Britain's most notorious prisoner Charles Bronson to remain in jail following public parole hearing

Britain's most notorious prisoner Charles Bronson will remain behind bars after being denied release by the Parole Board.

The panel also rejected his secondary plea to be moved to an open prison.

Bronson, who has changed his name to Charles Salvador, was jailed for armed robbery in 1974 and, but for a couple of brief episodes of freedom, has been in jail ever since.

The 70-year-old's original seven-year sentence has been extended many times because of his violent attacks on prison staff and fellow inmates.

This includes 11 hostage-taking incidents in nine different sieges.

He has been denied release following a public parole hearing where he claimed to be a "born-again artist" who "went through a phase" of taking hostages.

In a document detailing the decision not to release him, the Parole Board said: "After considering the circumstances of his offending, the progress that Mr Salvador has made while in custody and the evidence presented at the hearings, the panel was not satisfied that Mr Salvador was suitable for release."

The panel said it had noted Bronson had spent most of the last 48 years in custody and that "much of this time had been in conditions of segregation".

The three board members also said they accepted he "genuinely wants to progress and that he is motivated to work towards his release".

However, the panel added it was "mindful of his history of persistent rule-breaking and that Mr Salvador sees little wrong with this".

"He lives his life rigidly by his own rules and code of conduct and is quick to judge others by his own standards," it said. "His positive progress has to be assessed in the context of him being held in a highly-restrictive environment."

The board members said they could not be satisfied Bronson has the skills to manage his risk of future violence until he has been "extensively-tested" outside of his current environment.

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The Parole Board's decision comes after Bronson sent a voice note to Sky News claiming he "hates violence" and has been a "model prisoner" for the last decade.

Bronson also claimed he has "never been a danger to the public", adding: "I love the world".

During his parole hearing earlier this month, a prison psychologist said although Bronson posed a moderate risk of violence inside jail, it would be a high risk if he was freed.

Another psychologist, Kerry Daynes, who was called by Bronson, said she felt he should probably stay where he is and be given a gradual introduction to open conditions.

During the hearing, held at Woodhill Prison near Milton Keynes in Buckinghamshire, Bronson handed the three board members examples of his artwork, telling them: "Each piece of art is a piece of me."

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Bronson, whose real name is Michael Peterson, earlier told parole judges he loved a "rumble" and enjoyed mass brawls in prison.

However, he insisted he is now a reformed prisoner, has found solace in art and is a man of "peace".

His ex-wife Irene Dunroe, who released a book about their relationship last year, said she was "devastated, shocked" and "so upset" about the decision.

She said: "Mick has been in there for 48 years - he's never murdered anybody. How many murderers are in prison for 48 years?

"Now he's got another two, three, four years, and that's just parole, and it's all going to happen again.

"Everyone's going to go up in arms about this. It's disgusting and very, very upsetting. I can't believe it."

A psychologist told the panel Bronson has post-traumatic stress disorder after facing some "brutal and unacceptable" treatment behind bars. He has been held in solitary confinement for much of his time in jail.

During the hearing Bronson, who has previously been diagnosed with anti-social personality disorder, was described as holding "anti-authoritarian views" and being "suspicious" of the motives of others, as well as having a "romanticised" view of violent incidents in the past.

None of the prison and probation officials who gave evidence at the parole hearing said he was ready to be released.