-- Reviews by the Famous and well Known
Charles Bronson is in my view a man more sinned against than sinning. He has been given no chance whatsoever to rehabilitate and the Prison System has failed miserable to redeem him. Any redemption has come from his own efforts. I condemn the men with dark suits at the Prison Service as those that care nothing about humanity. They strip those they should help not only of their dignity but of their individuality and create bitterness. Charles Bronson has done his best and for such he should be applauded. When many in prison deal in drugs, alcohol, bullying Charles Bronson does not pass his time but uses his time a little like swallowing your food or chewing it. The Trial imposed upon him a sentence which in any view was unlawful. Parliament never intended that men as Charles Bronson serving a discretionary life sentence would remain in jail indeterminately. His 'tariff' was three years. He has served over 8 years. It is a disgrace and those at the prison Service deserve to feel ashamed. Charles
Bronson has educated himself and others and refuses to die. Even if the Prison Service kill him his spirit of freedom and fairness will outlive the men in grey at the Prison Service. His book is an insight into a man that has been seriously wronged. I support him and will do all I can to achieve the freedom he deserves. Read the book and you will understand the man.
Giovanni di Stefano, Italian European Lawyer
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If Allah or God ever required a spokesman to reveal the unpalatable truth about the British Prison System, he would select Charles Bronson. He is the only writer to date that can make me laugh hysterically on one page and then smash me in the face with human misery and despair on another. Where would we be without this master raconteur of fearless honesty. This man is a National Treasure and it high time he was home.
Terry Smith, Author of 'Nil Desperandum'
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(Photo: Mark Peterson and Apex Publishing's Chris Cowlin with a copy of 'Loonyology').
Mark Peterson, Brother of Charles Bronson
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(Photo: Eira Peterson and Apex Publishing's Chris Cowlin with a copy of 'Loonyology').
Eira Peterson, Mother of Charles Bronson
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In the short time I have got to know Charlie, through writing and phone correspondence, visits to see him on Fwing Cat A seg unit or block or whatever it is the moonbase in Wakefield, watched him through the dumb waiter with bars on it, pour me countless cups of coffee and drink banana milkshakes, eat hundreds of chocolate muffins flip upside down back forward press-ups sit ups, score goals for England at Wembley with a rolled up sock, take of his glasses and let me stare for the longest time into his eyes to sense where and what he is, and what it is about him that is so bloody fascinating? He'll tell me hundreds of stories, pat me on the back proudly grip my biceps and laugh at my shape growing, collecting articles and photos, as my trainer Peanut put me threw my paces, calling and writing letters sending me and my family gifts or drawings to support me when I've been concerned about things not to do with the work I have been doing for his film, he has given me sound fatherly advice and support and surprised me at every turn with his warmth and generosity, his spirit and tenacity of character. I don't deny that he is capable of incredible acts of rage and to me unnecessary acts of violence but it never seems indiscriminate and the man I have come to know is certainly by no means a monster. But a new found friend. Whom I trust would help me wherever he could, and I would like to see him come home soon. This is another one of his books, and all of them are about survival for me, not very many people would still make the effort if they weren't desperately trying to express something beyond simply glamorizing the life of a career criminal. He has been all over the side of a system and been a part of it's abuse on both sides where many of us will never go would never ever know existed. He has spent years and years in his own company pushed from pillar to post, certified insane the certified sane again to get him out of one institution to another, where to put him and what to do with him? Painting poetry, songs not for everybody. I have met killers and people who have no interest in change, at all, changing themselves to better to meet the conditions of the world. They would rather sit and embrace the hell of their circumstance and show no interest in redemption. This is not the case with Charlie, which is frustrating and what makes him so loveable to me. Not everyone would bother being so positive in solitary, many would curl up and die. Blessed or cursed Charlie is a special and unique. Whatever you may think of him he is a fighter, and incredibly proud, I have found him to be the biggest most ferocious example of a naughty school child I have ever encountered, the type of man who will point to the sky and say What's that? And then run off and climb a roof. A man who will ask for another when he is slapped rather than admit defeat, and rise to the challenge of his manhood, but not hurt innocent kids women or men, who loves the adrenalin of a really good fight, old school style. There are more dangerous people in prison than Charlie, much more, not that he isn't guilty of self will run riot and furious anger and isn't responsible for his behavior, but prison is prison, and it's a tough and violent, lonely scary place. if madness is the repetition of the same action expecting a different outcome then Charlie is indeed mad, but sometimes it's just a question of the using the only tools we have, because they are all we know, until we are ready for new ones and sometimes when we struggle in the current we drown, these books and his poetry and his art are safe tools, the pen is mightier than the sword. When Charlie doesn't struggle with the system and has free flow, his art and books are safe,
It would be a shame to lose him to the madness and the stigma of nonsense and fear that surrounds the mystery of a man who has found himself in a huge pickle.
This is not a monster, this man is not evil. It won't be and hasn't been easy being Charlie.
Loonyology is a great insight to Charlie’s life and thoughts, an entertaining read for all.
(Photo Left: Apex Publishing's Chris Cowlin and actor Tom Hardy with a copy of 'Loonyology'. Photo Right: Apex Publishing's Chris Cowlin, actor Tom Hardy and film producer Danny Hansford with a copy of 'Loonyology'.).
Tom Hardy, Actor
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Hello people, my names Dave Courtney and I want to tell you a bit about my friend Charlie Bronson. I was actually in the A cat unit with Charlie in Belmarsh. Things were a bit tense at first to say the least but we soon became pals. Please believe me, I have seen some real nutter's in my time and many of these fully, paid up, card carrying loon puts are not even in the nick, they walk the streets everyday! I don't wish jail on anyone but some people that walk the streets simply shouldn't be allowed out. And some of the psycho savages I've seen through the years could not go anywhere else but prison. Charlie Bronson is NOT one of those!
