Ronnie Biggs denied parole

sidthesexist · 1 Jul 2009 at 19:46

The Great Train Robber Ronnie Biggs has been refused parole by Justice Secretary Jack Straw.

Mr Straw rejected a recommendation by the Parole Board which backed the release of Biggs, 79.

Mr Straw said Biggs was "wholly unrepentant" about his actions and had "outrageously courted the media".

BBC

What actual purpose is there in keeping this bloke in jail? he's seriously ill and hardly a threat to the British people so why honestly are they not releasing him?

On another point iirc wasn't it a European court that decided in the past that government ministers couldn't decide whether to increase someones sentence or not and that it had to be decided by a judge? if that's the case should it not be that whether someone is released is decided by a judge as well rather than someone with political motives?

Sankari · 1 Jul 2009 at 19:47

Glad to hear he's been denied parole. Hope he gets a right good kicking while he's in there.

sidthesexist · 1 Jul 2009 at 19:49

Evangelion said:
Glad to hear he's been denied parole. Hope he gets a right good kicking while he's in there.

Care to explain why?

JBuk · 1 Jul 2009 at 19:50

Von Smallhausen · 1 Jul 2009 at 19:53

sidthesexist said:
BBC

What actual purpose is there in keeping this bloke in jail? he's seriously ill and hardly a threat to the British people so why honestly are they not releasing him?

He participated in what was then the biggest robbery in British history where over £2m was taken and a train driver died not long after. He was coshed at the scene and died a broken man.

Ronnie Biggs was sentenced to 30 years and decided to escape after 15 months, flee to Brazil, live the high life, stick two fingers up at the authorities and court the press.

When the money and women ran out, he returned to the UK and resumed his sentence.

His capacity to re-offend is diminished purely by circumstance and he has not shown one iota of remorse for what he took part in and don't forget that if he had of done his time from the start, he would have been free after about 12-15 years and free to live his life.

No sympathy from me. He is reaping exactly what he has sowed.

JBuk · 1 Jul 2009 at 19:54

Yeah thats my views exactly , couldn't be bothered to try and explain though

Luke · 1 Jul 2009 at 19:55

Von Smallhausen said:
common sense

Exactly.

Feek · 1 Jul 2009 at 19:55

Von Smallhausen said:
No sympathy from me. He is reaping exactly what he has sowed.

Sums up pretty much what I think.

aardvark · 1 Jul 2009 at 19:57

yep, serves him right. If you can't do the time you shouldn't do the crime.

Sankari · 1 Jul 2009 at 19:58

sidthesexist said:
Care to explain why?

He's a filthy, unrepentant waste of human DNA who stuck two fingers up at the police and the nation for years, and profiting from his infamy. Now he's finally paying for it. I see no reason why he should be allowed to dodge his sentence.

And if a burly inmate decides to tap Biggs' head against the wall a few times for the lulz, I won't be shedding any tears.

sidthesexist · 1 Jul 2009 at 19:58

Von Smallhausen said:
He participated in what was then the biggest robbery in British history where over £2m was taken and a train driver died not long after. He was coshed at the scene and dies a broken man.

The evidence Ronnie Biggs coshed the driver is? last time i heard there were several suspects for this and it was never proven who actually did it?

And yes he was sentenced to 30 years a sentence totally out of step with sentence length at that time and yet again very likely influenced by politicians wanting to look tough on crime.

Heliospherez · 1 Jul 2009 at 19:59

sidthesexist said:
Care to explain why?

1.) He robbed a train with an armed gang stealing £2.6million using violence.
2.) He escaped jail and failed to admit he did anything wrong / failed to do his time.
3.) He shacked up in another country and then began to claim he was innocent/some sort of celeb (living off the takings no doubt)
4.) Thriving on his new twisted celeb status - he thought he could come home scot free.

The reason the sentance was so long was to deter similar acts (which it did) & it wasn't that long by 1963 standards - They copied a similar train robery a few years earlier. The bulk of the money was never recovered.

In my eyes - if all robberies in the UK had such harse sentances there wouldn't be so many of them - and chavs like Biggs wouldn't be holding up shopkeepers and businesses every day of the week in every city. He was guilty after all and his celeb status was sickening.

Anyone that feels sorry for him should try being on the receiving end of an armed gang demanding stuff with threats.

Sankari · 1 Jul 2009 at 20:00

sidthesexist said:
The evidence Ronnie Biggs coshed the driver is? last time i heard there were several suspects for this and it was never proven who actually did it?

He didn't claim that Biggs was the one who coshed the driver.

The Deuce · 1 Jul 2009 at 20:00

it really annoys me when people say "why he's no threat?" He's paying his dues and should DIE in gaol. End of, that's justice.

Von Smallhausen · 1 Jul 2009 at 20:03

sidthesexist said:
The evidence Ronnie Biggs coshed the driver is? last time i heard there were several suspects for this and it was never proven who actually did it?

I didn't say he coshed the driver but he took part in a joint enterprise robbery.

And yes he was sentenced to 30 years a sentence totally out of step with sentence length at that time and yet again very likely influenced by politicians wanting to look tough on crime.

Sentencing was very much tougher then than it is now, ie a deterrent.

sidthesexist · 1 Jul 2009 at 20:05

Von Smallhausen said:
Sentencing was very much tougher then than it is now, ie a deterrent.

sentencing was a lot tougher then but 30 years was still way out of step of any other sentence for armed robbery and pretty blatantly politically motivated

Sankari · 1 Jul 2009 at 20:08

sidthesexist said:
sentencing was a lot tougher then but 30 years was still way out of step of any other sentence for armed robbery and pretty blatantly politically motivated

It was entirely proportionate to the scale of the crime. The amount they stole was equivalent to £38 million in today's money! That's just insane.

Politically motivated? Pffft. What a load of cobblers.

Feek · 1 Jul 2009 at 20:11

sidthesexist said:
On another point iirc wasn't it a European court that decided in the past that government ministers couldn't decide whether to increase someones sentence or not and that it had to be decided by a judge? if that's the case should it not be that whether someone is released is decided by a judge as well rather than someone with political motives?

His sentence hasn't been increased. He came back in what, 2001? So he's done around ten years of a thirty year sentence. Just on those grounds alone, he shouldn't even be considered for parole yet.

Johnny Girth · 1 Jul 2009 at 20:11

Good decision. Let him rot there.

tb2000 · 1 Jul 2009 at 20:12

He an old man, who's pretty much on his last legs. Hardly a threat now. Just a waste of taxpayers money to keep him in imo.
The train driver, Jack Mills, died of leukaemia, not being bashed on the head (although he did suffer from trauma headaches for the rest of his life). As far as i'm concerned, what Biggs did is nowhere near as bad as some crimes people do these days (and back then as well). I know he was sentenced in a different era, but the government stance is still the same - money is more important than people. These days, peadophiles, rapists, etc. get paltry sentences in comparison. Typical really, as I say, the government and courts are always the same, you can murder someone and not get life, or be a rapist and not get much inside but DON'T, whatever you do, have the audacity to steal money from the government because you'll get a pasting.
Not saying it's right what he and his accomplices did, just that the sentencing is all to **** imho.