.com.gh