The public needs a bad guy but Charlie is simply not the loony Hannibal Lecter character the sad cases out there want him to be to brighten up their own dull lives. Yes, Charlie can have a row but he's more interested in art, poetry and books these days. Please believe me, there are a lot worse men than Bronson and Ronnie Biggs walking about. They have both done their time with courage. Now, show some courage of your own and free them. This book is a great insight to how Charlie’s mind works, having been locked up for those years. (Photo Left: Dave Courtney with a copy of 'Loonyology', Photo Right: Dave Courtney and Apex Publishing's Chris Cowlin with a copy of 'Loonyology').
Dave Courtney, Celebrity Gangster & Best Selling Author
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I have been looking forward to a new Charlie Bronson book for some time now. Each time Charlie writes a book, he reveals more about the real man and less of the myth that surrounds him.
Charlie knows of course that in effect these books can work against him but he marches on in typical Bronson fashion and that has to be admired. Charlie considers his life as a positive gift not some kind of curse and sees everyday as a victory... Now, that's amazing for a man in his position.
All that's left to say from me to Charlie is 'Stay Strong' and from me to you 'Stay reading'.
Howard Marks, Underworld Figure and Author of 'Mr Nice'
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I have seen it all over the years. The very best of human nature but more primarily the very worse. I have been incarcerated with the absolute scum of our so called society. Most of these so called 'people' give off pure evil, it comes off them like a strong case of B.O. You do not need to be told 'he's evil or she's evil' they don't need pointing out, they just are what they are... 100%, putrid, Satan on earth evil!
Over the years, the powers that be have tried to convince the poor, weak, gullible public that Charlie Bronson is one of those scumbags and incredibly but I suppose not surprisingly, the poor old public who think they know it all are taken in by it. Charlie Bronson is not evil, never has been and never will be but those they have slung him in with are, Ian Huntley is just one that Charlie Bronson has to live in close proximity too. Christ, is it surprising he gets wound up from time to time?
I cannot believe Bronson is still in there, what are they trying to do with this man. The man is a rebel, he doesn't take too kindly to being shoved about by authority, that does not make him 'Britain's most dangerous prisoner', 'The UK's most violent man' and all the rest of the crap they label him with.
By making men like Bronson out to be the worst criminals in the country, it gives the illusion that the government are winning the war on crime when they are not, they are losing ... Badly. But the worst they make out those they have in captivity to be the more successful it makes them look.
This is nothing new, it's been going on for generations, it's just so many people are too thick to see it!
Charles Bronson should of been freed years ago, if he was a filthy child molester like these so called 'pillars' of society he probably would of been. My dear, close friend Tel Currie asked me to contribute to this book. After he explained the reasoning behind it I accepted because there is a very human, realness about this one.
In this book, we finally get to see the real man not the myth. The human being not the legend. For those who do not know the man, it may come as a big surprise. Read on ...
Charlie Richardson, Infamous Gangster & Author of 'My Manor' - Written the Foreword
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To be honest, I still can't believe we are fighting for this man's freedom. How long must this medieval barbarism go on for? Would Charlie have had more chance if he were a nonce or killer? My mate Tel Currie (who is like a brother to me and indeed all the 'Chaps') has worked his bollocks off fighting for justice and we are all with him. But will it do any good? Have they already made their minds up? Still, we will keep fighting.
This little gem of a book will show you what Charlie is really about. Do you really think men like myself, Tel Currie, Charlie Richardson, Ronnie Knight, Roy Shaw, Howard Marks and Albert Chapman would bother with a total lunatic who was a threat to decent people... NO! Is the answer. Please read on and give your support.
Carlton Leach, Author of 'Muscle'
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Once you pick this book up you won't want to put it down. 100% Charles Bronson, not to be missed!
Jason Marriner, Author of 'It's Only A Game'
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If anyone knows what Charlie is going through I do. I think they have had far more than their pound of flesh from both of us and many others besides. We look down on third world prisons and the way they are run but let me tell you, the system here is just as bad. What benefit will they gain in keeping us in these hell holes any longer?
This book will show some of the things we have to go through ... read on!
Ronnie Biggs, Famous Prisoner
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Extraordinary insight into the darkside of our penal system, a great read that's 100% Bronson!
Cass Pennant, Author of 'Cass'
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A fantastic book, I really enjoyed reading it, a very rare account of Charlie's thoughts and an insight of what his life is like in prison. Don't miss it - you will enjoy it!
Roy Shaw, Famous Armed Robber & Author
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Another year passes by and yet more filthy pedophiles and rapists are set free to live among us, among us and our children. Meanwhile, miles away from his family Charlie Bronson will spend yet another year in a concrete coffin. And as usual, apart from the 'few' no fucker will do a damn thing about it.
They may moan about how barbaric the whole thing is but that's useless unless you are actually DOING something about it! Men like Myself, Tel Currie snr & jnr, Dave Courtney, Alan Raymont, Mark Fish, Charlie Richardson, Roy Shaw, Carlton Leach and of course the late Joey Pyle Snr & Reg, Ron & Charlie Kray have all proudly and tirelessly worked our arses off for fucking years to get some justice for Chaz.I'm not boasting but their are so many fakes and band wagon jumpers and parasites around men like Charlie Bronson, Ronnie Biggs, the Kray's and the 'CHAPS' in general that go around boasting how they are all 'best mates with the firm'. That it makes me physically sick!
