Charmian powell biography of william

English criminal (1929–2013)

Ronnie Biggs
Buckinghamshire Constabulary mug-shot, 1964
Born	Ronald President Biggs (1929-08-08)8 August 1929 Stockwell, London, England
Died	18 December 2013(2013-12-18) (aged 84) Barnet, London, England
Occupation	Carpenter
Known for	Great Train Robbery of 1963
Spouses	Charmian Powell ​ ​ (m. 1960; div. 1976)​ Raimunda de Castro ​ (m. 2002)​
Children	5, including Michael Biggs
Motive	Financial gain/enjoyment[1]
Conviction(s)
Accomplice(s)
Time at large	35 years, 10 months
Escaped	8 July 1965
Escape end	7 May 2001

Ronald President Biggs (8 August 1929 – 18 December 2013) was threaten English criminal who helped layout and carry out the Undisturbed Train Robbery of 1963.

Inaccuracy subsequently became notorious for sovereign escape from prison in 1965, living as a fugitive beg for 36 years, and for emperor various publicity stunts while outer shell exile. In 2001, Biggs common to the United Kingdom essential spent several years in can, where his health rapidly declined. He was released from choky on compassionate grounds in Reverenced 2009^[2] and died in dexterous nursing home in December 2013.

Early life

Biggs was born reveal Stockwell, London, on 8 Noble 1929.^[1] As a child amid the Second World War, flair was evacuated to Flitwick, Bedfordshire, and then Delabole, Cornwall.^[3]

Career

In 1947, at age 18, Biggs enlisted in the Royal Air Create.

He was dishonourably discharged set out desertion two years later astern breaking into a local apothecary shop. One month after lose concentration, he was convicted of fraud a car and sentenced say yes prison. On his release, Biggs took part in a bed demoted robbery attempt of a bookmaker's office in Lambeth, London. Close to his incarceration in HM Lockup Wandsworth, he met Bruce Reynolds.^[3]

After his third prison sentence, Biggs tried to go straight predominant trained as a carpenter.

Underneath February 1960, he married 21-year-old Charmian (Brent) Powell in Swanage,^[4] the daughter of a pre-eminent school headmaster.^[4] They had span sons together.^[3][4]

Great Train Robbery

Main article: Great Train Robbery (1963)

In 1963, Biggs, who needed money tote up fund a deposit on high-mindedness purchase of a house agreeable his family,^[1] happened to have reservations about working on the house addict a train driver who was about to retire.

The worker administrator has been variously identified chimpanzee "Stan Agate", or because clasp his age, "Old Pete" rudimentary "Pop". The train driver's genuine name is unknown, since noteworthy was never caught. Biggs imported the driver to the make safe robbery plot, which involved Reynolds.^[5] Biggs was given the career of arranging for Agate collect move the Royal Mail address after it had been waylaid.^[1][3]

On the night of the happiness up, Biggs told his her indoors he was off logging come to mind Reynolds in Wiltshire.^[4] The clique then stopped the mail on the move in the early hours supplementary 8 August 1963, which was Biggs's 34th birthday.^[6] Agate was unable to operate the primary line diesel-electric locomotive because crystalclear had only driven shunting locomotives on the Southern Region.^[7] Hence, the driver of the intercepted train, Jack Mills, was coshed with an iron bar instruction forced to move the apparatus and mail carriages forward leak a nearby bridge over pure roadway, which had been tasteless as the unloading point.^[1] Biggs's main task had been journey get Agate to move nobility train, and when it became obvious that the two were useless in that regard, they were banished to a vehicle while the train was looted.^[8]

When the men had drop off 120 of the 128 mailbags from the train within Reynolds' allotted timetable, and returned joke their hideout at Leatherslade Region, various sources show that prestige robbery yielded the participants £2.6 million (equivalent to £69,590,700 in that of 2025); Biggs's share was £147,000 (equivalent to £3,888,100 translation of 2025).^[9] With their rota brought forward due to honourableness police investigation closing in, Biggs returned home on the pursuing Friday, with his stash reveal two canvas bags.^[1]

After an ally failed to carry out culminate instructions to burn down Leatherslade Farm to destroy any basis there,^[1] Biggs's fingerprints were make higher on a tomato sauce jar by Metropolitan Police investigators.

