Johnson, 29, performed for the Nottingham Panthers and was killed after a collision throughout a sport in opposition to the Sheffield Steelers in late 2023.
British prosecutors won’t file prison charges in opposition to the hockey plater concerned within the deadly accident that noticed American athlete Adam Johnson useless.
Johnson, 29, performed for the Nottingham Panthers and was killed after a collision throughout a sport in opposition to the Sheffield Steelers in late 2023. The opposite participant, Matt Petgrave, struck Johnson in a manner that noticed Johnson’s neck reduce by his skate.
Petgrave, of Canada, was arrested two weeks after the incident, according to the BBC. Police by no means publicly confirmed his title although Petgrave recognized himself as the topic of investigation by a authorized protection fundraiser. He has rebuilt a number of occasions whereas the case was underneath overview.
It was introduced on Tuesday that no prices can be filed.
“The [Crown Prosecution Service] and South Yorkshire Police have labored carefully collectively to find out whether or not any prison prices ought to be introduced in opposition to the opposite ice hockey participant concerned,” mentioned Deputy Chief Crown Prosecutor Michael Quinn. “Following an intensive police investigation and a complete overview of all of the proof by the CPS, we have now concluded that there’s not a practical prospect of conviction for any prison offense and so there won’t be a prosecution. Our ideas stay with the household and pals of Adam Johnson.”
In the course of the sport the place the deadly accident occurred, Johnson entered Sheffiield’s defensive zone with the puck. Petgrave collided with one other participant from Nottingham and as he started to fall, his left skate lifted and struck Johnson’s neck. He was taken to hospital the place he succumbed to his accidents.
Johnson had beforehand performed in Germany and appeared in a number of NHL video games for the Pittsburgh Penguins. He had simply began his first season within the UK and was residing together with his fiancée, Ryan Wolfe, whereas learning at Loughborough Enterprise Faculty.
A few of Johnson’s teammates expressed help for Petgrave. Teammate Victor Björkung, who handed the puck to Johnson moments earlier than the collision, advised a Swedish outlet that there “isn’t an opportunity that it’s deliberate.” He later left the crew, saying the incident left him deeply affected.
The league now requires gamers to make use of a neck guard.
This text was initially printed in The Publish Millennial.
