Notorious prisoner Charles Bronson has lost his latest bid to be freed from jail, the Parole Board has said. The panel said he had a “history of persistent rule-breaking”, “lives his life rigidly by his own rules” and was not suitable for release.
Bronson, 70, from Luton, was jailed aged 22 for armed robbery in 1974. Now one of the UK’s longest-serving prisoners, he took part in one of the country’s first public parole hearings earlier this month.
Bronson, who changed his surname to Salvador in 2014, is currently held at HMP Woodhill in Milton Keynes and has earned a reputation as a violent and dangerous inmate. In a document detailing the decision, the Parole Board said: “After considering the circumstances of his offending, the progress that Mr Salvador has made while in custody, and the evidence presented at the hearings, the panel was not satisfied that Mr Salvador was suitable for release. Nor did the panel recommend to the Secretary of State that he should be transferred to an open prison.”
The panel said psychologists instructed by Bronson’s legal representative were “unequivocal in their view” that he no longer required secure placement at HMP Woodhill. It is unclear whether the strong external controls of custody are mainly responsible or whether his attitudes have genuinely changed,” the board said.
“The panel could not be satisfied that Mr Salvador has the skills to manage his risk of future violence until he has been extensively tested outside of his current highly restricted environment. In the particular circumstances of this case the panel observed that there is an identified pathway for Salvador in custody and the evidence supported such a move within a closed prison.
“This is a pivotal point in Mr Salvador’s sentence when his motivation to desist from violence is at its highest. Responding to the decision, Bronson’s son George Bamby said: “I would have loved Charlie to have been released but completely respect the decision of the Parole Board.
Source: BBC
In other news – Pope Francis admitted to the hospital with a respiratory infection
Pope Francis has a respiratory infection and will need to spend “a few days” in hospital for treatment, the Vatican said in a statement on Wednesday.
The statement said the 86-year-old pontiff had complained of breathing difficulties in recent days. It added that tests showed he did not have COVID-19. Pope Francis is touched by the many messages received and expresses his gratitude for the closeness and prayer,” the Vatican said. Learn more
