Fonyo...
Steve Fonyo will serve jail sentence on weekends
Steve Fonyo will spend 30 days behind bars after pleading guilty in Surrey provincial court Wednesday to two counts of driving while prohibited.
By Surrey NowSeptember 11, 2008
Steve Fonyo will spend 30 days behind bars after pleading guilty in Surrey provincial court Wednesday to two counts of driving while prohibited.
Fonyo lost his leg to cancer at the age of 12 and gained fame in 1984 when he began a cross-Canada run inspired by Terry Fox. Fonyo completed his journey the following year and raised $13 million.
He was named an Officer of the Order of Canada for his efforts, but Fonyo’s life took a downward turn in later years as depression and addiction to drugs and alcohol overtook him.
Fonyo’s criminal record includes convictions for fraud, assault and impaired driving.
Fonyo will serve his sentence on weekends so he can keep his job as a mechanic in a Surrey repair shop.
More Fonyo.... LAST MONTH!!!!
Teen cancer hero Steve Fonyo back in jail after assault charge
By Staff Reporter, The ProvinceAugust 21, 2009Comments (55)
Steve Fonyo
Photograph by: File, The Province
Steve Fonyo, the Order of Canada recipient who ran across Canada in 1984 as a teen, raising more than
$13 million for cancer research, has had another run-in with the law.
Fonyo, who lost his left leg to bone cancer at age 12, struggled with his newfound fame following his journey and the subsequent death of his father after a long battle with cancer.
His struggles with cocaine and alcohol in the 1990s led to charges of assault, theft and impaired driving.
On Aug.13, Fonyo, who was last known to have been working as a heavy-machinery mechanic, appeared in Surrey Provincial Court charged with one count of assault.
He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to one day in jail. He was credited for 10 days already served. He was also subject to a one-year probation order.
But just five days later, on Tuesday, the 44-year-old was back in Surrey court, having breached his conditions.
He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 14 days in jail, which he is serving.
Fonyo's previous brushes with the law have been well documented.
In 1996, he pleaded guilty to 16 charges for offences in Edmonton, including assault with a weapon, aggravated assault, fraud for writing bad cheques totalling $10,000 to supermarkets and possession of a stolen vehicle.
He has also been convicted at least five times of impaired driving and seven times of driving without a licence, most recently in the fall of 2008.
He was named Canada's Athlete of the Year in 1985 and awarded the Order of Canada in 1987.
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