I can tell you that for most of us, our true, staunch, reliable, loyal, tested friends we could count on our fingers and I'm sure Chaz is no different. In fact, he is one of the very best at sussing a wanker a mile away! Point is, his REAL friends, the ones with spine and balls need to keep the fight going. The plastics and wannabe's will always bask in the reflected glory at the benefit and boxing do's but the people who matter know who's who. So lets keep pushing forward and not rest until the door finally springs open and the light shines on an outrageous miscarriage of justice!
This book shows you Charlie Bronson’s world and what he has to go through and how he lives – an eye opener!
Bernie Davies, Underworld Figure
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I have been good friends with Charlie for a good few years now and proud to call him a friend. It may sound over simplistic just to say that he shouldn't be in there ...but simply, he shouldn't. What did he actually do that was so horrifyingly wrong that he is locked inside that chamber of horrors they call Wakefield?
What did he do to earn neighbours like Ian Huntley, Victor Miller, Robert Maudsley and Roy Whitting (All killers!) How has he kept it together in that sort of company? Could you do it? So what have we learned? More than anything is that those with a bit of spirit, anti authority rebels and mavericks will NOT be tolerated. They are considered worse threats to society than pedophiles. What does that tell you about politicians and judges!?!
This is why Charlie is still in a cage, it has become political and frankly they don't know what to do with men like he and Ronnie Biggs. Other rebels like Roy Shaw, 'Mad' Frankie Fraser and Jimmy Boyle would they have got out if their crimes were more recent? I very much doubt it! Yet, they went on to become successful men in the straight world. Why? Because they were given the chance to show the world they could... Bronson has not. We all know there have been a lot more infamous characters and heavyweight villains than Charlie released, men like Freddie Foreman and Charlie Richardson were far more involved than Charlie Bronson and they done ok. For God's sake, give him a chance!
This book reveals what Charlie is thinking and feeling, having being locked up for some many years, a book you won’t want to put down.
Tel Currie Snr, Businessman
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I speak on behalf of many good people when I say I'm disgusted at how Charlie Bronson is being treated. I'm not just talking about the rascals either. All the good, law abiding folk I have met think it's barbaric also, so it's not just an underworld opinion it's a public opinion! Good men like Mickey Dunn and Ronnie Brown who served with Charlie in jail have moved on to successful, legitimate lives. Why can't Bronson do that? Because they wont give him the chance that's why. How long must a man serve before he is considered punished? Well, for a sex case it seems not very long at all but for others it's throw away the key time! Oh, what a fine example to the world that is. Also remember, Charlie is NOT mad, he has been certified sane... Have you? Give the man a chance and then the authorities may earn a bit of respect back. Because they certainly have none now!
This book shows what Charlie is really like, the true Charlie Bronson – don’t miss it!
'Big' Albert Chapman, Underworld Figure
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When our great friend Tel Currie asked if I would write a piece for this Charlie Bronson book, I was more than happy to oblige. Even though I don't make a habit of getting involved in other people's books and projects, it usually has to be an exceptional case and Charlie Bronson's case is indeed exceptional!
This book will be a great chance for people to get as close to Charlie's thoughts as possible and give a real insight into what keeps this remarkable man going. The amazing thing about Charlie Bronson is that he doesn't just keep going and survive but always remains positive, looks to the future and cherishes each day. He often comments on how lucky he is!
This inspiring outlook doesn't change the fact that what they are doing with him, Ronnie Biggs and others is barbaric! But what do they care? They are all drinking vintage wine's and eating caviar in their luxury houses.
If you don't know what Charlie Bronson is all about and want to read about a real man fighting a real miscarriage of justice ... Then read on me old china's.
Ronnie Knight, Underworld Figure and Author of 'Blood and Revenge'
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The Bronson situation is a total waste of life! What good can it do after all these years?This is not punishment, it's petty revenge by a system out of ideas. This book will explain more about the real man. Remember, no man is as big as his myth!
John Knight, Author of 'Gotcha! The Untold Story of Britain's Biggest Cash Robbery'
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It's a funny thing with Charlie Bronson. Despite the tragic and brutal environment he is enslaved in, he always makes you come away laughing. I don't know how anyone in that kind of hell making people roar with laughter, but he does. Charlie has some good supporters around him and I think at some point he has fallen out with all of them! But here is a man, full of talent for all sorts of things stuck behind concrete and iron, what good will that do?
I'm sure Charlie's own version of what it's like will appear in Loonyology. I was the main MC and sometimes ref in the golden age of unlicensed, I'm talking from about 1975-1986. These were the days when Roy 'Pretty Boy' Shaw and Lenny Mclean had virtually declared war and their three epic fights will go down in folklore. There were also good fighters like Cliff Fields and Johnny Waldren who both knocked Lenny spark out cold twice! Nobody wanted to fight Cliff Fields, he was without a doubt 'The Guv'nor'.
Sometimes I think what a shame it is that Charlie Bronson was not out there in the unlicensed circuit. He and Joey Pyle would of made a great team, he looked up to Joe like a Dad and he certainly would not disrespect Joe like he may have done some others. Imagine my famous announcement "BRING ON THE LIONS!" and having Charlie walking down one side and say Lenny down the other!
Who knows how good he could have been? I don't usually bother with so called 'hard man' books anymore, some of the muppets that put them out. How the hell do they get published? You will notice none of these complete jokes are on this list because Tel Currie, Chris Cowlin or Charles Bronson would not bother asking them - that's why. This is a great book and I reckon it could be Charlie's last book before he packs that game in so it's a must, it could be his last work on this scale.
But now he has a much bigger fight on his hands... BUT one thing is for sure THERE WILL BE NO TOWELS BEING THROWN IN!
