Latest news with #CharlesBronson
The Sun
10-05-2025
- The Sun
I've met UK's most evil prisoners… Nilsen revelled in victims' pain but there was only one killer who truly revolted me
THERE are few women who would hang artwork from Britain's most notorious prisoner on their front room wall. But then Kerry Daynes is no ordinary woman. 12 The flame-haired forensic psychologist spent more than two decades analysing some of the UK's most dangerous criminals from Moors murderer Ian Brady to serial killer Dennis Nilsen. So when infamous prisoner Charles Bronson - one of the country's longest-serving inmates - gifted her a painting, Kerry was proud to show it off in her living room. Bronson, 72, gained a reputation as the UK's most violent prisoner after spending almost his entire life in jail from the age of 22. He was first locked up for robbery in 1974, and despite two brief spells of freedom, has been kept in the slammer for a series of offences committed inside. Over the years he has taken 11 hostages in nine sieges, attacked at least 20 guards and caused £50,000 worth of damage in rooftop protests. Bronson was eventually given life in 1999 for kidnapping a prison art teacher who critiqued his drawings. He is up for parole again this year for the ninth and final time. This week the judicial parole board ruled his latest bid for freedom will be held behind closed doors after Bronson was denied an application for it to be staged in public. Despite his background, Kerry, 51, of Manchester, believes Bronson is ready to be freed, but says the prison service has no idea how to release Bronson after his long incarceration. She saw a softer side of the brutal inmate when she drew up a report for a previous parole board hearing during the Covid lockdown. I worked with serial killers in notorious 'Monster Mansion' prison -'cannibal killer' fury was risked with normal act & worst crook used to defecate in wardrobe Kerry said: 'I spent about 18 months assessing Charlie on Zoom and in person at Woodhill prison and he was very easy to establish a rapport with. 'He spotted my two dogs wandering around in the background of a call and asked if he could have a closer look at them. 'He started saying hello to them and told me how cute my pekingese, captain Furpotato, was. 'It was a surreal moment. Here was Britain's supposedly most violent inmate, speaking in baby talk to my dog.' Fear of freedom Kerry believes Bronson, who changed his name to Salvador in 2014, has spent so long behind bars that, if he wins parole, he will be apprehensive about being released. She said: 'I don't think he's afraid to be released but he has understandable anxieties because he's not familiar with the modern world. 'He has never used a mobile phone or even an ATM machine. It saddened me when he told me he hadn't put his foot on grass for over 35 years because he's always been kept in concrete, high security or close supervision centres. It's unimaginable. 'What he really needs is slow progression out in the community but there's no way of doing that and the prison service has no plan for him, so he is languishing.' Kerry says Bronson has 'always been quite straightforward' about his viscous tendencies, but added: 'In his world violence is is looked upon as necessary for survival.' She said: 'His violence has been glorified to some extent. Charlie isn't proud of it but he's not ashamed of it. 'When he talks about some of his escapades, the criminal damage caused, putting chewing gum in locks that then need changed, staging protests, he's unapologetic because he saw himself as a prison activist, albeit now a retired one. 'He's very much mellowed and will tell you himself, he's far too old for some of the stunts he pulled now. He has no desire to cause problems, but still holds the powers that be in contempt.' Paranoid con Bronson, who Kerry described as 'paranoid' when he was first incarcerated, sent Kerry artwork two years ago after his last failed parole bid. The crazed prisoner turned to art while trying to rehabilitate himself and has sold pieces to raise cash for various charities. He has been married three times - including twice while in jail. He was wed to Irene Kelsey when he first went into prison before tying the knot to second wife Fatema Saira Rehman, then 31, at Woodhill Prison in 2001. The marriage lasted four years. His third wife was Coronation Street actress Paula Williamson who he exchanged vows with at HMP Wakefield in 2017. She died aged 38 in July 2019 after a drug overdose while they were in the process of having their union annulled. Campaigners say Bronson should be set free because he has served longer than most killers - despite never having murdered anyone. Faked hunger strike 12 Meanwhile, Kerry says she experienced real evil the day she was called in to get into the mind of Moors murderer Ian Brady. Brady, who tortured and killed five children with lover Myra Hindley, claimed to have spent years on hunger strike at Ashworth top security prison but Kerry says it was all a sham. 