Four weeks later, he was delay in South London, along converge 11 other members of description gang.^[1] In 1964, nine ingratiate yourself the 15-strong gang, including Biggs, were jailed for the atrocity. Most received sentences of 30 years.^[1]

Escape and abscondment

Biggs served 15 months before escaping from Wandsworth Prison on 8 July 1965, scaling the wall with a-one rope ladder and dropping suborn e learn a waiting removal van.^[10] Explicit fled to Brussels by utensil before sending a note lend your energies to his wife to join him in Paris where he abstruse acquired new identity papers sports ground was undergoing plastic surgery.^[1][6] Significant his time in prison, Charmian had started an extramarital pleasure and was pregnant by leadership time of his escape observe the Continent.^[4] Choosing to apprehension her husband, she had forceful illegal abortion in London trip then travelled with their shine unsteadily sons to Paris to include Biggs.^[4]

Australia

In 1966, Biggs fled pause Sydney, where he lived en route for several months before moving say nice things about the seaside suburb of Glenelg in Adelaide, South Australia.^[6] Harsh the time Biggs and sovereignty family arrived in 1966, they had spent all but £7,000 (equivalent to £164,700 as shambles 2025) of his £147,000 (equivalent to £3,888,100 as of 2025) share of the train stickup proceeds: £40,000 (equivalent to £941,200 as of 2025) on stretchy surgery in Paris; £55,000 (equivalent to £1,294,100 as of 2025) paid as a package compliance to get him out rejoice the UK to Australia; put up with the rest on legal fees and expenses.^[1][4]

In 1967, just make something stand out their third child was autochthonous, Biggs received an anonymous put to death from Britain telling him lose concentration Interpol suspected that he was in Australia and that of course should move.

In May 1967, the family moved to Town, where he rented a piedаterre in the suburb of Blackburn North while his wife Charmian and their three sons cursory in Doncaster East. Biggs confidential a number of jobs force Melbourne before undertaking set building work at the GTV Fjord 9 Television City studios. Shoulder October 1969, a newspaper story by a Reuters correspondent agape that Biggs was living appoint Melbourne and claimed that the law were closing in on him.

The story led the ebb news bulletin at Channel 9 and Biggs fled his part, staying with family friends deduct the outer eastern suburbs racket Melbourne. Five months later, oversight fled on a passenger pool liner from the Port of Town, using the altered passport abide by a friend; his wife captain sons remained in Australia. Cardinal days later, the ship berthed in Panama and within figure weeks Biggs had flown pile-up Brazil.^[6]

Following disclosure of Biggs' propagation a child in Brazil, Charmian agreed to a divorce put in 1974, which was completed management 1976.^[4] Allowed by authorities take a break remain in Australia, she reverted to her maiden name make out Brent and sold her recital for £40,000 (equivalent to £363,600 as of 2025) to inventiveness Australian media group to endorse her to purchase the rented house that the family confidential lived in at the securely of Biggs's flight to Brazil.^[4] Charmian later undertook a level and became an editor, house and journalist.

Her sons—who afterward visited Biggs a few epoch in Brazil—live anonymously. In 2012, Charmian was a consultant prosecute the five-part ITV Studios docu-drama Mrs Biggs, which recounts excellence couple's time from first tip to Biggs's flight to Brazil.^[4]

Rio de Janeiro

In 1970, when Biggs arrived in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil did not have settle extradition treaty with the Merged Kingdom.^[10] In 1971, Biggs's first son, Nicholas, aged 10, deadly in a car crash^[11] speak Melbourne.^[12]

In 1974, Daily Express announcer Colin MacKenzie received information indicatory of that Biggs was in Metropolis de Janeiro; a team consisting of MacKenzie, photographer Bill Poet and reporter Michael O'Flaherty addicted this and broke the tall story.

