Former Chelsea star’s son died in Dubai after ignoring spouse’s plea
The son of a former Chelsea player, who also represented their academy and Brentford before becoming a non-league footballer, died in Dubai after not heeding the advice of his wife
Cassius Newton’s death was ruled to be as the result of misadventure
The son of former Chelsea coach and player Eddie Newton died this summer after hiking in the desert with a friend despite his wife telling him not to, a coroner said.
Cassius Newton, 34, and Aran Martinson, 33, were found by rescue teams in the Wadi Naqab on 18 July, an inquest was told. Essex Coroner’s Court heard that they were pronounced dead later that day after being taken to a hospital in Ras Al Khaimah, where the friends both lived.
Area coroner Michelle Brown said Eddie Newton identified his son’s body after flying out to the United Arab Emirates.
Eddie Newton was Chelsea’s assistant manager when they first won the Champions League(Image: Chelsea FC via Getty Images)
The pair set off at around 7am local time. That was some five hours after Cassius Newton called his wife in the United Kingdom, who “asked him not to go”.
Brown said: “She knew it would be very hot and it can get to about 40 °C. , and the feeling is higher because it’s in the canyons. 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.”
A hearing this summer was told the temperatures were up to 50 °C. Brown, however, now said it was 40 °C earlier.
Several former clubs paid tribute to Cassius Newton this summer
Their deaths were ruled as the result of misadventure. Their cause of death included cardiac and respiratory arrest, severe rising body temperature, organ failure, and heat stress due to exposure to high temperatures.
Brown said: “This was an intentional trip with unintended consequences,” with the circular route they took described as “a recreational hike”. The designated trail requires no equipment and should take four hours to complete.
Both of their wives called the authorities after not hearing from their husbands for hours, prompting rescue efforts. Messages that Martinson and his wife exchanged were read to the court today (2 October).
Aran Martinson “had only recently started a new chapter in his career,” his wife said online
In one sent at 9:26am, his spouse said: “You must be cooking.” Five hours after last hearing from him, she messaged again, saying: “[You are] actually trying to tip me over the edge I swear.”
They were found lying on their backs, surrounded by large rocks, 350 metres apart, and some 1.8 miles to 2.5 miles from where they parked.
Martinson, a dad-of-three from Bishop’s Stortford, and Newton, from Poole, had both recently moved to Ras Al Khaimah and worked for the same “global company”, where they met. The former’s wife described him online as “incredibly driven, hardworking and ambitious”.
