Bertil Fox (born 5 January 1951) is a British former IFBB professional

bodybuilder Bodybuilding is the use of progressive resistance exercise to control and develop one's muscles (muscle building) by muscle hypertrophy for aesthetic purposes. It is distinct from similar activities such as powerlifting because it focuses o ...

and convicted

murder Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification (jurisprudence), justification or valid excuse (legal), excuse, especially the unlawful killing of another human with malice aforethought. ("The killing of another person wit ...

er. He was pardoned for that crime by the Governor General of

Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Kitts and Nevis (), officially the Federation of Saint Christopher and Nevis, is an island country and microstate consisting of the two islands of Saint Kitts and Nevis, both located in the West Indies, in the Leeward Islands chain of ...

on 4 August 2022.

Biography

Born 5 January 1951, on the eastern Caribbean island of St. Kitts, Fox emigrated to

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, England, with his family when he was one year old. He then moved to

Northampton Northampton () is a market town and civil parish in the East Midlands of England, on the River Nene, north-west of London and south-east of Birmingham. The county town of Northamptonshire, Northampton is one of the largest towns in England; ...

. He did not return to St. Kitts for more than 40 years. He once said, "I'm 100% British. I think, I act and talk like an Englishman, not like someone from the West Indies." Encouraged by a cousin to take up

bodybuilding Bodybuilding is the use of progressive resistance exercise to control and develop one's muscles (muscle building) by muscle hypertrophy for aesthetic purposes. It is distinct from similar activities such as powerlifting because it focuses ...

, Fox won the 1969 Junior Mr. Britain at 18. He went on to win nearly every major bodybuilding contest outside of the IFBB, including the 1976 AAU Mr. World, the amateur 1977 NABBA Mr. Universe and the professional NABBA Mr. Universe in 1978 and 1979. Before turning Professional, Fox worked as a train driver on the

London Underground The London Underground (also known simply as the Underground or by its nickname the Tube) is a rapid transit system serving Greater London and some parts of the adjacent ceremonial counties of England, counties of Buckinghamshire, Essex and He ...

Joe Weider Joseph Weider (; November 29, 1919 – March 23, 2013) was a Canadian bodybuilder and entrepreneur who co-founded the International Federation of BodyBuilders (IFBB) alongside his brother Ben Weider. He was also the creator of Mr. Olympia, Ms. O ...

sponsored Fox's move to Los Angeles in 1981, and he competed in IFBB contests for the next 13 years. Bill Reynolds, then ''

Flex Flex or FLEX may refer to: Computing * Flex (language), developed by Alan Kay * FLEX (operating system), a single-tasking operating system for the Motorola 6800 * FlexOS, an operating system developed by Digital Research * FLEX (protocol), a comm ...

'' magazine

editor-in-chief An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies. The highest-ranking editor of a publication may also be titled editor, managing ...

, gave Fox the nickname "Brutal Bertil" for his high-volume and extremely heavy training. Fox placed second in two IFBB shows – the 1982 Night of Champions and the 1983 Swiss Grand Prix (beating

Lee Haney Lee Haney (born November 11, 1959) is an American former IFBB professional bodybuilder. Haney shares the all-time record for most Mr. Olympia titles at eight with Ronnie Coleman and is regarded as one of the greatest bodybuilders to ever grace th ...

) and he finished fifth in the 1983 Mr. Olympia (his second of five Mr. O appearances). He competed in 12 IFBB shows from 1984 to 1994. Retiring from the stage, he returned to St. Kitts for the first time since 1952, to open Fox's Gym in the summer of 1995.

Murder conviction

On 30 September 1997, in St. Kitts and Nevis, 20-year-old beauty queen Leyoca Browne and her mother, 36-year-old Violet Browne, were fatally shot by Fox, then 46. Fox, who previously had been engaged to Leyoca, was arrested and charged with the murders. On 22 May 1998, Fox was convicted of murder of the two women. He was originally sentenced to death by hanging, but after an appeal to the

Judicial Committee of the Privy Council The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (JCPC) is the highest court of appeal for the Crown Dependencies, the British Overseas Territories, some Commonwealth countries and a few institutions in the United Kingdom. Established on 14 Augus ...

, his sentence was changed to life in prison.On the 4th of August 2022, Fox was pardoned by the Governor General of St. Kitts and Nevis after serving 25 years and is now a free man living in the UK.

Competition record

;1969 :Mr Britain – NABBA, Junior, 1st ;1970 :Mr Britain – NABBA, Junior, 1st ;1971 :Mr Britain – NABBA, Junior, 1st :Mr Europe, Junior, 1st ;1976 :Mr Britain – NABBA, Winner :Mr Europe, Medium, 1st :Mr Europe, Overall Winner :Mr Universe – NABBA, Medium, 2nd :Mr World – AAU, Winner :Mr World – AAU, Most Muscular, 1st :Mr World – AAU, Medium, 1st ;1977 :Mr Universe – NABBA, Medium, 1st :Mr Universe – NABBA, Overall Winner ;1978 :Universe – Pro – NABBA, Winner ;1979 :Universe – Pro – NABBA, Winner ;1980 :World Championships – WABBA, Professional, 2nd ;1981 :Grand Prix Belgium – IFBB, 5th ;1982 :Night of Champions – IFBB, 2nd :Olympia – IFBB, 8th ;1983 :Grand Prix Sweden – IFBB, 4th :Grand Prix Switzerland – IFBB, 2nd :Olympia – IFBB, 5th ;1984 :World Pro Championships – IFBB, 5th ;1986 :Olympia – IFBB, 7th ;1987 :Grand Prix Germany – IFBB, 9th :Night of Champions – IFBB, 7th :Olympia – IFBB, 12th ;1989 :Arnold Classic – IFBB, 6th :Grand Prix Melbourne – IFBB, 6th :Olympia – IFBB, 11th :World Pro Championships – IFBB, 5th ;1992 :Arnold Classic – IFBB, 16th :Pittsburgh Pro Invitational – IFBB, 9th ;1994 :Ironman Pro Invitational – IFBB, 13th

References

External links

Privy Council Appeal DecisionBertilFox.com Web Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fox, Bertil 1951 births Living people Sportspeople convicted of murder British bodybuilders Black British sportspeople English people convicted of murder English people imprisoned abroad English prisoners sentenced to death English prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment People convicted of murder by Saint Kitts and Nevis Prisoners sentenced to death by Saint Kitts and Nevis Prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment by Saint Kitts and Nevis Professional bodybuilders Saint Kitts and Nevis emigrants to the United Kingdom

Biography

Murder conviction

Competition record

See also

References

External links