Former Manchester City youth player and England under-18 captain Courtney Meppen-Walter has died at the age of 32.
His former club Bury Football Club announced the death of the defender in a statement on social media. No details have been announced regarding the circumstances of his death.
Bury, a historic club based in Greater Manchester, led the tributes to their former player.
"We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of former player Courtney Meppen-Walter, at the age of 32," a statement from the club read.
"The thoughts and condolences of everyone at Bury FC are with his family and friends at this incredibly difficult time."
Meppen-Walter had been part of the youth set-up at Manchester City, a Premier League club known for operating one of the most prestigious football academies in Europe.
During his early career, he also represented his country on the international stage, where he captained the England under-18 side.
However, his promising career at the top level was cut short. He was released by Manchester City in 2013 after he was jailed for 16 months for causing the death of two people by careless driving.
High speed Manchester crash
The fatal collision occurred when Meppen-Walter was involved in a high speed crash in Manchester.
Kulwant Singh, 32, and his sister Ravel Kaur, 37, were both pronounced dead at the scene of the crash.
Mr Singh and Ms Kaur had come to the United Kingdom from Afghanistan in 2001. They travelled to Britain to start a new life after fleeing persecution by the Taliban, the fundamentalist movement that has long been a dominant force in the region.
The court later heard that alcohol played no part in the deaths of the brother and sister.
Meppen-Walter was subsequently released from prison after serving half of his 16 month sentence.
Following his release from prison, the defender signed for Carlisle United. He spent two seasons playing professional football for the Cumbrian side at Brunton Park.
Move into non league football
After his time at Carlisle United, Meppen-Walter embarked on a long career in the non league tiers of English football.
He went on to have spells at numerous regional clubs, playing for Ashton United, Stockport County, Glossop North End, Chorley, AFC Telford United, Radcliffe, Guiseley and Nantwich Town.
His final permanent club was Bury. He was released by the Greater Manchester side in the summer of 2025 following a loan spell at Stalybridge Celtic.
Drink driving arrest
In 2019, when Meppen-Walter was playing for National League side Chorley, he found himself back before the courts.
The footballer was caught drink driving and was subsequently banned from being behind the wheel for 22 months.
Police stopped his vehicle in Manchester city centre and found him to have been more than twice the legal alcohol limit.
He was arrested and taken to a police station, where he gave a positive reading of 85 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath. The legal limit for driving in England and Wales is 35 microgrammes.
Alongside the driving ban, Meppen-Walter was ordered to serve a 12 month community order and to complete 80 hours of unpaid work.
Apology in court
During the hearing for the drink driving offence, Meppen-Walter addressed the court and referenced his previous fatal collision.
"I know what you are probably thinking and what everyone else is thinking," he said in court.
"I will probably get called every namen under the sun and I deserve it. I'm just embarrassed."
A pre sentence probation report noted that his drink driving reflected 'poor judgment' when considering his previous conviction. The report added that 'again he has failed to consider the consequences of his actions'.
Caitriona McLaughlin, defending the footballer, said his genuine remorse was the most significant mitigation in the case, and that this had been reflected throughout the proceedings.
"He is truly sorry for his actions," she told the court. "It was a mistake and it is the one and only drink mistake on his record."
Margaret Hutchinson, chairwoman of the bench, warned the player of how serious his actions had been.
"We hope this will be a lesson to you and we will not see you in court again," she said.
"Drink-driving is a very serious matter and the consequences could have been much graver than today."
