Finland's Ex-Lawmaker, Boxer Tony Halme Dead at 47
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: January 10, 2010
Filed at 2:35 p.m. ET
HELSINKI (AP) -- Finnish officials say that former lawmaker and boxer Tony Halme has been found dead in his apartment. He was 47.
Police say no crime is suspected, but they gave no further details Sunday.
Halme -- known as ''The Viking'' for his 6-foot-6 (195-centimeter) stance -- was a heavyweight boxer, pro wrestler and bodyguard in the U.S. before joining politics in Finland.
He served in Finnish parliament in 2003-2007 for the small, radical True Finns Party.
In 2004, a court gave him a suspended sentence for firearms and drugs violations after he fired a gun at home while his wife was there.
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In July 2003, a handgun was fired inside Halme's apartment, probably after a domestic quarrel. Nobody was hurt, but the gun was unlicensed. Halme had only days before been in a boxing match and was using prescription medication because he was in pain. The dangerous combination of drugs and alcohol was a decisive factor in the incident. His blood contained trace amounts of amphetamine. Illegal steroids were also found in his apartment. Halme said that somebody had put the illegal substance into his drink without his knowledge. He was unconscious for several days following the incident. The police searched Halme's office at the House of Parliament. In January 2004 his trial was shown live on television by the MTV3 digital television channel. Halme received a four-month suspended sentence and a fine, but continued to serve as Member of Parliament. In 2006 he was convicted for driving while impaired.
In early March 2006, Halme was involuntarily committed to a mental hospital, reportedly due to delirium caused by excessive alcohol use. Earlier in 2006 he had been diagnosed with alcohol-related cirrhosis and acute pancreatitis. After being on sick leave for almost the entire year of 2006, he went on disability pension at end of the Parliamentary term.
In December 2009, Halme said in a newspaper interview that he was suffering from issues with his short-term memory and had trouble remembering anything, but was still trying to write a book of his political career. Tony Halme died on the 10th of January, 2010.
R.I.P Ludwig Borga
