Tony 'the Fridge' Phoenix-Morrison has denied allegations he assaulted four members of a family . A runner who has raised more than £100,000 for charity by completing marathons with a fridge strapped to his back has been accused of assaulting a family-of-four. Tony Phoenix-Morrison has become well known for running hundreds of miles with the 42kg weight and has also been named Fundraiser of the Year at the Pride of Britain Awards. The 50-year-old grandfather appeared at Sunderland Magistrates' Court under the name Anthony Morrison and was charged with four counts of assault against four members of the Mallaby family. He was also accused of using violence for the purpose of securing entry into their home, knowing that there was someone present on those premises opposed to his entry. Morrison, of Hebburn, South Tyneside, denied all the charges when he appeared at court today. The dedicated runner is said to have seen his business fail as he relentlessly pursued his charity work over the last few years. He has covered more than 1,000 miles with a fridge strapped to his back, raising more than £100,000 for the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation. And last year his efforts were recognised when he was named Fundraiser of the Year at the Pride of Britain Awards. He was also nominated as endurance fundraiser of the year at the JustGiving Awards for completing the London Marathon twice in 24 hours - a feat which raised more than £10,000 for Cancer Research UK. Morrison has completed the Great North Run, and regularly ran 13.1 miles with the fridge on his back every morning between Newcastle and South Shields to help him train for his charity challenges. He had been due to stand trial but his solicitor, Chris Wilson, applied for more time. Morrison has raised more than £100,000 for charity by running hundreds of miles with a fridge on his back and is seen here on the 13.1 mile training route he used to do every morning, with the fridge strapped to him . The charity fundraiser completed the London Marathon twice in 24 hours and has run more than 1,000 miles . Mr Wilson said 'exceptional circumstances' meant the trial could not go ahead because Morrison had 'buried his head in the sand', and he had stopped communicating with his legal team, according to the Shields Gazette. Mr Wilson told the court that Morrison had lost his business as a result of his commitment to his charitable work. He said the grandfather had stopped opening his mail and said he had 'disengaged from society.' Mr Morrison was named Fundraiser of the Year at the Pride of Britain awards for his charity efforts . But Morrison told the court: 'I wasn't burying my head in the sand. It was confusion.' The bench adjourned the trial until Wednesday, September 2, and warned him that the case may proceed in his absence should he not turn up. Morrison was released on bail on the condition that he does not contact prosecution witnesses or go to the family's home again. Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.
Tony Morrison raised £100,000 for charity by running with fridge on back . He became known as 'The Fridge' for running marathons with 42kg fridge . Morrison has been accused of assaulting a family-of-four in June last year . He is accused of using violence to get in their home when someone was in . The 50-year-old has denied all the charges and the case was adjourned . Court heard Morrison has lost his business through charity endeavours .