Nosher Powell, Actor and Author of 'Nosher'
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I don't usually do this sort of thing, reviews, etc, but when my great friend Tel Currie and I had an in depth chat about it I thought it may be not such a bad idea. Tel (who is more one of 'THE CHAPS' than some of the more well known 'CHAPS' and I trust his judgment) and I talked at great length about this book and it was not a decision I took on lightly. But the over riding factor I could not get away from is that what is happening to Charlie Bronson is WRONG!
He has been left in limbo purely because they don't know what to do with him.These labels they have stuck on him are ridiculous 'most violent man in Britain' and all that nonsense.
I have served time with the best and worse of them, I have seen them all. I could take up this book with a list of the infamous names I have served with. There is a huge difference between a rascal who was anti authority in his younger days and somebody who is pure evil. Bronson is NOT evil as this book will explain.
I served time with Charlie Bronson and our time together is documented in my books 'Brown Bread Fred' and 'Respect'. Charlie has calmed down a lot since those days I describe in my books when he really needed help NOT beatings and solitary!
Still, he came through it and is a much mellower, articulate and thoughtful man. For all his antics in the past, I can assure you that Charlie has a heart of gold and I mean that sincerely.
Is a concrete coffin really the best we can do for somebody like him? The guy is NOT Hannibal Lecter
I suggest you read this book. You may be surprised at how human 'Britain's most dangerous man REALLY is.'
Freddie Foreman, Underworld Figure and Author of 'Brown Bread Fred'
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Yet another unique Bronson book. Loonology could only have been done by the Real McCoy, Bronson himself. No ghost writers just pure Bronson at it's best.
Jamie O'Keefe, Author of ‘Old School-New School, Bouncers Training Guide’
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Being perhaps the only man to be classed as a trusted friend and an ex-prison officer who spent many hours with Charlie in Belmarsh prison maximum security segregation units I can confirm this book is 100% Charlie Bronson. Until you read this book you will never begin to understand the real man behind the myth that the prison service has created. This book is the real deal, Charlie speaking from the heart about his life incarcerated in some of the deepest dungeons in our decaying prison system. All I can say is don’t believe all you read in the media read it from the man himself you will be amazed by the character of the man I am privileged to call my friend.
Jim Dawkins, Author of 'The Loose Screw' and 'The British Crime and Prison Quiz Book'
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It's about time Charlie had his say, his views and opinions are straight to the point, its Charlie's straight talking that will take this book to number one.
Lindsay Frayne, Author of 'The Frayne Bros'
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In the years when Tel Currie was my boxing coach and trainer along with my cousin's Jimmy 'on the cobbles' Stockin and Billy Smith, he would keep me updated on all the was going on in the world of the 'CHAPS'. This would also include 'Gypsy' Johnny Frankham (The Official King Of The Gypsy's) a man Tel will not mind me telling you he looked up to a great deal. So myself, Billy Smith, Jimmy Stockin and the 'King of the Gypsy's' would always ask Tel what was going on. Mostly, this would concern Charlie Bronson and Ronnie Biggs (The rest of the things we talked about I cannot tell you about ha!) Christ, we had some wild days me, Tel, Bill, Jim, Toucher and the boys, even being thrown out of an unlicensed bout once when shots started ringing out all over the place. "Have you checked the kit bag Telboy?" "Yep, Q tips, towel, bandages, Vaseline, bayonet, Lugar, berretta, duster!" Great days! Only joking (a bit).
Anyway, It was pretty obvious that what was happening to Charlie Bronson was disgusting. When you think what other scum have done. Please buy this book
and see the human side of a decent bloke. Respect to all!
Joe Smith, Bare Knuckle Fighter
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Charles Bronson was once the last person you would invite over for Sunday lunch but Loonyology is a clear message to the world that Britain’s most infamous prisoner has changed.
Charles comes clean on his brutal past which has left a trail of destruction comparable to a Series of 24. After all the inconsistent things said and written about him, at last we hear from the man himself in his no holds barred account.
Written in the way only Charles could write, the book confronts the prison system; his viscious past; his personal frustrations and the battle with permanent isolation. However, for the first time, Charles opens up about his future and this is the part that the parole board should be alerted to.
Thirty three years locked up with just a handful of days' freedom is more than most men could handle – let alone someone that has never committed murder nor any sexual crime. Most of his crimes have been committed whilst held in deplorable conditions – and he defended himself like any proud and powerful man would.
None of us would condone Charles’s past, but surely now he has paid his debt and it is time to judge the new Charles Bronson. Would I now invite him over to Sunday lunch? - for sure. Good luck Charlie!
David Williams, Author of 'Desert England'
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Both myself, Tel Currie and most of the other 'CHAPS' have had our ups and downs with the man the public call 'Britain's most violent man'. A man us little mob know simply know as Charlie or Chaz. Considering his position and the way he is being brutalized it's hardly surprising he gets frustrated don't you agree? Most people can just pick the phone up and resolve a situation in minutes, Chaz can't do that. The result being his imagination festers and tiny things can blow up. People must understand this because not many people could cope with his existence. Why on earth he is being forced to live the life of a fucking nonce or grass is not something that will be disclosed to working class rascals like us, this sort of thing comes from Sir Rupert and Lord Sebastian at the top.
There are only a few people who really know Charlie and despite all the claims from wannabe's, fakes, plastic gangster's and good weather supporters, there are only a few hardcore friends and supporters! This is a long term battle, like the one with Ronnie Biggs, it's a constant, intense fight. AS far as I know, Tel Currie, Mike Biggs, Mike Gray and Roy Shaw are now Ronnie Biggs only regular visitors. Compare that to when Ronnie returned and EVERYONE wanted to tell everyone else they had visited and he was their pal. I can tell you, these good weather pals are NOT what we need
now for Chaz, Ronnie or any other prisoner who has done his time or should not be in there at all. WE need a strong, solid, intense, consistent fight.
