A judge at the Old Bailey has ordered UK Athletics to pay £350,000 plus £44,000 in costs following the death of a Paralympic athlete struck by falling equipment at an east London training venue.

Shot-putter Abdullah Hayayei lost his life when a metal cage gave way as he trained ahead of the World Para-athletics Championships in 2017.

He had earlier competed for the United Arab Emirates at the Rio Paralympics in both javelin and shot put events.

Judge Richard Marks KC called Mr Hayayei's death "tragic, untimely and wholly avoidable."

He also imposed a 175-hour community service order on UKA's former head of sport, 79-year-old Keith Davies, who oversaw the equipment assembled without essential base plates.

The court was told a strong gust of wind caused the cage to collapse and Mr Hayayei suffered fatal head injuries from a heavy metal bar.

The 36-year-old wheelchair user lived with cerebral palsy.

His widow Badriah told the court his death left her raising five young children alone.

UK Athletics had admitted corporate manslaughter at a February hearing while Mr Davies admitted breaching health and safety law.

The investigation and court process after Mr Hayayei's death spanned nearly a decade.

Police described years of detailed detective work that found photos from about a dozen events showing the same cage used without proper restraints.

Sentencing, Judge Marks said the death was an accident that was "waiting to happen."

Prosecutor John Price KC said UKA later tried to shift blame onto Mr Davies and even the Newham venue in the years after the incident.

He called a later UKA statement "a deeply unworthy document by a national sporting body and one of which it should be ashamed."

The judge agreed the approach was "most unattractive" but noted it came from previous managers and had been rejected by current leaders who offered "sincere regret."

UKA functions as "a club of passionate members" focused on elite and grassroots sport, he said.

He noted its £13.8m turnover in 2025 and projected £400,000 loss, allowing six years to pay the fine in instalments.

In a statement UK Athletics said it was "deeply sorry" and had introduced "substantial changes" to safety and governance.

"While nothing can undo what happened, there has been a determined focus on learning from these events and ensuring stronger standards and safeguards are in place throughout athletics," UK Athletics said.

"We respectfully accept the court's decision today and remain committed to continuing that work with the seriousness and responsibility this case demands."