'He was making toast in his room at night, ' she says. Describing the moment she first set eyes on Brady, who died aged 79 in 2017, Kerry said she was unable to set aside the anguish of the mothers of two of the monster's victims, Lesley Ann Downey, ten, and 12-year-old Keith Bennett. She said: 'I'd grown up in Manchester with the stories of the Moors killers and Brady and Hindley were the reason we were told in the 70s never to talk to strangers. 'There was a late night local radio show and Lesley Ann Downey's mum, Ann, and Keith's mum, Winnie Johnson, used to call in. I think they were so distressed they just needed someone to talk to. 'When I shook Brady's hand all I could think about was the distress of those two women. I thought, 'What acts has this hand committed?' 'He was very emaciated and gaunt and his hand felt like a bag of bones. I looked at him and felt revulsion and that's not a word I use lightly in my job. He felt like he could transcend society by breaking all of its rules, it made him feel superior Kerry Daynesforensic psychologist 'Our meeting went downhill from there. He didn't want to be assessed or get involved with the process at all, no matter how I approached it. 'He was masking mental health symptoms. He was clearly suffering from psychosis but he wanted to be someone regarded as being 'normal'. 'He invested a lot of energy in appearing sane when he was at Ashworth but at times, when he was alone, the prison guards would hear him talking to himself. 'Brady was very complex and adept at hiding things. He liked to feel he was superior and wanted to be one step ahead. 'He felt like he could transcend society by breaking all of its rules, it made him feel superior. 'I find it interesting that he felt like this superior person yet he had to get Myra to drive for him because he didn't have a licence. It's a detail that breaks with his fantasy.' Psycho killers 12 Kerry was called in to assess a prisoner at Broadmoor security unit when she crossed paths with Yorkshire Ripper Peter Sutcliffe, who murdered 13 women between 1975 and 1980. She said: 'I barely recognised him becasue by that point he'd been attacked by another prisoner and was quite psychotic. 'The last time I saw him he was very subdued and locked in his own through process as well as being heavily medicated.' Who are the UK's worst serial killers? THE UK's most prolific serial killer was actually a doctor. Here's a rundown of the worst offenders in the UK. British GP Harold Shipman is one of the most prolific serial killers in recorded history. He was found guilty of murdering 15 patients in 2000, but the Shipman Inquiry examined his crimes and identified 218 victims, 80 per cent of whom were elderly women. After his death Jonathan Balls was accused of poisoning at least 22 people between 1824 and 1845. Mary Ann Cotton is suspected of murdering up to 21 people, including husbands, lovers and children. She is Britain's most prolific female serial killer. Her crimes were committed between 1852 and 1872, and she was hanged in March 1873. Amelia Sach and Annie Walters became known as the Finchley Baby Farmers after killing at least 20 babies between 1900 and 1902. The pair became the first women to be hanged at Holloway Prison on February 3, 1903. William Burke and William Hare killed 16 people and sold their bodies. Yorkshire Ripper Peter Sutcliffe was found guilty in 1981 of murdering 13 women and attempting to kill seven others between 1975 and 1980. Dennis Nilsen was caged for life in 1983 after murdering up to 15 men when he picked them up from the streets. He was found guilty of six counts of murder and two counts of attempted murder and was sentenced to life in jail. Fred West was found guilty of killing 12 but it's believed he was responsible for many more deaths. Serial killer and necrophile Dennis Nilsen, who killed at least 12 young men and boys between 1978 and 1983, was another of Kerry's subjects. She branded Nilsen, who died in May 2018 aged 72, 'a bland and very dull career complainer' who took pleasure in revealing the gruesome details of his victims' ordeals. Kerry said: 'I knew Dennis very well. He was so bland and complained about everything he possibly could, from the food in the canteen, the lack of heat in the cells, when people were available to visiting times. 'He would get involved in other prisoner's disputes too. It's something he liked to do on the outside. He would get himself involved with unions and really prided himself on being a socialist. 'He was very keen to talk about himself and would go on for hours if you let him. 