John Fury, the father of Tommy Fury, might be known as a family man with six children, but he’s had a dark past in prison.
Tommy, who is starring in his own BBC Three reality show, The Good. The Bad. The Fury, has since followed in his dad’s footsteps and pursued a career in boxing. In the six-part series, John makes several appearances.
However, there was a time when John faced many years behind bars and was left worrying for his son.
Tommy Fury’s father John arrested for gouging a man’s eye out
Back in 2011, John pleaded guilty to a charge of wounding with the intent to cause serious bodily harm in his mid-40s. A year prior, he tried to gouge out a man’s eye in a fight.
The victim, Oathie Sykes, was left half-blind following a violent incident at a car auction. The fight came after a 12-year dispute.
John was given an 11-year sentence and was released after serving four years in prison in February 2015.
In court, John reportedly broke down and pleaded for a less harsh sentence.
“I’m worried about my son. His boxing career is on the line,” he told the court. “If I could give my own eye to him to get back to my children I would do – I’m begging you for my life.”
When Oathie offered his testimony, it was a lot different from John’s. He said: “It was like he was trying to pull his finger into my brain through my socket.”
‘The worst kind of nightmare is to be locked up’
Since being released from prison, John has been open about what life was like behind bars.
“For me, being a traveling man and one in the great outdoors, well, it was a horror story, a nightmare, the worst kind of a nightmare is to be locked up,” he told Betfred in 2021.
“Especially when you’re used to being free and doing as you want to do and going where you want to.
“But clever people and strong people mind and body can adjust and I adjusted early on saying right, ‘I’m not going to get out of this but I thought it’s better than being dead.”
While serving his time, John said he kept out of trouble. He insisted he “kept myself to myself” and that he knew he had to “keep my hands in my pockets” if he wanted to get out.
John said he “learnt” his lesson, stating that “sometimes lessons are harsh”.
‘That was my biggest downfall’
Last year, John reflected on his past while speaking to The Telegraph.
“One thing I should have done is a lot more thinking before acting. [There’s] the obvious…” he said.
“Sometimes you can make a decision too quick, and that was my biggest downfall. […] My father used to tell me that every day. He said, ‘Son, you react too quick, you’re not giving things enough thought. You’re jumping in…'”
John continued: “I’ve changed, but it’s all too late in life. I’ve had to [change], because I’ve got to bite my lip every day.”
How many times has John Fury been in Prison?
John has been in prison three times in total.
Prior to being sentenced in 2011, he had been in prison twice during his teens. The first time was when he was sent to a borstal, which is a custodial institution for young offenders. He managed to escape.
However, because of this, he was later forced to serve time at HM Prison Glen Parva to complete his original Borstal sentence.
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