Read this book and decide ... are you in or out!
Wilf Pine, Underworld Figure and Subject of 'One of the Family: The Englishman and the Mafia'
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I find it revolting that Chaz Bronson is looked at as someone who is a lost cause. Brady - yes, lost cause. Maudsley - yes, lost cause. Huntley - yes, lost cause. Bronson is not one of these. The man is an artist, poet, author, son, father and brother who killed nobody. Why can nothing be done for him?
Look what happened when Jimmy Boyle was released.Chaz can make good legitimate money easily now, crime is over. I find it amazing that people think men like us would tolerate a dangerous, psycho, running around hurting normal, good folk, we would NOT have it, let alone support the bastard. That's proof enough that Bronson does not come into that league. Who has the right to keep a man in a piss hole until he rots? Who?! Give this book a read and give the man a chance.
Johnny Nash, Underworld Figure
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Sometimes people in prison are classed all the same. There are good guys and there are obviously bad guys. Charlie Bronson's book in sad on occasions, but its realistic and true. I wish him every success.
George Reynolds, Former Safecracker and Former Chairman of Darlington Football Club
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An interesting and fascinating read!
Garry Bushell, Newspaper Columnist, Television Presenter and Author
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This is one of those books that is a "must read". It's an invaluable insight into the life and mind of britains most famous prisoner. Proving that once again Charles bronson is a master at his craft, awesome reading. A real masterpiece!
Terry Stone, Actor and Producer
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Bronson’s Loonyology is that warm ray of sunshine that fills a bleak prison cell with joy when the all else seems lost. One of the best for 2008.
Paul Knight, Author of 'Coding of a Concrete Animal’
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Fascinating, funny, shocking and at times extremely sad, Charlie’s books always make for a really great read - his life is compelling and his style forceful, captivating and unbearably convincing.
As a writer I have always believed in telling it as it is; no lies or bullshit or crap, and in Loonyology Charlie most definitely tells it as it is.
The book is a compelling journey into the mind of a convict who has been kept locked up like a rabid animal for most of his adult life. In a culture which supposedly prides itself on human-rights, and a system that purportedly strivesfor responsibility, accountability and transparency, Charlie demonstrates in his own inimitable style the injustice, hypocrisy and plain madness of a darker world most people chose to ignore. Keeping Charlie hidden away is not the action of a modern, caring society, but an inhumane, brutal world that shuts an ignorant and uncaring door on another human being. It is only his reputation and infamy that is keeping him inside, not his crime or his actions. If we live in a ‘Christian’, sympathetic, compassionate world where we really do forgive, where we really do give second chances, where we really do believe that there is decency and humanity in each and every one of us then stop punishing the already punished. This book is an insight into the madness that keeps Charlie sane.
Robin Barratt, Author of 'Bouncers and Bodyguards: Tales from a Twilight World'
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This is Charlie at his best, no messing, straight talking from his mind, it’s as if Charlie was sat chatting with you. Charlie’s intelligence and wit captures your imagination; his art and poems, gives the reader a further journey into his thoughts, also, a true glimpse of what he has suffered over decades. Loonyology tells it all... Read it if you dare! (Photo: Leighton Frayne, Apex Publishing's Chris Cowlin and Lindsay Frayne with a copy of 'Loonyology').
Leighton Frayne, Author of 'The Frayne Bros'
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CHARLIE BRONSON - A VILLAIN IN PERSPECTIVE
Out of all Britain's underworld villains of the past fifty years, only the Kray Twins conjure up more myths, lies and bullshit than Charlie Bronson.
We have heard it all about Charlie - nutter, psycho, evil, Britain's most violent and dangerous man, killer and even serial killer!
Where does this crap come from?
For those of us who know the truth, it gets so ridiculous it becomes hilarious. But then you remember, there are plenty out there who believe it, and have you noticed the more stupid the person, the more outspoken they are? Why is that?
You would think you would be aware if you are completely thick but these idiots are not, they are actually convinced they are more intelligent than intelligent people!
If you find yourself surrounded by valor track suited, sovereign ring splattered, chain smoking chav's, with five kids of various ethnic persuasion with a hundred and fifty items in the ten items or less queue at the super marker, listen to the strong opinions that pour forth.
Empty cells definitely make the most noise!
Opinions should be earned. They should be the reward for those who take the time to acquire the knowledge to then earn an opinion on that subject.
Opinions should be developed through learning not just to fill the air.
Unfortunately, this is not the way it is. And this is one reason that misconceptions about people, especially people the sovereign ring mob have never met find their filthy way into the world.
The other method of course is propaganda via the media, to turn somebody or something into what you want it to be, good or bad (usually bad). Circulate these around our mentally challenged friends and bingo - we have a myth!
(Even if the sovereign wearers do think that's a female moth!)
This is why a percentage of the population view Charlie Bronson and others so badly. And once again, the ones that are most likely to try and impress you with their outbursts are those that know the least about it. Nutter, Evil, Killer... These wildly inaccurate descriptions of Bronson are fed from the media straight to the dim.The dim then regurgitate this to their even dimmer friends.
The most surprising element of that whole process is that it is actually very powerful, there is no doubt that it works, and as with Chinese whispers, men like Bronson become just that bit more evil each time it's told. That is the power of propaganda and it has massive results.
The reason why it always works is because, how many times have you heard someone actually say ' Hold on a minute, stop there. What are the facts?
What did this guy actually do?'
Exactly!
I bet most of you who have called Bronson a nutter, evil, psycho, killer etc don't actually have a clue what he REALLY HAS OR HASN'T DONE.
I explain exactly what Charlie has and hasn't done elsewhere in this book.
These are facts, not rumors or fallacies to create a myth to fill dull lives.