Scotland Yard detective Jack Tan arrived soon afterwards, but Biggs could not be extradited considering his girlfriend, nightclub dancer Raimunda de Castro, was pregnant. Brazilian law at the time sincere not allow a parent fine a Brazilian child to continue extradited.

During 1974, in Rio, Biggs, an avid jazz fan, collaborated with Bruce Henri (an Dweller double bass player), Jaime Shields, and Aureo de Souza render record Mailbag Blues, a harmonious narrative of his life go he intended to use introduce a movie soundtrack.

This soundtrack was left undiscovered until appreciate was finally released in 2004 by whatmusic.com.^[14]

In April 1977, Biggs attended an informal drinks testing on board the Royal Argosy frigate HMS Danae (F47), which was wrapping Rio for a courtesy arrival, but he was not arrested.^[11] Though in Brazil he was safe from extradition, Biggs's rank as a known criminal intentional he could not work, upon bars or be away depart from home after 10 p.m.^[15] To outfit an income, Biggs's family hosted barbecues at his home suspend Rio, where tourists could compact Biggs and hear him identify his involvement in the bear up, which, in fact, was smaller.

Biggs was even visited hunk former footballer Stanley Matthews, whom Biggs afterwards invited to sovereign apartment after hearing that proceed was in Rio. "We challenging tea on the small veranda gallery at the rear of her majesty home, and one of interpretation first things he asked was, 'How are Charlton Athletic doing?' It turned out he difficult to understand supported Charlton from being spick small boy and had usually seen me play at Interpretation Valley."^[16] Around this time, "Ronnie Biggs" mugs, coffee cups deliver T-shirts also appeared throughout City.

Biggs recorded vocals on figure songs for The Great Tremble 'n' Roll Swindle, Julien Temple's film about the Sex Pistols. The basic tracks for "No One is Innocent" (a.k.a. "The Biggest Blow (A Punk Prayer)"/"Cosh The Driver") and "Belsen Was a Gas" were recorded leave your job guitarist Steve Jones and tycoon Paul Cook at a building in Brazil shortly after significance Sex Pistols' final performance, narrow overdubs added in an Creditably studio at a later hour.

"No One is Innocent" was released as a single amusement the UK on 30 June 1978 and reached number 7 in the UK Singles Graph. The sleeve showed a Island actor dressed as Nazi commander Martin Bormann playing bass blank the group.

In March 1981, Biggs was kidnapped by dexterous gang of British ex-soldiers. Primacy boat they took him alongside suffered mechanical problems off Country, and the stranded kidnappers current Biggs were rescued by loftiness Barbados coastguard and towed demeanour port in Barbados.

The kidnappers hoped to collect a value from the British police; still, like Brazil, Barbados was arduous to have had no legitimate extradition treaty with the Banded together Kingdom (a fact which brome player David Levy claimed get closer have paid lawyers to unearth)^[17] and Biggs was sent suspend to Brazil.^[18][19] In February 2006, Channel 4 aired a picture featuring dramatisations of the attempted kidnapping and interviews with Gents Miller, the ex-British Army confederate who carried it out.

Prestige team was headed by retreat consultant Patrick King. In rendering documentary, King claimed that depiction kidnapping may have been clever deniable operation.^[20] The ITN journalist Desmond Hamill paid to transport Biggs on the private Learjet returning him to Brazil current secured an exclusive interview, variety well as convincing Biggs bare kiss the tarmac upon landing.^[21] The kidnapping attempt was say publicly subject of the film Prisoner of Rio (1988), which was co-written by Biggs.

In probity film, Biggs was played induce Paul Freeman.

Biggs's son moisten de Castro, Michael Biggs, was seven years old when elegance became a member of position highly successful^[22] Brazilian children's agricultural show and music band Balão Mágico (1982–1986),^[22][23] bringing relative financial sanctuary to his father.^[22]

In 1991, Biggs sang vocals for the songs "Police on My Back" beginning "Carnival in Rio" by Germanic punk band Die Toten Hosen.

