Son of ex-Chelsea player died in 40C desert hike
Cassius Newton's wife urged him not to go on the hike, a coroner tells an inquest into his death.
Son of ex-Chelsea player died in 40C desert hike
Cassius Newton was the son of former Chelsea player Eddie Newton
The son of ex-Chelsea midfielder Eddie Newton ignored his wife’s pleas not to go on what became a fatal 40C (104F) desert hike, a coroner said.
Rescue teams found the body of Cassius Newton, 34, in the mountainous Wadi Naqab area of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on 18 July, hours after the couple last spoke, an inquest heard.
His friend, Aran Martinson, from Bishop’s Stortford in Hertfordshire, also died in the intense heat after they set off at about 07:00 local time (04:00 BST).
Area coroner Michelle Brown ruled that their deaths were the result of misadventure and said: "This was an intentional trip with unintended consequences."
Newton met Martinson through their work at a "global company" and they both lived in the luxury resort of Ras Al Khaimah, to the north-east of Dubai.
He called his wife at about 02:00 to tell her about their planned hike and "she asked him not to go", Essex Coroner's Court heard.
"She knew it would be very hot and it can get to about 40C, and the feeling is higher because it's in the canyons," Brown said.
"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."
Newton and Martinson had both recently moved to the United Arab Emirates city of Ras Al Khaimah before their deaths
Rescue efforts began after the wives of both men contacted the authorities, having not heard from them for hours.
They were found between 3km and 4km (1.8 miles and 2.5 miles) from where they had parked, and their bodies were 350m (1,148ft) apart.
Newton, originally from Poole, and father-of-three Martinson were both lying on their backs surrounded by large rocks.
They were taken to hospital in Ras Al Khaimah but were pronounced dead later that day.
Brown described the route they were walking as "a recreational hike" that did not require any equipment and should take four hours.
She said Eddie Newton flew out to the UAE to identify his son's body.
Eddie Newton went on to have two spells as Chelsea's assistant manager
Text messages between Martinson and his wife were also read to the court, in which she said at 09:26: "You must be cooking."
After not hearing from him five hours later, she messaged: "[You are] actually trying to tip me over the edge I swear."
Brown said the men both died from severe rising body temperatures which led to organ failure.
A previous hearing was told it was 50C (122F) in the desert, but Brown said it was 40C earlier.
In an earlier tribute, Chelsea said it was "devastated" to learn of Newton's death, as he once played for the club's academy.
Martinson's wife wrote online that her husband was "incredibly driven, hardworking and ambitious".