A coroner has said that the son of a former Chelsea footballer died in the United Arab Emirates after disregarding his wife’s request not to go for a hike in a desert valley amid soaring temperatures.
The body of Cassius Newton, 34, son of Eddie, was discovered by rescuers in the ‘wholly mountainous region’ of Wadi Naqab on July 18. Friend Aran Martinson, 33, from Essex, was also found dead.
It has been ruled by area coroner Michelle Brown that the pair’s deaths were due to misfortune on an ‘intentional trip’.
Newton, a non-league footballer, was the son of former Chelsea star and assistant manager Eddie Newton, and had been living in the luxury resort of Ras Al Khaimah, Dubai. He had moved to the UAE for work, where he had met Martinson.
Essex Coroner’s Court heard how Newton had informed his wife in the early hours of the morning that he was intending to go on a desert hike during a phone call. ‘She asked him not to go’ on the trail.
Brown said: ‘She [Newton’s wife] knew it would be very hot and it can get to about 40C, and the feeling is higher because it’s in the canyons.
Cassius Newton, 34, from Poole in Dorset, was found dead alongside his friend in Wadi Naqab, Dubai, on July 18
Father-of-three Aran Martinson, 33, from Essex, was found just metres away from his friend
‘He was also out the night before and wouldn’t have had much sleep, and she didn’t think he would have charged his phone enough.’
Martinson had also been in contact with his wife in the morning of the ‘recreational hike’, and a text message from her saying ‘You must be cooking’ was read to the court.
She later followed up after having not heard from him for five hours, saying: ‘[You are] actually trying to tip me over the edge I swear.’
Temperatures would have reached in excess of 40C (104F) during the hike and the severe rising body temperature and heat stress caused by exposure to high temperatures are said to have led to organ failure.
Both men were taken to hospital in Ras Al Khaimah after being found on their backs, where their deaths were confirmed later that day.
Tributes were paid to Mr Newton, including from his former club Blackfield & Langley FC, which said in a social media post that ‘our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with his family and friends during this difficult time’.
Eastleigh Football Club, to which he had been previously signed, said it was ‘deeply saddened’ to learn of his death.
Those who knew him described Mr Newton as a ‘top, top player’ and ‘so young and talented’. Another wrote that it was ‘absolutely devastating news’.
Cassius Newton was the son of former Chelsea player and assistant manager Eddie (pictured in 1995)
His father, Eddie, made more than 200 appearances for Chelsea FC, having begun as a teenager with the club.
He famously scored the second goal in Chelsea’s 2-0 win over Middlesbrough in the 1997 FA Cup Final and played for Cardiff City, Birmingham City, Oxford United and Barnet before retiring in 2001.
Eddie also served as assistant coach under Roberto Di Matteo when Chelsea won the UEFA Champions League in 2012.
Mr Martinson’s wife paid tribute to her ‘funny, kind, loyal, determined’ husband on LinkedIn.
She wrote: ‘He was incredibly driven, hardworking and ambitious, and he took enormous pride in what he did. He had only recently started a new chapter in his career, and I know how excited he was about it.’