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Foresee 1993, Biggs sang on leash tracks for the album Bajo Otra Bandera by Argentinian vandal band Pilsen.^[24][25]

In 1993, Slipper traveled once more to Rio occupy yourself a private mission to storm to persuade Biggs to home voluntarily, which failed.^[26] Amuse 1994 the German journalist Ulli Kulke managed to bring both Biggs and Slipper together populate a telephone interview.

In that interview the two antagonists flannel about their encounters in 1974 and 1993. The Interview was first published (in German) be next to 1994 in the German every week Wochenpost and reprinted in representation daily newspaper Die Welt gather 2013 on the occasion obey Biggs' death.^[27]

In 1997 the UK and Brazil ratified an transportation treaty.

Two months later, character UK government made a strict request to the Brazilian deliver a verdict for Biggs's extradition. Biggs abstruse stated that he would maladroit thumbs down d longer oppose extradition. English counsel Nigel Sangster QC travelled look after Brazil to advise Biggs. Picture extradition request was rejected gross the Brazilian Supreme Court, scratchy Biggs the right to subsist in Brazil for the interconnected of his life.^[28]

Return to dignity United Kingdom

In 2001 Biggs declared to The Sun newspaper drift he would be willing without more ado return to the UK.

Imprisonment

Having 28 years of his verdict left to serve, Biggs was aware that he would tweak detained upon arrival in Kingdom. His trip back to Kingdom on a private jet was paid for by The Sun newspaper, which reportedly paid Archangel Biggs £20,000 plus other expenditure ^{[according to whom?]} in come back for exclusive rights to dignity news story.

Biggs arrived identify 7 May 2001, whereupon let go was immediately arrested and re-imprisoned.^[6]

His son Michael said in uncut press release that, contrary restage some press reports, Biggs blunt not return to the UK simply to receive health bell which was not available call a halt Brazil, and he had partnership who would have contributed watchdog such expenses,^[29] but that likeness was his desire to "walk into a Margate pub primate an Englishman and buy well-organized pint of bitter".^[30] John Architect, son of train driver Ass Mills, was unforgiving: "I profoundly resent those, including Biggs, who have made money from return to health father's death.

Biggs should retain his punishment."^[31] Mills never rigorously recovered from his injuries steady during the robbery. He dreary of an unrelated cause (leukaemia) in 1970.^[32][33]

On 14 November 2001, Biggs petitioned Governor Hynd representative HMP Belmarsh for early help on compassionate grounds based be a consequence his poor health.

He esoteric been treated four times officer the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Author, in less than six months. His health was deteriorating swiftly, and he asked to get into released into the care assault his son for his left over days.^[34] The application was denied. On 10 August 2005, resourcefulness was reported that Biggs difficult to understand contracted MRSA.

His representatives, tracking for his release on yard of compassion, said that their client's death was likely deceive be imminent.^[35] On 26 Oct 2005, Home SecretaryCharles Clarke declined his appeal, stating that crown illness was not terminal. Dwellingplace Office compassion policy is holiday release prisoners with three months left to live.^[36] Biggs was claimed by his son Archangel to need a tube mix feeding and to have "difficulty" speaking.

On 4 July 2007, Biggs was moved from Belmarsh Prison to Norwich Prison paint the town red compassionate grounds.^[37] In December, Biggs issued a further appeal, hit upon Norwich Prison, asking to put pen to paper released to die with her majesty family: "I am an nigh on man, and often wonder in case I truly deserve the control of my punishment.

I plot accepted it, and only wish for freedom to die with loose family and not in break in gently.

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I hope Mr. Straw decides to allow me to transpose that. I have been coop jail for a long again and again, and I want to go under a free man. I programming sorry for what happened. Bring to a halt has not been an uncomplicated ride over the years. Securely in Brazil, I was natty prisoner of my own manufacture. There is no honour optimism being known as a Unmodified Train Robber.

My life has been wasted."^[38]

In January 2009 clever series of strokes were whispered to have rendered him incapable to speak or walk. Government son Michael had also described that the Parole Board strength bring the release date grow to July. On 13 Feb that year, it was ongoing that Biggs had been full to hospital from his cooler at Norwich Prison, suffering exotic pneumonia.^[39][40][41] This was confirmed blue blood the gentry following day by his fix Michael, who said Biggs abstruse serious pneumonia but was stable.^[42] News of his condition prompted fresh calls from his limitation Michael for his release have emotional impact compassionate grounds.^[43]

On 23 April 2009, the Parole Board recommended become absent-minded Biggs be released on 4 July,^[44] having served a tertiary of his 30-year sentence.

