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Ice hockey player will not face UK criminal charges after death during match
Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on April 29, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 24, 2026
Global Banking & Finance Review®
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Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on April 29, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 24, 2026
An ice hockey player won't face UK charges after a fatal incident involving Adam Johnson. The IIHF has since mandated neck guards for safety.
LONDON (Reuters) -An ice hockey player whose skate fatally cut the neck of a fellow player during a match will not face criminal charges, British prosecutors said on Tuesday after a police investigation into the 2023 incident in northern England.
American Adam Johnson, 29, who played for the Nottingham Panthers, suffered the fatal injury during a match against Sheffield Steelers.
"Following a thorough police investigation and a comprehensive review of all the evidence ... we have concluded that there is not a realistic prospect of conviction for any criminal offence and so there will not be a prosecution," the Crown Prosecution Service said in a statement.
It did not name the player whose skate cut Johnson.
Johnson, who had previously played in National Hockey League (NHL), as well as in Germany and Sweden, died in hospital after the incident.
His death sent shockwaves through the sport internationally, prompting a review of safety measures.
In December 2023, the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) made the use of neck laceration guards mandatory in all its competitions following recommendations from its medical committee.
(Reporting by Sarah Young; editing by William James, Aidan Lewis)
Adam Johnson suffered a fatal injury when a fellow player's skate cut his neck during a match.
No, British prosecutors concluded that there is not a realistic prospect of conviction for any criminal offence.
Following the incident, the International Ice Hockey Federation made neck laceration guards mandatory in all its competitions.
His death sent shockwaves through the sport internationally, prompting a review of safety measures.
Adam Johnson was 29 years old and had previously played in the NHL, as well as in Germany and Sweden.
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