Britain's most notorious prisoner Charles Bronson has declared he is 'coming home' ahead of his upcoming parole hearing.
Bronson, who has changed his name to Charles Salvador and is now 70 years old, was first imprisoned for armed robbery when he was just 22.
His initial seven-year sentence was extended due to his attacks on guards and other inmates, and it wasn't long after he was released in 1987 that he was back behind bars, leading to a total of more than 40 years in prison.
He is now preparing for a historic parole hearing which will be the first of its kind to take place in public, and believes he is 'closer now to getting out than [he has] been in 30-odd years'.
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Speaking to The Mirror in a phone call from jail, he said: “I’ve got my jam roll [parole] coming up. All my reports are excellent. It’s looking good, it really is... Up to now there’s not a date, but it’s looking like June, July. I’m the first man in the British Isles to have a public parole hearing. All these decades I’ve done.”
Throughout his time in prison, Bronson has been known to cover himself in Lurpak to attack prison officers, had nine rooftop protests and held a reported 11 hostages. More recently, though, the inmate has turned his attention to writing poetry and painting, with his creations donated to charity to raise money.
He also still works out regularly, explaining: "I still smash my press-ups out. I’m 70 years old and I can still do 95 press-ups in 30 seconds. I don’t walk on the yard, I run – sit-ups, press-ups, squats, I love it. When I go out on the yard that’s my hour of freedom. I’ve got a big smile, I’m happy. I’m walking out as fit as the day I came in. I’m coming home."
During the interview, Bronson shared his opinions on other inmates such as Michael Stone and Levi Bellfield, who he described as an 'evil monster'.
As for Stone, Bronson said, "I know Michael Stone. All these years he’s been in prison, not one day of it has he been on a protection wing. The reason he hasn’t been on a protection wing is he claims he’s innocent of them murders. And I believe he is. Bellfield, from the day he was sentenced 20 years ago has been on the protection wings. He’s not just a murdering b*stard, he’s a coward."
Bronson also described his time behind bars as being full of 'solitary isolation, punishment blocks, dungeons, closed visits.'
Topics: Crime, UK News, Charles Bronson
Emily Brown