“You don’t have to be a nice person to be released,” says Nick Hardwick, former chair of the Parole Board for England and Wales, “you have to be a safe person.” But is Bronson? Forensic psychologist Kerry Daynes tells us that “after 70, violent recidivism drops to nil”. “The damage that was caused by him has moulded my whole life … It’ll be with me for the rest of my days.”īronson in 1997. “He jabbed a knife into my ribs and said, ‘Take your last breath.’” Danielson never went back to that job. “I thought: I’m going to die,” recalls Phil Danielson, who suffered two breakdowns and post-traumatic stress disorder after he was taken hostage for two days by Bronson at HMP Hull in 1999. The board will no doubt be mindful that the last time Bronson left jail, he was only out for 69 days, during which time he robbed a jeweller’s, fought a rottweiler for a bet, and became a bare-knuckled underground fighter.Īnother factor in their decision may be Bronson’s treatment of his art teacher. Next week, the Parole Board will decide if the 70-year-old regularly billed as Britain’s most violent criminal – who has received 17 convictions, taken 11 hostages and attacked more than 20 prisoners and staff with weapons including makeshift spears, jam jars and silk ties – should be released.
