Ronnie Biggs

[MK Shrimper]

What are the Zones thoughts on this?

Jack Straw says Biggs is wholly unrepentant and will not grant parole to a very sick, elderly man who is obviously now no threat to anyone.

Is it sour grapes on behalf of the establishment or should he be made to stay inside until his final breath?

 

[Uncle Leo]

He's no longer a danger to society and I don't think much is being achieved by keeping him locked up.

I appreciate the family of the poor train guard who got done over would like to see him inside for the rest of his life, but I think we should let this one go...

 

[SARF]

Dont think it matters much now.. He has served his time.. and more importantly is no threat to the public.. Free up the cell for some modern scumbag

 

[Gremlin]

He has served his time

Has he? All of it?

 

[DTS]

He has done the crime so do the time. End of.

He choose to turn to crime rather than get a day to day day job. There are consequences of those actions and for him they are loss of freedom.

Didnt someone get killed in that raid? Or badly hurt if not?

 

[MK Shrimper]

He has done the crime so do the time. End of.

He choose to turn to crime rather than get a day to day day job. There are consequences of those actions and for him they are loss of freedom.

Didnt someone get killed in that raid? Or badly hurt if not?

Train guard was coshed by one of the gang, not neccessarily Biggs, and never recovered. However he died of leukaemia in 1970, so I'm not sure the two are related.

 

[SARF]

Has he? All of it?

I thought he got parole.. But Straw, that super guardian of the public stepped in to keep us safe, from this knife wielding terrorist maniac

 

[Napster]

Stay in jail. He buggered off to Brazil so he wouldnt go to jail, and he was guilty of a heinous crime.

 

[Usual_Suspect]

I'd say the fact that he stuck two fingers up from Brazil for all those years is the main reason they won't let him out.

 

[Lancashire shrimper]

My brother was in Belmarsh at the same time as him a few years back. He thought Ronnie Biggs was a total tosser. Played on his name for the great 'I am', implored the symathy vote for his deteriorating health, and expected the freedom of the prison despite it being a secure category A unit.

He had his chance to do his time when younger instead of running off to Brazil. This should be an example to other fugitives not to expect leniency when caught again. The tax payers money spent pursuing him and then bringing him back to England could have been better used elsewhere. He doesn't care about anyone else, and as he is still unrepentant for his crimes, I'd be as unrepentant in letting him rot.

 

[Jedi Shrimper]

He should serve his full sentance, if that means he dies in prison so be it. If he wanted to die a free man he shouldn't have run off to Brazil, he would have served his sentance by now and be free. Tough titties I say.

 

[canveyshrimper]

On the premise that the majority of the train robbers only served a fairly small portion of their sentence then Biggs should be released. The injury Jack Mills sustained was not a tap on the head as Biggs claimed, and it may well have contributed to his death.

However the others who got 30 years such as James, Wilson, Reynolds (when they finally caught him) were all paroled early, and Charlie Wilson who also went over the wall before being recaptured wasn't treated in the same manner as Biggs. Although he was topped by a hitman in Spain a few years ago.

IMO Straw is trying to play Billy Big Bollocks, when in fact people like Thompson & Venables who viciously murdered James Bulger are roaming free. Biggs should be released.

 

[Aberdeen Shrimper]

Let him out, Paedophiles, rapist and murderers eventually get let out even if they do not repent.

Courts are being encouraged not to pass custodial sentences where possible yet a man who can not walk or talk is kept locked up!!

 

[cockles is back]

must read, 'killing charlie' realise how much of a no one Biggs actually is in 'the GREAT train robbery' played the game for long enough, if you live by the sword then so you will die by the sword eventually, however probably another ex ex ex pantomone gangster that is probably costing the tax payer quite a few quid, clearly no threat to anyone other than his clean underpants nowerdays

 

[Firestorm]

Personally I feel that keeping him in is primarily down to the powers that be not wanting biggs to profit from his crime. if he was let out he may well get big money offers for his story, interviews etc and may well end up benefiting considerably (financially) from his wrongdoing, i don't think that this is the type of "crime doesn't pay" message the authourities want to portray and it certainly will offend the victims family.

That said Bigg's fame is solely down to the lengthy sentance and the over-reaction to the original crime, because it was the Royal mail, the sentence was considerably higher than the norm at the time, the authourities notorised (?) the Train robbers and they also overplayed what was "just" a gbh / assault on the driver to make them sound more evil.

 

[sufc_tom]

I don't know why there is such a big fuss. If he's giving life he's given life, not "Let's see what he's like in 10 years" bollox.

Another prime example is Madhoff he's about 71 and he's been given a 150 year prison sentence for international fraud, if that was here he'll be out by around 2013 .