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Steve Fonyo admits to threatening wife

Several charges net Surrey resident an 18-month conditional sentence.
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Surrey resident Steve Fonyo received an 18-month conditional sentence after entering a guilty plea in court Jan. 11. He has been in jail since November facing several charges.

Steve Fonyo was handed an 18-month conditional sentence on Tuesday (Jan. 11) after pleading guilty to several charges, including uttering threats against his new wife.

The Surrey resident, known for his historic run across Canada for cancer research in 1985, had been in custody since his arrest in November. At the time, Lisa Greenwood, whom he married last August, said the two had gotten into an argument over money. She didn't want him charged, she said. However, by law, police are required to lay charges in domestic assault cases even if the alleged victim withdraws the complaint.

In Surrey Provincial Court this week, Fonyo, 45, admitted not only to the threats, but also to defrauding a store by making a fraudulent return and using an unauthorized credit card three times to buy gas.

Last year, he was arrested for credit card fraud, nearly scuttling his planned wedding at Fonyo Beach in Victoria. His well-publicized struggles with alcohol and cocaine also resulted in the stripping of his Order of Canada medal last year.

- with files from Dan Ferguson and CTV