'Homeless hero' pleads guilty to aggressive panhandling

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This article was published 6/9/2011 (3912 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Winnipeg's "homeless hero" has admitted to an aggressive-panhandling incident that ended with a doctor being attacked in front of her young children.

Faron Hall pleaded guilty last week to a charge of assault and was ordered to spend two months in jail, in addition to four months of time already served.

Hall, 48, approached the victim for money as she was about to get into her car near the intersection of Hargrave Street and Ellice Avenue last May, court was told. The woman was getting her children into the vehicle and declined his request, apologizing that she couldn't help him. However, she offered Hall some apples.

The offer angered Hall and he kicked the woman's car door, which slammed against her and pinned her against the vehicle. People who witnessed the incident contacted police, who arrived quickly and arrested Hall.

The woman didn't suffer any serious physical injuries but was reported to be shaken up, along with her children who sat nearby.

"It's very sad that it's come to this and that he's engaged in this sort of behaviour, having established himself in such an admirable way," Crown attorney Susan Helenchilde told court.

Hall first made headlines in May 2009 when he jumped into the Red River to rescue 19-year-old Joseph Mousseau, who had been horsing around on the Provencher Bridge with friends. Hall, an alcoholic who had been living under the bridge, swam about 15 metres into the frigid river to grab the teen.

In September 2009, Hall was drinking with four friends on the banks of the Red River in St. Boniface when one of his friends, a 19-year-old woman, slipped into the water. The woman's boyfriend jumped in to save her, but neither could swim. Hall leaped into the water and managed to save 19-year-old Tara Lynn Beardy. He went back in to try to save her 32-year-old boyfriend, Chris Harper, but he had gone under.

In the months following Hall's heroic efforts, his actions were lauded far and wide. He received the mayor's Medal of Valour and two medals from the Manitoba Life Saving Society. The Winnipeg Foundation set up an endowment fund in his name to give grants to community groups that support the homeless.

But while the world hailed Hall as a hero, he's continued to struggle with personal demons ever since. In February 2010, Hall suffered serious injuries after being attacked by a man he was drinking alcohol with. Darrell Longclaws eventually pleaded guilty to aggravated assault and was sentenced to 30 months behind bars. Longclaws mistakenly thought Hall had sexually assaulted a female friend they were drinking with, then used a table leg to brutally beat him, court was told.

A member of the Dakota Tipi First Nation, Hall has said he grew up in a good foster home in Waverley Heights and worked as a teaching assistant before he became an alcoholic. His mother was murdered on Maryland Street about a decade ago, and a sister was stabbed about three years ago. He has four children, including a stepdaughter.

Defence lawyer Barry Sinder told court last week his client will benefit from "intensive supports" that have been arranged for him upon his release from jail.

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