Charles Bronson believes his time has come to be released from prison as he prepares for what will potentially be Britain's first public parole hearing.
The 69-year-old, who has spent most of the last 50 years in jail, is one of the UK's most notorious prisoners having served much of his sentence in solitary confinement.
In 2014 Bronson, who is the subject of a 2008 biopic starring Tom Hardy, changed his name to Charles Salvador in honour of artist Salvador Dali.
Bronson has been campaigning to have his next parole review take place in public and, in a letter to Metro, described the last 20 years of his sentence as “nothing but revenge”.
He was first locked up in 1974 for armed robbery and had his sentence increased several times for assaults on fellow inmates and prison guards.
He was briefly released in the 1980s but was caught plotting another raid and returned to prison, where he committed several high-profile offences.
He took two Iraqi hijackers and another inmate hostage at the high-security Belmarsh Prison, demanding a helicopter to Cuba and a cheese and pickle sandwich during negotiations and threatening to eat one of his captives.
In a separate incident he took a deputy prison governor hostage, while he also kidnapped a teacher who was critical of one of his paintings.
Those convictions prompted a discretionary life sentence to be handed down in 2000, with a minimum term of four years.
Bronson has previously predicted that he will be free before his 70th birthday and could look to utilise last month's Parole Board announcement that from July 21 anyone will be able to apply for a parole hearing to be held in public.
Writing from HMP Woodhill in Milton Keynes, he said: “There is no more sweeping my case under the mat.
“I’ve nothing to hide from the media or public. It’s this vindictive system that runs from the truth.
“I’m the first to admit I probably deserve a good 30 years caged up and all the brutality against me. But this last 20 years has been nothing but revenge – to make an example of a man they forever label an out of control lunatic. This is my time now.”
Bronson has been considered the country's most violent prisoner for much of his time inside but now prefers to focus on painting and exercising.
He has donated several works of art to raise money for good causes.
His most recent parole hearing, in November 2017, was his sixth unsuccessful attempt to gain freedom since his minimum term ended.