Not to long ago a Sunday supplement printed who they considered the fifty most evil people in Britain. Charlie Bronson an armed robber who NEVER pulled the trigger or even attempted to kill anybody was considered more evil than Ian Huntley, Rose West, Peter Sutcliffe and Roy Whitting.
Is their a man alive who can justify that?
Is it possible some faceless hangman from the home office had a word about who went where?
Charlie Bronson is no angel, he knows what he has done and has suffered severely for it as of course is his lovely mother Eira who has already lost a husband and son at a young age.
It also amazes me that whenever Charlie blows a fuse, the press make him out to be Satan's nastier big brother!
But consider this...
He is locked up for twenty three hours a day in 'monster mansion'. This means that most of his neighbors are Britain's most evil child murderers who are allowed to wear women's clothes and call themselves women's names whilst watching kids TV (I have seen a copy of the actual report, where Charlie appeals to no avail to be moved and be punished in " A man's prison"
Charlie despises nothing on the planet more than a nonce (Which each proper man should be in agreement with) Now... Would you blow a fuse every now and then?
At one time Charlie was trussed up like Christmas turkey stark bollock naked on a freezing cell floor in a body belt (A contraction that makes it impossible to move) he had to lie in his own piss and shit for days.
Charlie's mental strength is unbelievable and believe it or not, he could handle that bit. The bit that was harder to take and obviously well contrived was lying there, not being able to move and having to listen to that filthy, bastard, pond life Roy Whitting (The lump of turd that tortured and killed lovely little Sarah Payne.... God rest you sweet Angel) laughing and doing Christ knows what to Kids TV with the sound on Maximum.
Now, I will ask you again... Would you blow a fuse every now and then?
These of course are the little details they leave out of the media when they print the 'Nutter Bronson is at it again' headlines.
If people could use their sense and read between the lines of these media fantasy's and just digest the whole situation it would be a step in the right direction.
People have always needed their public good guys and bad guys, their nice heroes and their evil villains but please if you have to have an evil one, get it right, save it for the Huntley's and Whitting's of the world.
Do not hang your evil caption on a man who has given away most of the money he has ever had to children's charity's (This 100% true. Phone Zoe's hospice if you need proof.)
In fact all the 'Nasty Villain's' like Joey Pyle, Freddie Foreman, Roy Shaw, Alfie Hutchinson, Tony Lambrianou, Charlie Richardson and Dave Courtney have given more money to children's charities than ten men would make in a lifetime!
I have promoted boxing shows and seen the generosity, there is NOTHING in this piece that I don't know to be 100% true. But of course, their villains clearing their conscience or whatever crap people with no clue are making up this week. It's amazing how much shelf stacker's in Tesco and kids working at Burger King know about the motives and mechanics of Britain's underworld!
I'm not saying let Bronson walk free right now but at least give him a chance to mix on the wings and take it from their. If he fucks up then back to the seg unit he goes. But how can a man prove he can do something if he's not given the chance to try it?
I hope you can see the injustice in the treatment of men like Bronson and Biggs compared with the REAL evil scum, surely you must!
If you can chatting over the garden fence or in the pub is as much use as a chocolate teapot...
Write to Charlie, then to your MP then the Home office.... DO SOMETHING!
This book will give you an insight into the Charles Bronson that I know and yes... Love. This is the real Charlie, a man who has become a political prisoner and national embarrassment. A human being who deserves a chance. A man we who those of us who really know him MUST stand by. A man who at least deserves to be heard.... A man that should be FREE!
Tel Currie, Famous Boxing Promoter & Author of 'Heroes and Villains' - Written the Foreword
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Hard hitting at times, yet very funny!
Pat Baldwin, Professional Footballer
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-- Newspaper and Website Reviews
Told with brutal honesty, this book is a frightening insight into the mind of the man dubbed Britain's most violent prisoner.
Robert Verkaik, The Independent (Law Editor)
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Cat "A" prisoners like Charles Bronson spend a great deal of their time segregated.
It can be a miserable and often lonely existence. As he says myths have grown about his behaviou,r although he readily acknowledges he has been involved in inappropriate behaviour in prison. That has resulted in the authorities taking what action they felt warranted at the time.
People in prison have to have the capacity to change and Charles Bronson is no different from any other prisoner in that respect. He has obviously spent his time constructively writing yet another book which I am sure those working "Within those Walls" and those being contained at Her Majesty's establishment will find interesting.
Charles Bronson gives a remarkable insight into life as a Cat "A" prisoner.
I was interested to read Chris Cowlin's thought's on visiting the jail for the first time. Those of us who have "spent time" in jails, albeit in my case working there as a seconded Probation Officer, tend to forget the impact our first visit made.
Prison life can be both boring and brutal. I think that comes over in Bronson's book.
John Riddle, The Paper
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A fascinating insight into the mind of a notorious hard man. The author's language and logic make uncomfortable reading. But the real tragedy is despite the vicious bravado there is an eloquent, funny human being trapped somewhere inside that monster facade.
Janet Lee, Cannock Chase Post (Reporter)
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Charlie Bronson is a larger-than-life character whose antics have fascinated our readers - and ourselves - for many a year. Charlie Bronson has an amazing story to tell and he tells it in his own inimitable way, pulling no punches and with plenty of humour.
Phil Robinson, Ellesmere Port Pioneer (Editor)
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TOP YOUNG ACTOR TO PLAY NOTORIOUS PRISONER
ONE of Britain’s hottest young actors is to play the former Ellesmere Port man regarded as the country’s most dangerous prisoner.
Charles Bronson, whose real name is Michael Peterson, was first jailed in 1975 for armed robbery and, with the exception of a short spell of freedom 13 years ago, has been held ever since for repeated offences inside jail.
