The claim asserts that Steve Thoburn "died at the age of 39 because of the hassle" — i.e., that the stress and legal burden of his prosecution for selling in imperial measures caused or materially contributed to his death. **Established facts:** - Steve Thoburn, a Sunderland greengrocer, was prosecuted in 2001 for selling goods using imperial scales, in breach of the Weights and Measures Act. He became known as the "Metric Martyr." - He died on March 14, 2004, at age 39, from a heart attack. He collapsed at home after complaining of chest pains. Multiple sources (The Guardian, BBC, Chronicle Live, The Independent) confirm this. **The causal link:** - No medical evidence, coroner's finding, or official report attributes Thoburn's heart attack to the stress of his prosecution or legal battle. - Neil Herron, Thoburn's closest campaign associate and friend, was directly asked by The Independent whether the stress of the conviction and being in the public eye may have contributed to his death. He replied: "That's what we will never know." - No source I found claims or establishes that the prosecution stress caused the heart attack. The reporting consistently describes the cause of death as a heart attack without linking it to the prosecution. - While chronic stress is a recognized general risk factor for cardiovascular events, there is no specific evidence in this case linking the prosecution to Thoburn's fatal heart attack. He was 39, and no information about pre-existing health conditions, family history, or other risk factors is available in public reporting. **Conclusion:** The causal claim — that Thoburn died *because of* the hassle from the prosecution — is not supported by any available evidence. His death was from a heart attack, and no medical or official source establishes a causal connection to the prosecution stress. The person closest to the situation explicitly stated this is unknowable. While the claim is not actively contradicted (stress is a plausible theoretical contributor to cardiac events), the public evidence simply cannot establish the causal link asserted. Sources: The Guardian, "Metric martyr dies" (https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2004/mar/15/1); BBC News, "Metric martyr market trader dies" (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/wear/3511428.stm); BBC News, "Fight goes on 'for Metric Martyr'" (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/wear/3521210.stm); The Independent, "Metric Martyrs: The story of the Sunderland greengrocer prosecuted over a bunch of bananas" (https://www.independent.co.uk/independentpremium/uk-news/brexit-eu-steve-thoburn-metric-martyr-b1922599.html); Chronicle Live, "A final farewell to Metric Martyr" (https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/final-farewell-metric-martyr-1610353)