Dad Electrocuted at Portsmouth Football Pitch – Company to Face Court After Nearly a Decade
Almost ten years after 34-year-old dad Albert Xhediku was fatally electrocuted at Portsmouth’s Mountbatten Centre, Parkwood Community Leisure Ltd is finally being held to account. Albert died in January 2016 after a 230-volt shock while climbing a fence to retrieve a football during a casual five-a-side game.
Faulty Floodlight Wiring Blamed for Fatal Electrocution
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) confirmed on November 17, 2025, that Parkwood faces prosecution in court on December 4 for breaching health and safety laws. They neglected to maintain safe electrical systems despite repeated warnings about electric shocks at the outdoor pitch.
Albert touched a floodlight pylon to steady himself on a 12-foot metal fence at about 6:40 pm. His friends also got minor shocks trying to help, but despite CPR and emergency care, Albert was pronounced dead later that night at Queen Alexandra Hospital.
“Albert was a guy who did everything with all his heart. Even when he was just playing football with his friends, he played like it was the championships,” said his family. “He was our big brother and a loving son.”
Ignored Warnings and Neglected Safety Put Lives at Risk
HSE’s probe uncovered dangerously frayed cables and poor maintenance left the floodlight mast live and lethal. Weeks before Albert’s death, an off-duty police officer reported an electric shock at the exact spot. Yet Parkwood failed to act.
HSE inspector Michelle Canning blasted the “poor installation methods and lack of maintenance” that let this deadly hazard go undetected. A 2019 inquest deemed the death accidental but labelled the electrical faults “preventable.”
Corporate Reckoning After Nearly a Decade of Delay
- Parkwood faces charges under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, punishable by fines up to £20,000 or unlimited sums if tried in Crown Court.
- No individuals are charged; the case targets corporate negligence.
- Portsmouth City Council denies responsibility, as they weren’t running the centre at the time.
- The Mountbatten Centre is now managed by Everyone Active, which has upgraded safety with insulated pylons and taller fences to stop future tragedies.
The case stokes fears about safety standards across UK leisure centres, especially outdoor pitches with floodlights. Past HSE penalties for fatal electrical faults have hit six-figure sums.
As Albert’s family braces for December’s court showdown, HSE calls on all leisure operators to urgently tighten electrical safety. The tragic loss is a grim reminder: shortcuts on safety can cost lives.