He is currently serving a life sentence in Wakefield Prison for the last incident, when he held a knife to the throat of prison teacher Philip Danielson in 1999.
Now his life story is being told in a new film with Tom Hardy, 30-year-old star of the film Black Hawk Down and TV mini-series Band of Brothers.
Officials initially blocked the movie but now Bronson, who spent his early years in Ellesmere Port, has been allowed a visit from the actor to discuss the project.
Hardy, seen most recently playing Bill Sykes in an adaptation of Charles Dicken’s Oliver! over Christmas, had repeatedly been refused access to Bronson, 55.
But prison officials relented after a formal complaint was lodged by Bronson complaining his rights had been infringed.
Filming for Bronson: My Story is due to start next month.
Bronson has served time in numerous jails, staged eight rooftop protests, assaulted 20 prison officers and caused £500,000 worth of damage. He has taken hostages on 10 occasions.
But, according to a family member who contacted the Pioneer in 2006 and wished to remain anonymous, most of what has been written about him is pure fiction.
While in prison he has developed an extreme fitness regime and performs 2,500 press-ups a day.
In 2002 he published a book, Solitary Fitness, detailing an individual training process with minimal resources and space.
For the past 10 years Bronson has occupied himself by writing poetry, producing pieces of art and has published 10 books.
He has just sent a Christmas card to the Pioneer in which he says that if his legal team get him out, he’ll be having a party at the Civic Hall – after first throwing one at the Dorchester in London.
He writes: “I’ve fond memories of the Port and still in touch with old, loyal friends.”
He that adds his new book, Loonyology, will be published in June.
Ellesmere Port Pioneer
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A glimpse into a life unknown to most of us - should be read by all!
David Hart, London Voice
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This book is like no other from Charles. It walks the walk and talks the talk. Brilliant stuff, once you pick this book up, you will find it impossible to put down.
www.freebronson.co.uk
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CHARLES BRONSON SPEAKS
THE HARDEST MAN IN JAIL ON BRITAIN'S VILEST PRISONERS
The man dubbed Britain’s most violent prisoner is in the middle of his biggest-ever battle … to get out of jail.
After 33 years inside, Charles Bronson’s had enough.
And in his new book Loonyology – EXCLUSIVELY brought to you by Sunday Sport – the infamous lag gives you a warts and all account of life on the inside and tells us why he thinks it’s time he was released.
In fact Charlie, originally jailed for seven years for armed robbery in 1974, is now so well-known he’s become a “cause celeb”, with the likes of boxing greats Ricky Hatton and Frank Bruno backing his appeal to be freed.
And when asked if he really is the most vicious thug in the UK, the 55-year-old, real name Michael Peterson, says: “Am I BOLLOCKS”!
His life of crime began in 1965 when he was just 13. But despite having spent 28 years of his sentence in solitary confinement, Bronson has never killed anyone.
Over the last three decades, he’s done time in 120 jails and met all kinds of crims from legends like the Krays to MONSTERS such as Ian Huntley. Here’s what he thinks of some of them.
* Loonyology by Charles Bronson will be on sale on June 6 at all good book shops. Advanced orders are now being taken by Apex Publishing Ltd on 01255 428500 or mail@apexpublishing.co.uk. The first 1,000 copies are a signed (by the man himself) limited edition.
Sunday Sport
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LOONYOLOGY
Bradford Telegraph & Argus
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Loonyology is a fascinating insight into one man's quest to keep his sanity when everything around him is conspiring to make him lose it. Bronson paints a graphic and frightening picture of the psychopathic criminals he shares Britain's jails with. At the same time, he blows the lid off the most insane aspect of his incarceration: the prison system itself.
Rick Lyons, Daily Star Sunday (Crime Correspondent)
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Fascinating, funny, shocking and at times extremely sad, Charlie’s books always make for a really great read - his life is compelling and his style forceful, captivating and unbearably convincing.
As a writer I have always believed in telling it as it is; no lies or bullshit or crap, and in Loonyology Charlie most definitely tells it as it is.
The book is a compelling journey into the mind of a convict who has been kept locked up like a rabid animal for most of his adult life. In a culture which supposedly prides itself on human-rights, and a system that purportedly strivesfor responsibility, accountability and transparency, Charlie demonstrates in his own inimitable style the injustice, hypocrisy and plain madness of a darker world most people chose to ignore. Keeping Charlie hidden away is not the action of a modern, caring society, but an inhumane, brutal world that shuts an ignorant and uncaring door on another human being. It is only his reputation and infamy that is keeping him inside, not his crime or his actions. If we live in a ‘Christian’, sympathetic, compassionate world where we really do forgive, where we really do give second chances, where we really do believe that there is decency and humanity in each and every one of us then stop punishing the already punished. This book is an insight into the madness that keeps Charlie sane.
Robin Barratt, Bodyguards and Bouncers Magazine (Editor)
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IV'E DONE MY BIRD ... TIME TO GO HOME
HUNCHED over a tape recorder in a darkened cell known as "The Cage", Charlie Bronson sings the Frank Sinatra classic "My Way".
It is the early hours of the morning, and the dark, gravel tones of Britain's most notorious prisoner echo around cell S2-006.
He has already done his 2,500 press ups for the day (he does 94 in 30 seconds), dabbled in the artwork which now sells for £2,500 a canvas, and written for his official web site, where his blog is read by thousands of supporters.
Now 55, Bronson, prison no BT1314, has spent 33 years inside - 29 of them in solitary confinement.
His life behind bars has cost more than a million pounds, seen him take a string of hostages in 10 jail sieges, attack at least 20 officers and cause a further £500,000 of damage in rooftop protests.
But Bronson is singing for a reason - he is convinced he will soon be free.
