Charles Bronson releases letter from prison ahead of parole hearing
Charles Bronson has vowed to “expose” his “illegal sentence and treatment” as his request for release will be considered at an oral hearing in the coming months.
The 73-year-old man, once considered one of Britain’s most violent criminals, was invited to address the meeting after eight failed attempts at parole.
“I’m 23 years over my schedule. I’m blocked from progress forever. I’m held in solitary confinement forever,” Bronson said. Wrote a letter to Sky News. “They won’t even get me from Cat A.”
“I need to expose this unlawful punishment and treatment. It has been going on for too long now.” [sic] It turned into a complete joke.”
Bronson, who also went by the surname Salvador after changing his surname in tribute to artist Salvador Dali, has spent most of the last 50 years in prison for a series of violent crimes.
These include theft, firearms offenses and violence, as well as 11 hostage takings in nine separate sieges.
After 12 years without a violent conviction, it was decided to allow Bronson’s case to be re-evaluated, with witnesses and evidence evaluated to determine his current level of risk.
It will then be decided whether he is safe enough to be released into society.
“My hope for the trial is that Mr. Salvador can eventually make some progress,” his lawyer, Gurdeep Singh, told the broadcaster.
“He has been languishing in solitary confinement for years without any future plans for himself.
“Given the right support, there is no reason why Mr. Salvador cannot be released into the community, allowing him to continue focusing on his charitable work with the Born Art Foundation.”
In 2000, Bronson was given a discretionary life sentence after taking a prison teacher at HMP Hull hostage for 44 hours. Their requests for parole have since been denied.
Diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder, Bronson (born Michael Peterson) was convicted of his first crime in 1974, when he was 21 years old. During two brief periods of freedom, he committed crimes again and was sent back to prison.
His final appeal for parole was rejected at a public oral hearing in March 2023. He is said to have spent most of his time in solitary confinement in prison, being locked in his cell for up to 23 hours a day.
He said he found violence “draining”, but has since sought solace in his art and practices “deep breathing” exercises to deal with negative emotions, and claims that he is now “anti-crime” and no longer uses violence.
The hearing date has not yet been set.
