One of Britain's most infamous prisoners, Charles Bronson, has appeared at a public parole hearing as he asks to be freed from jail.
The Parole Board review of one of the country's longest-serving prisoners that will decide whether he should remain behind bars began on Monday morning. The event has made Bronson the second inmate in UK legal history to have his case heard in public.
Dubbed one of the most violent offenders in Britain, Bronson - who changed his surname to Salvador in 2014 - appeared on camera sat opposite a panel of parole judges wearing a black suit, white shirt and dark glasses.
When asked if he wished to give evidence at the hearing, the 70-year-old said: “Oh yes, certainly.”
The chairman of the Parole Board, who did not wish to be publicly named, said Bronson had spent most of the past 48 years behind bars, apart form a brief two-year period in which he reoffended. In a Channel 4 programme that aired last week, Bronson said he can "smell and taste freedom" ahead of the hearing.
The parole panel chairman told the hearing: “The panel has not seen that documentary.” But Bronson replied: “I find that hard to believe.”
He could also be heard frequently swearing and sighing loudly as the hearing began. At one point he muttered “f****** hell” under his breath as the review heard how submissions on behalf of Justice Secretary Dominic Raab had been delayed and could not be provided in advance of the proceedings to the parole board as a result.
A representative for Mr Raab who was present at the hearing apologised for the delays. At one point, Bronson, who had been sipping what appeared to be a small carton of juice through a straw, was seen briefly standing up during the hearing and began asking for a tissue.
“I haven’t pi**ed myself,” he told the hearing as he placed the tissue under the juice carton and sat back down.
Amid long pauses while the panel asked his prisoner offender manager questions, Bronson said: “We will be here all f****** day, won’t we?”
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