Charles Bronson is one of Britain's most notorious prisoners, spending almost 50 years behind bars.
A public parole hearing is due to take place in early March for Bronson, where a panel will decide if he is fit for release. The 70-year-old is one of the UK's longest serving prisoners, having first been sent to Walton Jail, officially known as HMP Liverpool, in 1974.
In a two-part documentary being aired by Channel 4, Bronson said: "I can actually smell and taste freedom like I’ve never, ever done in my life." So who is Charles Bronson and why has he been behind bars for so long?
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Early life
Charles 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 teenager 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.
In an interview with the ECHO last year, Bronson's first wife Irene, 70, who still refers to him by his birth name Michael (Mick) Peterson, said she believes it's during his time inside that Bronson has grown violent "in retaliation" to how he's been treated.
She said: "He's been fed through a hole in the door, he's just been treated like an animal. It's no wonder - if you treat an animal [badly] constantly that animal over time is going to turn, and that's what he's done."
Irene and Bronson first met at the age of 19 and went on to get married and have a son, Michael, together. The couple's marriage came just two years before Bronson was jailed for the first time in 1974 - but it wasn't until he was sentenced in court that Irene said she found out about the crimes he had committed.
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.
Rooftop protests and befriending the Kray twins
His violent behaviour continued and during 1975 to 1977 he was moved around prisons, spending the majority of time in isolation. This included an incident in 1976, while serving time in Wandsworth prison, which saw him try to poison the prisoner in the next cell.
After that he was transferred to Parkhurst, which is where he befriended the Kray twins, before being moved back to Wandsworth. In Wandsworth his hatred for the prison system continued and he attacked two prison officers, reportedly scarring one for life.
And after a suicide attempt he was moved to Broadgreen Hospital and sectioned under the Mental Health Act. While at Broadgreen in 1982, Bronson performed a number of rooftop protests causing £250,000 worth of damage.
His third roof protest was in 1984, which he followed with an 18-day-long hunger strike, after which he was transferred to Ashworth Hospital, where another three years were added to his sentence after he attacked a patient.
In 1985 he was sent back to Walton Prison, but quickly broke the rules again, causing £100,000 worth of damage after another rooftop protest. He was continually moved prison's throughout his original seven year sentence, before his release in 1988.
Name changes and same old tricks
When he was released, Michael Peterson changed his name to Charles Bronson - to suit his career as a boxer. But it wasn't long until he was back behind bars again after he robbed a jewellery shop in 1988 and was sentenced to seven more years inside.
Back inside Bronson was back to his old tricks and again transferred to several prisons in a bid to control his behaviour. It is understood he was himself attacked in one of the prisons, before his release in November 1992. After just 53 days of freedom he returned to prison again for intent to commit robbery.
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.
Life sentence imposed
But it wasn't until an incident in 1999 that he was finally 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.
Writing in his 2000 book Bronson, he said: "I'm a nice guy, but sometimes I lose all my senses and become nasty. That doesn't make me evil, just confused."
In 2001, Bronson, who now goes by the name of Charles Salvador, married again, this time to Saira Rehman, who began writing to him after seeing his picture in a newspaper. They divorced four years later.
He then proposed to Paula Williamson on Valentine's Day in 2017. He married the former Coronation Street actress in the prison chapel in November of that year. Sadly, two years later Paula was found dead at her home.
Will he be freed?
The Parole Board is set to decide whether Bronson should stay behind bars next week.
In part-one of Bronson: Fit to be free? which aired on Channel 4 on Monday, Bronson said: “I’ve got a horrible, nasty, vicious, violent past, I’ve never killed anyone, I’ve never harmed a woman, never harmed a child. I’m focused, I’m settled, I can actually smell and taste freedom like I’ve never, ever done in my life."
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