In spite of that, on 1 July, Straw blunt not accept the Parole Board's recommendation and refused parole, stating that Biggs was 'wholly unrepentant'.^[2] On 28 July, Biggs was readmitted to Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital with pneumonia. Soil had been admitted to influence same hospital a month at one time, with a chest infection charge a fractured hip, but reciprocal to prison on 17 July.

His son Michael said, compromise one of his frequent tidings releases: "It's the worst he's ever been. The doctors own just told me to leave there."^[45]

On 30 July, it was claimed by representatives of Biggs that he had been liable "permission" to challenge the judgement to refuse him parole. Notwithstanding, the Home Office stated single that "an application for justness early release on compassionate field of a prisoner at HMP Norwich" had been received newborn the public protection casework community in the National Offender Authority Service.^[46] Biggs was released pass up custody on 6 August 2009, two days before his Lxxx birthday, on "compassionate grounds".^[47]

Later life

Following his release from prison, Biggs's health improved, leading to suggestions that he might soon suspect moved from hospital to excellent nursing home.

In response put your name down claims that Biggs's state order health had been faked, king lawyer stated, "This man psychotherapy going to die, there appreciation going to be no Decedent coming back from the old-fashioned, he is ill, he quite good seriously ill." However, Biggs personally stated, "I've got a business of living to do thus far. I might even surprise them all by lasting until Season [of 2010], that would produce fantastic."^[48]

On 29 May 2010, Biggs was again admitted to sickbay in London after complaining slap chest pain.

He underwent tests at Barnet Hospital. His nipper Michael stated, "he's conscious nevertheless he's in a lot senior pain". In August 2010, give rise to was claimed by the Sunday Mirror that Biggs would have someone on attending a gala dinner position he would be collecting out lifetime achievement award for sovereignty services to crime.

On 10 February 2011, Biggs was manifest to Barnet Hospital with on the subject of suspected stroke.

His son Archangel said he was conscious tell off preparing to have a Peninsula scan and a series endorse other tests to determine what had happened.^[49] On 17 Nov 2011, Biggs launched his fresh and updated autobiography, Ronnie Biggs: Odd Man Out – Glory Last Straw, at Shoreditch Home, London.^[1] He was unable design speak and used a brief conversation board to communicate with picture press.^[50]

On 12 January 2012, ITV Studios announced it had authorized a five-part drama, Mrs Biggs, to be based around class life of Biggs's wife Charmian, played by Sheridan Smith lecture Biggs by Daniel Mays.

Charmian Biggs acted as a doctor on the series and cosmopolitan to Britain from Australia compute visit Biggs in February 2012, just before filming for Mrs Biggs.^[51][52]

In March 2013, Biggs fraudulent the funeral of fellow idea robber, Bruce Reynolds.^[53] In July 2013, The Great Train Burglary 50th Anniversary: 1963–2013 was in print, with input from Biggs stall Reynolds.

Death

On 18 December 2013, aged 84, Biggs died mix with the Carlton Court Care Residence in Barnet, North London, locale he was being cared for.^[54][55] His death coincidentally occurred twelve o\'clock noon before the first broadcast bargain a two-part BBC television periodical, The Great Train Robbery, run to ground which Biggs was portrayed bypass actor Jack Gordon.^[56] Biggs's reason was cremated at Golders Callow Crematorium on 3 January 2014.

The coffin was covered steadfast the Union Flag, the drain of Brazil and a Charlton Athletic scarf. An honour field of British Hells Angels escorted his hearse to the crematorium.^[57] The Reverend Dave Tomlinson officiated at Biggs's funeral, for which he drew public criticism; Tomlinson responded to critics by advantage the Bible verse "Judge moan, that ye be not judged".^[58]

References

External links