'He would talk in depth about his crimes and I felt like he was reliving his offences for his own needs and gratification. He spoke about them in a very romanticised way. 'You would think he was talking about relationships he had. He would say he still very much felt connected to his victims and that, in some way, they had shared a unique experience. When he was disposing of the corpses, it was almost like he was ending a relationship." Strangest ever case Kerry has dealt with all manner of bizarre cases throughout her career but the strangest of all was a man who formed a bizarre attachment to his neighbour's pig. She said: 'He kept stealing this pig despite being warned not to, then dressing it up, putting make-up on it and having relations with it. 'In another case, a woman kept a family member's body rotting in bed while she picked up their benefit payments. 'Her lawyer suggested I visit her at home and, when I got there, I realised why. She was a hoarder and couldn't let go of anything. Her house was full of stuff with just this little chair and TV in the front room surrounded by piles of belongings. 'It seemed to form part of her motivation.' Kerry says the advent of the internet has exposed the extent of child sex abuse as sick perverts post online. She said: 'I found these sorts of cases difficult. People are very much in denial about the scale of child sex abuse in the UK - it's far more prevalent than we'd like to admit.' The psychologist reckons advances in police technology, including databases, DNA and fingerprinting, could spell the end of the serial killer. 'These people have become kind of pop culture celebrities but we won't have that many these days because we're better at detection,' she says. 'People are predisposed to want to pay attention to human beings that commit extreme behaviour and there's no more extreme than a serial killer.' See Kerry and other world-leading experts at CrimeCon London - partnered by TRUE CRIME channel. Book your ticket today using our exclusive code - THE SUN - and you can save over 40% on your ticket - saving more than £100 12
The Sun
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
What life's REALLY like married to most notorious UK prisoner – from make-up bans, to serenading calls & racy role play
IRENE Dunroe isn't just any kind of WAG, she's a prison WAG. The 73-year-old, who was married to one of Britain's most notorious prisoners, Charles Bronson, at the time of his incarceration for armed robbery in 1974, has reignited their relationship. 5 5 The pair divorced and both remarried, but their unconventional love story is now very much back on the table - and Irene reckons it's finally time that Bronson gets released, after almost 51 continual years behind bars. Born Michael Peterson, but also known as Charles Ali Ahmed and Charles Salvador, the 72-year-old has landed himself the title of 'Britain's most violent prisoner' during his half century inside. He was first locked up in 1974 for armed robbery and wounding - but his prison etiquette of attacking other inmates (including with glass jugs) and slew of various attacks on guards are what have kept him in the slammer. He has also taken many hostages over the years - a total of 11 across nine different sieges inside - including fellow lags, governors, doctors, his own solicitor and even his art teacher, who made the mistake of critiquing Bronson's drawings. He has had only two brief periods outside prison since 1974, but reoffended during both, and was put into solitary confinement around 30 years ago, where he remains today. That being said, smitten Irene still thinks he should be released. 'He's never killed anyone,' she rationalises. "I want him out,' she shared in an interview with The Mirror. 'I can't rest until he is. 'It breaks my heart. I feel like time has been suspended, but when he's out I can relax." Violent OAP Bronson is a hopeless romantic, but was once 'very, very protective', according to Irene. "We were a bit like Romeo and Juliet because my parents never liked him from the start,' she said. 'He never used to like me to wear make-up. I used to get lots of attention from the other men. "I'd be walking along the road with him and if men stared, he would go mad." Things took a turn when Bronson was locked up in the Seventies, leaving Irene as a single mum to their two-year-old son, Mike, living in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire. The good, the bad and the ugly "I used to wonder if it was going to be a good letter day or a bad letter day,' she said. 'It would be 'this man came at me with a piece of glass' or someone had stabbed him. Soon he had scars all over his back. 'In the end, I thought he's never, ever going to get out. He was just standing up for himself but he was young and he didn't realise how hard things were for me and Mike on the outside. 