Bertil Fox

Bertil Fox
Bertil Fox
Bodybuilder
Personal info
Nickname	Brutal
Born	5 January 1951 (age 73); St. Kitts
Height	5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Weight	245 lb (111 kg)
Professional career
Pro-debut	Mr. Universe; 1978;
Best win	IFBB Mr. Olympia 5th place; 1983;
Active	Retired 1995

Bertil Fox (born 5 January 1951) is a British former International Federation of BodyBuilders professional bodybuilder and convicted murderer. He was pardoned for that crime by the Governor General of Saint Kitts and Nevis on 4 August 2022.^[1]

Biography

Born 5 January 1951, on the eastern Caribbean island of St. Kitts, Fox emigrated to London, England, with his family when he was one year old. He then moved to Northampton. 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, 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. Joe Weider sponsored Fox's move to Los Angeles in 1981, and he competed in IFBB contests for the next 13 years. Bill Reynolds, then Flex magazine editor-in-chief, 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) 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, his sentence was changed to life in prison.^[2]^[3]^[4]^[5]^[6] On 4 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

^ "St Kitts and Nevis Bodybuilding Legend Bertil Fox Gains Pardon After Serving 25 Years for Double Murder - SKN News". 10 August 2022.
^ A letter from Bertil: Bertil Fox is serving a life sentence for double murder on the island of St. Kitts. In this FLEX exclusive, he gives his version of what happened on that fateful day in 1997 | Flex. Find Articles. Retrieved 2012-04-30.
^ When Bertil Fox, a former Mr. Universe, was arrested for – 05.18.98 – SI Vault. Sportsillustrated.cnn.com (18 May 1998). Retrieved 2012-04-30.
^ History of Mr. Olympia: BERTIL FOX. Schwarzenegger.it. Retrieved 2012-04-30.
^ The murder trial of Bertil Fox | Bodybuilding champion of the Golden Age | Web site of classic pro physique muscle star and contest winner, Bertil Fox | AAU, NABBA and IFBB boby building show winner Archived 26 August 2009 at the Wayback Machine. Bertilfox.com. Retrieved 2012-04-30.
^ "Bertil Fox: Height | Weight | Arms | Chest | Biography". Fitness Volt. 8 September 2017. Retrieved 19 April 2019.

External links

[1] "St Kitts and Nevis Bodybuilding Legend Bertil Fox Gains Pardon After Serving 25 Years for Double Murder - SKN News". 10 August 2022.

[2] A letter from Bertil: Bertil Fox is serving a life sentence for double murder on the island of St. Kitts. In this FLEX exclusive, he gives his version of what happened on that fateful day in 1997 | Flex. Find Articles. Retrieved 2012-04-30.

[3] When Bertil Fox, a former Mr. Universe, was arrested for – 05.18.98 – SI Vault. Sportsillustrated.cnn.com (18 May 1998). Retrieved 2012-04-30.

[4] History of Mr. Olympia: BERTIL FOX. Schwarzenegger.it. Retrieved 2012-04-30.

[5] The murder trial of Bertil Fox | Bodybuilding champion of the Golden Age | Web site of classic pro physique muscle star and contest winner, Bertil Fox | AAU, NABBA and IFBB boby building show winner Archived 26 August 2009 at the Wayback Machine. Bertilfox.com. Retrieved 2012-04-30.

[6] "Bertil Fox: Height | Weight | Arms | Chest | Biography". Fitness Volt. 8 September 2017. Retrieved 19 April 2019.

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