Inquest to examine death of Northampton footballer by flesh-eating bug two years on

  • Rosie Dowsing sat down with Luke's parents Julie Needham and Richard Abrahams

A coroner has decided to open an inquest into the death of an amateur footballer who was killed by a flesh-eating disease.

Luke Abrahams, 20, died of sepsis and necrotising fasciitis on a hospital operating table in January 2023 a week after first complaining about a sore throat.

He had been given antibiotics for tonsilitis but the bacterial infection spread to his whole body and he died at Northampton General Hospital.

Doctors even amputated his leg in a bid to save him from a flesh-eating disease but were unsuccessful.

Now, the Northamptonshire coroner has confirmed she will hold an inquest after a serious incident report from the ambulance service brought new information to light.

Luke's parents, Julie Needham and Richard Abrahams, say they believe the NHS could have treated him sooner. Credit: ITV Anglia

Mr Abrahams' parents, Richard Abrahams and Julie Needham said they believed the NHS could have treated him sooner. In the week he deteriorated, he had contact with a multiple GPs, A&E, 111, and paramedics.

Ms Needham said she felt "heartbroken" and "let down'.

"The worst of it is, I feel responsible too because I wish I now took him myself," she said. "I blame myself all the time because it’s my job all the time to protect my boys.

"From the day I laid eyes on Luke, he was the most beautiful little thing I had ever seen."

Last year Mr Abrahams’ parents received an apology from the NHS Northamptonshire Integrated Care Board.

Since then an independent medical report found earlier intervention and treatment could have saved their son.

It concluded that should Mr Abrahams have been treated in hospital before "the onset of sepsis" the "he would have survived this illness to hospital discharge and would likely have avoided the need for amputation."

His dad said: "I think the heartbreaking thing is we got the independent report through, and if he had been given the appropriate medical attention, in the middle of the week, he’d still be here with us.

"And we like everyone else in this country put your hands in the care of the professionals, and they let us down."

Luke Abrahams died in January 2023. Credit: ITV Anglia

Senior coroner for Northamptonshire Anne Pember confirmed she would open an inquest.

A statement from Northampton Coroners court confirmed: "The post-mortem examination confirmed a natural cause of death, and the case was initially closed based on the information available at the time.

"However, the Coroner has recently received a Serious Incident Report from the ambulance service that was not available previously. This new information has prompted a decision to reopen the investigation to gather further evidence.

Mr Abrahams' father said he was "angry" and found it difficult to "forgive the NHS".

"I can’t get it out of my head," he said. "Accountability. Somebody has got to hold their hands up.

"It's not just us as a family - me, Julie and Jake - Luke was big in the football community. There's loads of people who want answers."

Mr Abrahams' family are awaiting a date in 2025 for the inquest at Northampton Coroner's Court.

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