Young footballer dies of sepsis after complaining of sore throat as family seek answers over 'multiple misdiagnoses'

Luke Abrahams, described as a healthy young man, sought medical attention for his sore throat in January 2023 but was not admitted to the hospital despite displaying "red flag symptoms." According to his family, doctors missed critical warning signs, and he was eventually diagnosed with sepsis and necrotising fasciitis only after it was too late.

By the time Luke was admitted to Northampton General Hospital, his condition had deteriorated severely. He underwent leg amputation surgery but tragically died shortly afterwards from cardiac arrest. His death, initially recorded as "natural causes," sparked outrage among his family, who successfully petitioned the Coroner to open an inquest.

Now, a one-day inquest into Luke's death is scheduled for May 22, but his family insists that this is insufficient to investigate the alleged failings in his care.

Luke’s father Richard Abrahams told Northamptonshire Chronicle & Echo: “To list the inquest for just a single day is not enough, and to me would basically be an insult to Luke and the value of his place in the world. I want everybody who made or were involved in decisions which may have contributed to Luke no longer being with us to be called to give evidence and be questioned at the inquest.”

The family, represented by Hudgell Solicitors, is calling for the inquest to be extended to five days to allow testimony from key witnesses, including GPs, paramedics, A&E clinicians, consultants, and surgeons.

Solicitor Elizabeth Maliakal has urged the Coroner to consider investigating Luke’s death under Article 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which would expand the inquiry to examine potential systemic failings within the NHS.

“There have already been failures identified in Luke’s treatment from the ambulance service, and an inquest provides the opportunity to ensure all aspects of his treatment over the final week of his life are fully explored,” said Maliakal. “This should include when he was assessed by his own GP, by out-of-hours centres, the NHS 111 service, and also at Northampton General Hospital A&E department, where he was discharged before being readmitted days later.”

Maliakal added that the family has requested a Pre-Inquest Review to ensure the number of witnesses and scope of the investigation are adequate to uncover the truth.

The family’s concerns are heightened by the timeline of Luke’s final hours. Richard Abrahams described the heartbreak of being notified too late to spend meaningful time with his son before surgery: “On the day he died, we were only called to the hospital three hours after doctors feared he wouldn’t make it. Those were three hours we could have spent with him, telling him how much we loved him. Instead, we had five minutes before surgery, and we never saw him alive again.”

Today marks two years since Luke’s death, and Richard said the family “miss him and think about him every single day. He added: “I still look at his picture and ask, ‘why?’ That’s why the inquest is so important — to get answers, accountability, and to ensure this doesn’t happen to another family.”