Charles Bronson: Notorious prisoner loses parole board bid to be freed from jail

One of the UK's longest-serving prisoners, Charles Bronson, has lost a Parole Board bid to be freed from jail. The 70-year-old, who changed his surname to Salvador in 2014, has spent nearly 50 years behind bars has now had eight applications for release denied.

In a document detailing the decision published on Thursday, 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.”

Despite the panel noting evidence of "improved self-control and better emotional management", there were concerns over his "history of persistent rule breaking", the summary of the Parole Board decision read.

Three parole judges – who have not been publicly named – considered his case at HMP Woodhill in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire.

Bronson's parole hearing was the second ever to be held in public in England and Wales.

Bronson - whose real name is Michael Peterson - likened his experience in front of the Parole Board to being on The Apprentice and, inviting the panel to view his art, saying each work is a “piece of me”. During the hearing, an independent psychologist employed by Bronson’s legal team said he has mild symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, partly due to some “brutal and unacceptable treatment” while in the prison system.

His first conviction was in 1974 when he was 21 and was jailed for seven years for robbery, aggravated burglary, assault with intent to rob and possession of a firearm.

Once dubbed one of Britain’s most violent offenders, Bronson has spent most of the past 48 years behind bars, apart from two brief periods of freedom during which he reoffended, for a string of thefts, firearms and violent offences, including 11 hostage-takings in nine different sieges.

Victims included governors, doctors, staff and, on one occasion, his own solicitor. He was handed a discretionary life sentence with a minimum term of four years in 2000 for taking a prison teacher at HMP Hull hostage for 44 hours.

Since then, the Parole Board repeatedly refused to direct his release.

He changed his name from Michael Peterson to Charles Bronson in the 1980s as an alias dreamed up when he went into boxing – something he claims he was encouraged to do by notorious east London gangsters Ronnie and Reggie Kray with whom he said he served time.

He later changed his surname to Salvador in 2014 to represent that he was a man of "peace".

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