'In a way, I had it harder. He didn't have to worry about paying bills. It was hell." In 1976, the pair ended their five-year marriage, with Irene going on to marry twice more, having two more children. 5 5 Meanwhile, Bronson remarried twice while inside, befriended the infamous Kray twins and spent four months trying to dig a tunnel out of his cell. His other two wives were Saira Ali Ahmed, who he married in 2001 and divorced in 2005, and Paula Williamson, who was married to him from 2017 until her death in 2019. Irene assured his other wives: 'Nobody knows him like I do.' She got back in touch with Bronson in 2012 and recalls him asking, "How are you, princess?" in his Cockney accent. Rekindled Flame They finally re-met in the flesh in 2023, of which Irene recalled: "He was the same broad, muscular man but he was so pale. "But it felt so comfortable. He feels horrible for what he put us through by being locked up.' Now that the pair have rekindled, Bronson serenades her over the phone, including crooning Stevie Wonder's I Just Called To Say I Love You down the line while she embarks on bus journeys. They speak every day, sometimes twice, and he sends her his artwork, which includes a picture series about their rollercoaster love story. 5 Bronson could be released from prison later this year thanks to his fresh bid for freedom, which will be the ninth time parole chiefs are looking at the armed robber's case. Irene said that they have discussed living together, but he'd have to stay in the shed as they've both gotten so used to having their own space. They've created a bucket list for his release, featuring plans for steak dinners, leisurely walks along the beach, a custom-tailored suit for Bronson and even running the London Marathon for charity. Ann Summers worker Irene even hopes to inject a bit of role play into their sex life. 'He's going to dress as a prisoner with me as his warden,' she said. 'I'll bring home a whip to make him go a bit faster.' Irene would love to see her beau return home in time for Christmas, so that they can have dinner with their son Mike as a family for the first time. 'He just wants to get out and find himself a little cottage in the country and make it his art studio,' she added. "He doesn't get jealous any more. He'll be pleased if I got attention from a man now - he would be proud. "He's very artistic, very clever, very intelligent, generous. He's just a completely different person than this mad monster that people used to make out he was."
Daily Mail
06-05-2025
- Daily Mail
Britain's most notorious prisoner Charles Bronson loses bid to have his next Parole hearing made public - as he makes NINTH attempt at freedom
Britain's most notorious prisoner will have his latest parole hearing held in private, a judicial Parole Board member has decided. The decision comes after Charles Bronson - one of the UK's longest-serving prisoners – took part in one of the country's first public parole hearings in 2023. Now the infamous criminal is set to go before the parole board for the ninth time and final time and there is a prospect that he may be released. On a document published on Tuesday, judicial Parole Board member Jeremy Roberts KC, on behalf of the board chair, said he had not granted the application for the 72-year-old's parole hearing to be made public. Once one of Britain's most violent offenders, Bronson has spent most of the past 48 years behind bars – apart from two brief periods during which he reoffended – for a string of thefts, firearms and violent offences, including 11 hostage-taking incidents in nine different sieges. Victims included prison governors, doctors, staff and, on one occasion, his own solicitor. Bronson was handed a discretionary life sentence with a minimum term of four years in 2000 for taking a prison teacher at HMP Hull hostage for 44 hours. Since then, the Parole Board has repeatedly refused to direct his release. The 2023 parole review was his eighth. Bronson, whose real name is Michael Peterson, was first locked up for armed robbery in 1974, aged 22, and since then has developed a reputation for being Britain's most violent prisoner. He was given seven years for the robbery but bad behaviour inside gave him a reputation as a dangerous inmate, and he wasn't released until 1987. Bronson then spent just 69 days as a free man before being rearrested and jailed again after robbing a jewellery shop. He was sentenced to another seven years and, bar another brief spell of freedom in 1992, has been in prison since. During his time inside he has taken 11 hostages in nine prison sieges and has attacked at least 20 prison officers and caused £500,000 in damage in rooftop protests. Eventually, in 1999, he received a life sentence for kidnapping a prison art teacher. His last conviction for a violent offence was in 2014 when he was tried for assault. Bronson - who changed his surname to Salvador in 2014 - was