'Unrepentant' Biggs is refused parole by Straw.RONNIE Biggs Ronald Arthur Biggs better known as Ronnie Biggs (born August 8, 1929) is an English prisoner who is known for escaping from prison after his minor role in the Great Train Robbery of 1963 and for being on the run for many years. has been refused parole by Justice Secretary Jack Straw, who said the Great Train Robber remained "wholly unrepentant". Mr Straw rejected a parole board pa`role´ board` n. 1. A group of individuals with authority to determine whether a prisoner will be granted parole from a particular prison. recommendation that the 79-year-old be released, saying it was "unacceptable" that Biggs had fled prison and accused him of "outrageously courting the media" while on the run. Biggs would have been a free man "many years ago" if he had complied with his sentence, Mr Straw said, but the move was branded "perverse per·verse adj. 1. Directed away from what is right or good; perverted. 2. Obstinately persisting in an error or fault; wrongly self-willed or stubborn. 3. a. " by Biggs's legal advisor, who accused Mr Straw of "cruel and unusual punishment Such punishment as would amount to torture or barbarity, any cruel and degrading punishment not known to the Common Law, or any fine, penalty, confinement, or treatment that is so disproportionate to the offense as to shock the moral sense of the community. ". "Mr Biggs chose to serve only one year of a 30- year sentence before he took the personal decision to commit another offence and escape from prison, avoiding capture by travelling abroad for 35 years whilst outrageously courting the media," said Mr Straw. "I am refusing the Parole Board's recommendation for parole. Biggs chose not to obey the law and respect the punishments given to him - the legal system in this country deserves more respect than this. "It was Mr Biggs's own choice to offend and he now appears to want to avoid the consequences of his decision. I do not think this is acceptable." Biggs, pictured, was eligible for release tomorrow, having served 10 years of his 30-year sentence. The Parole Board recommended his release saying he posed a "manageable" threat but noted he was unrepentant about fleeing prison and going on the run for 35 years. Mr Straw can reject its findings under rules in place when Biggs was convicted. |
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