Charles Bronson has appeared at a public parole hearing as he makes his latest bid for freedom.
Bronson is one of the UK's longest-serving prisoners, having first been jailed in 1974 at HMP Liverpool. The Parole Board review to decide whether he should remain behind bars began on Monday morning, making him the second inmate in UK legal history to have his case heard in public.
Members of the press and public are watching the proceedings – taking place in HMP Woodhill in Milton Keynes – on a live stream from the Royal Courts of Justice in central London. Dubbed one of Britain’s most violent offenders, Bronson – who changed his surname to Salvador in 2014 after the artist Salvador Dali – appeared on camera sat opposite a panel of parole judges wearing a black suit, white shirt and dark glasses.
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When asked if he wished to give evidence at the hearing, the 70-year-old said: “Oh yes, certainly.” Outlining Bronson’s criminal history as the hearing opened, the chairman of the Parole Board panel – who was not publicly named – said Bronson has spent most of the past 48 years behind bars, apart from two brief periods of freedom where he reoffended.
His prison offender manager said they would worry Bronson would be overwhelmed in open conditions at a lower security prison, but that he has started learning breathing exercises and coping methods such as asking for time out in his cell in preparation for any future move.
They said: “Charlie’s used to a lot of solitary time anyway. He doesn’t enjoy it … but he copes quite well. He has his exercises, he has his routines,” adding that he “kind of loses himself in his artwork” – something he has become known for while in jail.
He “finds that he doesn’t ruminate as much as he used to overnight,” the prison worker said.
In a Channel 4 programme which aired last week, Bronson said he can “smell and taste freedom” before the parole hearing.
The parole panel chairman told the hearing: “The panel has not seen that documentary.” But Bronson replied: “I find that hard to believe.”
He could also be heard frequently swearing and sighing loudly as the hearing the began. At one point he muttered “f****** hell” under his breath as the review heard how submissions on behalf of Justice Secretary Dominic Raab had been delayed and could not be provided in advance of the proceedings to the parole board as a result. A representative for Mr Raab who was present at the hearing apologised for the delays.
On the sometimes grainy live stream footage Bronson, who had been sipping what appeared to be a small carton of juice through a straw, was seen briefly standing up during the hearing and began asking for a tissue. “I haven’t p****d myself,” he told the hearing as he placed the tissue under the juice carton and sat back down.
Amid long pauses while the panel asked his prisoner offender manager questions, Bronson said: “We will be here all f****** day, won’t we?”
Bronson was born Michael Gordon Peterson, in Luton, in Bedfordshire, in 1952 to parents Eira and Joe Peterson. His family moved to Ellesmere Port when he was a teenager.
Throughout his teenage years Bronson had many brushes with the law, but his first jail term came at the age of 22 and marked the beginning of his crimes behind bars. Bronson was first locked up for armed robbery in 1974, but during his time inside he has taken hostages in ten prison sieges, attacked at least 20 prison officers and caused £500,000 in damage in rooftop protests.
While serving time in Walton Prison, Bronson attacked a fellow prisoner with a glass jug and had an extra nine months added to his sentence for unlawful wounding.
In 1996, Bronson took three inmates hostage at Belmarsh prison in London and insisted they call him "General". He told negotiators he would eat one of his victims before demanding a helicopter to Cuba along with a cheese and pickle sandwich to end the stand off.
It wasn't until an incident in 1999 that he was given a life sentence. Bronson kidnapped prison art teacher Phil Danielson and held him hostage for nearly two days after he criticised one of his paintings.
In 2014 he was further sentenced to three years for assaulting a prison governor.
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