Police issue update on man arrested over manslaughter of ice hockey player Adam Johnson
12 November 2024, 14:40
A man arrested on suspicion of manslaughter following the death of ice hockey player Adam Johnson has had his bail extended by police.
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Nottingham Panthers forward Johnson suffered a fatal neck injury from a skate during a collision with Sheffield Steelers' Matt Petgrave on 28 October 2023.
The 29-year-old was pronounced dead after being taken to hospital in Sheffield.
On Monday, the force said a man who was initially arrested in November 2023 had been bailed again until 20 January 2025.
Giving an update on the tragedy, Detective Chief Inspector Benjamin Wood said: “We have been working meticulously to fully understand the unprecedented circumstances in which Adam sadly lost his life.
“This complex investigation into Adam's death remains ongoing and we are continuing to work closely with the Crown Prosecution Service.
“Our thoughts remain wholeheartedly with Adam's family at this time.”
Victor Bjorkung had just played a pass to his Panthers team-mate Johnson when he saw tragedy unfold on the ice.
He said in May: “It still feels unreal. I think about it every day, more or less. I do get a lot of flashbacks, and they're not very pleasant.
"When we saw the injury and we saw what happened, we all knew that it was bad," Bjorkung said.
When the players returned to the locker room, he said the atmosphere was "quiet", with most of the players crying.
"A lot of the trauma I’ve been dealing with and all my team-mates I've been speaking to after I left, it’s not easy."
In January, Sheffield's senior coroner, Tanyka Rawden, suspended her investigation while the police inquiry took its course.
It emerged later that Ms Rawden had issued a Prevention of Future Deaths Report to Ice Hockey UK and the English Ice Hockey Association (EIHA) about the use of neck guards in the sport.
In the report, the coroner said she is “sufficiently concerned that deaths may occur in the future if neck guards or protectors are not worn”.
The bodies were given 56 days to say what action has been taken - or why action has not been taken.
Read more: Man arrested for manslaughter of ice hockey player Adam Johnson killed during match
Neck guards have been mandatory in the Elite League (EIHL), in which the Nottingham Panthers and Sheffield Steelers compete, since January 1.
This followed the International Ice Hockey Federation's decision in December to mandate the use of neck laceration protectors for its competitions.
