Crime: Credit card theft Served: 3 months Stephen Fry is a British treasure. A former member of the Cambridge Footlights and major force in British comedy in the eighties, he's become a beloved figure to an entire generation who eagerly listen to whatever he has to say, be it pointless information or a boy wizard's exploits. Far from the calming, humorous figure the public knows, in his youth Fry was a very different man. Getting expelled from two different schools, his time doing porridge, however, was for a crime that came about quite by accident. Stealing a coat to keep him warm while sleeping rough, he discovered he'd also taken a credit card. Using this to run away, he was predictably caught and sentenced to three months in prison. If you can't imagine Fry flourishing in prison you'd be right; the whole ordeal sounds like it was very difficult for him, although it did provide motivation to sort his life out, sending him down the path towards fame and adoration.