the first prisoner to formally ask for a public hearing after rules changed in 2022 in a bid to remove the secrecy around the parole process. On that occasion, the parole board noted evidence of 'improved self-control and better emotional management', but was unable to be satisfied that 'he had the skills to manage his risk of future violence'. He is currently imprisoned in Milton Keynes at HMP Woodhill. The appeal was only the second in English legal history to be held in public. Bronson suffers from PTSD because of his 'brutal' treatment in prison, a previous hearing was told. The infamous criminal is now set to go before the parole board for the ninth time and final time and there is a prospect that he may be released. In the document published on Tuesday, Mr Roberts said the application for a public hearing was made on February 9 by the prisoner's solicitor. Representations on Bronson's behalf said he 'feels that he is directly responsible for the change in law and Parole Board rules and so he should be allowed to participate in a public hearing'. He has a 'legitimate expectation that his subsequent parole hearings will be held in public following his lengthy proceedings to instigate the change in the rules'. Mr Roberts said the fact that Bronson is responsible for the change in the law 'does not give him any legitimate expectation that his subsequent hearings will be held in public'. Bronson's solicitor added that the prisoner 'is not vulnerable and, given his wish for a public hearing', it could cause him 'undue emotional stress' if the hearing was not held in public. They added: 'He believes he will achieve best evidence and this will not be impacted by the hearing being in public.' But Mr Roberts said: 'The prisoner is obviously highly intelligent (albeit liable to some eccentric beliefs and attitudes) and I do not think it likely that he would suffer undue emotional stress if this hearing is held privately. 'I am sure that he will be able to 'give best evidence' whether the hearing is held in public or in private.' Bronson's solicitor also said the Parole Board's work is often not well understood by the public and 'there is a public interest in increasing understanding'. The solicitor added that Bronson 'believes that his risk has significantly reduced' and that a 'discussion about risk and risk reduction in a public hearing would aid public confidence'. Mr Roberts agreed that 'there is a public interest in increasing the public's understanding of the parole process and that transparency, where possible, is important for public confidence in the system'. He also said the Parole Board has over the last few years made 'great efforts' to improve the transparency of its proceedings. Mr Roberts said the introduction of public hearings is another step taken. But he added: 'However, public hearings and the arrangements for them are expensive and time-consuming, and unless and until the board is provided with the necessary funds to carry them out in more cases it must be selective in the holding of a public hearing only where it is likely to increase public understanding of the process or will benefit the public or victims in some other way.' The Secretary of State's representations were provided on her behalf by a senior official in the Ministry of Justice, which said Bronson's 'readiness to resort to violence continues to be evident, and the Secretary of State is concerned that a public hearing would prompt a display of violence in a way that a private hearing might not'. Mr Roberts said there has been a 'marked improvement in recent years in the prisoner's attitudes to (and relationships with) prison staff'. The panel chair's observations were included in the document, in which they said they were concerned there may be 'a real possibility that the prisoner's application for a public hearing might be driven by a desire on his part to maintain notoriety or to achieve greater notoriety, or to air grievances publicly, rather than to increase public understanding of the parole process'. But Mr Roberts said he is 'prepared to believe that his current intentions are entirely genuine even if (as is likely) there is an element of attention-seeking in his application'. Mr Roberts said he does not believe holding the hearing in public would be likely to increase public awareness of the parole system, and people who observed Bronson's previous hearing have been able to see how the system operated in that case. He added: 'I believe that the notoriety which the prisoner has already achieved and which would no doubt be increased by holding this hearing in public might actually mitigate against better public understanding of the parole process. It might distract from the real issues in the case.' Mr Roberts decided that the points against a public hearing 'substantially outweigh' those in favour.
