Boxer Riddick Bowe Sentenced To 30 Days In Jail For Kidnapping Wife And Kids

Former heavyweight boxing champion Riddick Bowe was sentenced to 30 days in prison recently in Charlotte, NC, for kidnapping his wife and five children in 1998. Bowe, 32, also was ordered to get treatment for brain injuries that he has suffered in the ring.

Judge Graham Mullen said damage from blows to the boxer's head persuaded him to be lenient in his sentencing. Before the judge imposed the sentence, Bowe apologized to the court and to his family.

"I hope I can get this treatment so I can go on and be a productive member of society," he said.

Bowe's wife, Judy, did not attend the sentencing.

Bowe, who initially faced federal kidnapping charges, pleaded guilty in June 1998 to a federal interstate domestic violence charge as part of a plea bargain.

The boxer must serve four years' probation and six months' house arrest after he is released from prison.

Bowe also was fined $5,000 and ordered to continue treatment for his brain injuries. He will remain free until a place at the federal penitentiary at Burner, NC, becomes available. Mullen ordered Bowe to stay out of the boxing ring until his probation ends.

Two years ago, Bowe went to his wife's Charlotte home and threatened her with a knife, handcuffs, duct tape and pepper spray. He forced her and their children into a vehicle and set out for his Fort Washington, MD, home.

At a restaurant in South Hill, VA, Judy Bowe called her sister in North Carolina, who directed police to the restaurant.

Judy Bowe was superficially stabbed, reportedly by her husband. Judge Mullen said he concluded the wound was not inflicted intentionally.