Notorious inmate Charles Bronson, 73, has spent over five decades in custody, after being first jailed aged 21 for armed robbery. He has just had a video call with his mother
Britain’s most dangerous prisoner Charles Bronson has seen his mum for the first time in a decade – after a face-to-face video call with her.
And the notorious lag showed his softer side by performing the Al Jolson classic “My Mammy”. During the call to Eira, 95, Bronson sang: “I’d walk a million miles, for one of your smiles, my Mammy.”
Bronson, 73, now called Charles Arthur Salvador, has spent over five decades in custody, after being first jailed back in 1974 aged 21 for armed robbery. Repeated violence and hostage-taking then resulted in his sentence being increased to life
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He last saw his mum 10 years ago, but this week bosses at Long Lartin maximum security prison, Worcestershire, allowed him a video call with his mum. A friend said: “He was really nervous as he hadn’t seen her in 10 years and was worried he’d break down in front of her. It also brought back memories of the last time he saw her face-to-face. Afterwards he’d felt broken and distraught after he was taken straight back to isolation.”
The friend added: “After the call this week he was in a great mood. It was a fantastic experience for him and his lovely mum. He hopes he’ll be able to do it again soon. All he wants out of life now is to give her a cuddle and make her a cup of tea. He still remains happy and cheerful.”
Bronson has spent 52 years in jail, much of it in solitary confinement. He is hoping to make his ninth appeal to the parole board in the coming weeks. The board had stated that as he is classed as high profile they won’t allow an open and public hearing.
But Bronson has recently hired a new legal team and his pal said: “His actual hearing had been put back three times and was set for late last year. The board had stated that because Bronson is classed as high profile they wouldn’t allow an open and public hearing, which is his right.
“Charlie was understandably upset by this as he has made real progress since the hearing three years ago. When his legal team couldn’t get that ruling overturned, he fired them and signed a statement saying he refused to attend a closed hearing as it would be biased and unfair and nobody would know about it.”
The friend said the new legal team had held a meeting with the parole board to “present them with all the reasons why an open hearing must be granted”.
They added: “That should hopefully be set for the coming weeks and this new team will present a real case for why Charlie should finally be allowed a progression towards freedom. This has always been denied previously with no real justification.”
Bronson’s former prison governor John Podmore has said he is caught in a “Catch-22” situation. His parole hearing three years ago accepted his behaviour had improved – but said he was not ready for a move to an open prison.
Despite suggestions his behaviour should be tested in a less restrictive regime, he remains in Cat A conditions.
Mr Podmore, who was in charge at Belmarsh, believes other inmates would seek to provoke Bronson: “The Parole Board recommended last time what I was trying to do 30 years ago, but it’s a Catch-22 situation. He’s not being moved because of his propensity for violence, but unless he’s moved he can’t demonstrate he has changed.
“These days you’ve got the added dimension of serious organised crime, the level of drugs, radicalisation, the general chaos of the system, which I think is being badly handled by governments of all colours. It makes it a thousand times more difficult. There’s such a level of indiscipline around the system, the level of provocation Bronson is likely to face is now 10 times what it would have been 30 years ago.”