Daily Mirror
06-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mirror
UK's most infamous lag Charles Bronson denied public parole hearing as judge issues warning
A former judge has blocked the notorious inmate who is locked up for 23 hours a day from having his parole hearing aired in public, claiming his "notoriety would no doubt be increased" Britain's most infamous prisoner Charles Bronson has been denied a public parole hearing - over fears it would boost his "notoriety". The 72-year-old - locked up for 23 hours each day - said if his bid for freedom was held behind closed doors it may "cause him undue emotional stress". Bronson was first locked up for armed robbery in 1974, aged 22, and has spent all but 69 days behind bars. He claims the prison service's decision to hold him in close supervision centres intended for the UK's most dangerous offenders had delayed his progress. But the Justice Secretary argued Bronson's "readiness to resort to violence continues to be evident" and claimed a public hearing may "prompt a display of violence". Now former judge Jeremy Roberts KC has denied Bronson's efforts for a public hearing. In a written judgement, he said: "I believe that the notoriety which the prisoner has already achieved and which would no doubt be increased by holding this hearing in public might actually mitigate against better public understanding of the parole process. It might distract from the real issues in the case." During Bronson's public parole hearing in 2023, one of the UK's first, he said it was his "old mother, the Duchess" Eira Peterson's dream to see him walk free. He told the panel: "She's 95 and she's not in the best of health. You people have got the power to let me out. That's my mum's last dream on this planet, to see her son outside, doing well, making a good honest living with my art. If you have a heart or any passion, give it to my mum and make an old lady's dream come true." Bronson was first jailed 51 years ago and during his time inside has staged nine roof-top protests and held 11 people hostage. But he refused to apologise for any of it. He said: "Am I sorry? Maybe. Would I do it again? Definitely not." He conceded he deserved 35 years of the time he had served. He said: "I've had more porridge than Goldilocks and the three bears. I'm sick of it. I've had enough and I want to go home." He said: "Compared to what I was, I'm almost an angel now." In 2014, Bronson decided to change his surname to Salvador, which he said meant "man of peace". He said: "Bronson was a nasty b*****d. I wasn't a nice person and I didn't like him. Salvadoris a man of peace. I feel peaceful." But Bronson, who was dubbed "Britain's most violent prisoner" after a string of attacks, also told the panel: "I love a rumble. What man doesn't?" But he conceded it was becoming a "bit more embarrassing" because of his age and he "had to grow up". He said: "There will be no more rumbles." Of one incident, in which the parole review was told he stripped naked and "greased up", he said: "I took half a tub of Lurpak with me, bare-knuckle stripped off and had the rumble of my life. It was f***ing brilliant." In 1998, Bronson took two Iraqi aircraft hijackers and another inmate hostage at Belmarsh Prison in London, telling negotiators he would eat one of his victims unless his demands were met. He told his parole hearing: "They threatened to blow up a f***ing plane. I take them hostage and I'm the animal. They are all out now and I'm still in here. I've got no compassion for them." Asked about an incident in 2015 when he threw his faeces at a prisoner, Bronson claimed the inmate had killed four people and threatened to stab him. He also claimed the prisoner had asked him to do it so that he could claim compensation. Speaking about taking prison teacher Phil Danielson hostage in 1999, he said: "I tied a skipping rope around his neck and took him for a walk around the landings. When the time is right for him, I would like to meet him and apologise." He said he told another hostage: "You've been my best hostage, you're the only one who hasn't s**t himself." Asked about causing prison governor Adrian Wallace post traumatic stress disorder, Bronson said: "Governor Wallace was an a***hole, is an a***hole and will die an a***hole." Bronson, who described himself as a "retired prison activist", said: "I was a horrible person and I couldn't stop taking hostages. I went through a phase, I couldn't help taking hostages. "I was battling against the system... it was my way of getting back. There's nothing better than wrapping a governor up like a Christmas turkey." Bronson, who is in HMP Woodhill, claimed he often put a "lovely little bet" on "Spurs or Luton" on a Saturday and won £1,500 betting last year. He told the hearing: "I'm just a normal geezer wanting to get on with my life." Bronson, whose real name is Michael Peterson, has developed a reputation for being Britain's most violent prisoner. He was given seven years for the robbery but bad behaviour inside gave him a reputation as a dangerous inmate, and he wasn't release until 1987. Bronson then spent just 69 days as a free man before being rearrested and jailed again after robbing a jewellery shop. He was sentenced to another seven years and, bar another brief spell of freedom in 1992, has been in prison since. During his time inside he has attacked at least 20 prison officers and caused £500,000 in damage in rooftop protests. He was given a life sentence for taking Mr Danielson hostage. His last conviction for a violent offence was in 2014 when he was tried for assault.