His version of My Way is set to be released as a single to fund an appeal against the kidnap conviction for which he was given a life sentence, his new book, Loonyology, is released next year, alongside a film, "Bronson", based on his life.
Then there are the T-shirts, mugs, beer glasses and stickers - two thousand supporters have now joined the Free Charlie Bronson campaign. And the man constantly dubbed Britain's most violent prisoner says he will be freed for one simple reason. He just isn't violent any more.
"Have I not proved to everybody that I have changed ?," he tells the Mirror in an exclusive interview from Wakefield jail.
"I have not been violent for eight years. When they call me Britain's most violent man, every time I see it in the paper, I feel like I am reading about someone else.
"It can't be justified and it is time people woke up to that."
For the past eight years, the grim, solitary existence in a specially built isolation unit is all Bronson has known.
Locked away for 23 hours-a-day in a 24 ft by 10 ft "cell within a cell", the view from his window is a brick wall, his daily hour-long "exercise" always alone, his only daily human contact the prison officers pushing food through a grate in a giant, steel double door.
First jailed for armed robbery in 1969, he has had 69 days of freedom in 33 years.
On the day I spoke to Bronson, it was his mother Eira Peterson's 77th birthday.
The last time she saw her son without prison bars between them, in 1974, a loaf cost 23.5 pence, a pint of milk was 12.5 pence, and the average house was £10,000.
Bronson awaits a legal ruling on November 20, which could give "lifers" like him - prisoners given a life sentence, but who have served the recommended tariff - legal grounds to be released.
Failing that, Bronson is appealing to the Criminal Case Review Commission against his conviction for kidnapping prison teacher Phil Danielson inside Hull Prison in 1999, and has a Parole Board due for early next year.
"If the courts find in our favour, it opens the floodgates for 12,500 lifers," he said.
"I would be top of that list because I am not a murderer and I have paid my debt to society.
"I also still have my own appeal against my life sentence and conviction.
"I have never been a danger to the public.
"I have taken hostages, not proud of it, but that was in prison, and I was fighting the system.
"I have learned that you cannot beat the system.
"I was a nasty bastard, no ifs or buts about it.
"But that is behind me now."
He has had a suit tailor made for the day he walks free (48'' chest, 38'' waist, 17'' collar for his shirt).
Though the Prison Service are adamant Bronson remains a danger to the public, he says: "I'm not and never been a psychopath, never enjoyed violence, never got a kick out of it.
"I have been with some of the most violent, evil people you could ever wish to meet, but I have never been in that category.
"They say I am a high risk to society, but I say 'prove it'.
"My crimes outside were not that dangerous, my violence started in prison, when I was put in belts and straight jackets.
"I believe I should have been punished. I have been punished.
"Now it is time to go home, I have done my bird."
After long periods on drugs in Broadmoor and Rampton hospitals during the 70s and 80s, he now refuses to see prison psychiatrists.
His art work, including dark depictions of life in prison to Prince Charles cartoons, has won countless awards.
If he is freed, Bronson, who changed his name from Michael Peterson when he was a young boxer in honour of the movie star, will lteach young prisoners on the reality of life behind bars - making sure they never come back again.
"I get sack loads of letters from young prisoners and I have become an agony uncle," he says.
"They won't listen to MPs, police, screws....but they listen to me."
Bronson's neighbour is Robert Mawdsley, nicknamed Hannibal the Cannibal after allegedly eating the brain of his last victim.
When Mark Emmins, who runs the Bronson web site, visited recently, he saw Mawdsley outside in the exercise yard "staring at the sky". He turned to face Mark, and a shudder ran down his spine, and he was unable to sleep that night.
Bronson warns Mawdsley shows what life in isolation can do to you.
"I have known Bob 29 years," he says. "Over the years he has got madder and madder. You cannot relate to him any more.
"Locked up like this, he is not doing anything positive, he is a dead man walking, just waiting to die, nothing in his life and nothing to llive for. The only way out of here is in a box.
"The people alongside me will never be released, they are murderers, paedophiles.
"What am I doing here with them? I have never killed anyone."
Kept alive by his dreams of freedom, "Walking at night time under the stars, sitting on a park bench eating fish and chips, in a pub with me mates having a pint of Guinness, taking me mum for a meal, walking out of a door with no one there, simple beautiful things..." Bronson has already planned his first day of freedom.
"Nine times out of ten, people walk out all bitter and twisted," he said.
"I'm going out there with the biggest smile you have ever seen, I am going to sing "It's a Wonderful Life", and my mates are going to tape it, we will release that.
"When people see me, they will say 'he has been locked away more than 30 years and he comes out singing, he is no nasty, evil man'. I have no need to commit crime any more, absolutely no need at all.
"I not crying about it, and I am not ashamed of what I have done.
"But it is time to go free."
Daily Mirror
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Having myself spent periods in solitary confinement during my 15 years in Her Majesty's penal dustbins, the mind has difficulty getting round how a human being can possibly serve as many years in solitary as Charlie Bronson has, yet still retain a wicked sense of humour and a philosophical approach to life. His brain should be preserved for medical research into human resilience. This book is liberally sprinkled throughout with wonderful little gems.
John Bowers, Inside Time: The National Monthly Newspaper for Prisoners (Writer and Former Prisoner)
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Poet, artist, writer, armed robber - there may be no end to Bronson's talents. Loonyology lifts the lid on life as Britain's most infamous maximum security prisoner. Train wreck gripping stuff.
James McCarthy, Wales on Sunday
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Warning: This book is not by the Charles Bronson who starred in Death Wish.
Tom Whiteley, The Sentinel (Features Writer)
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There have been many amazing, brilliant or insane quotes which can be attributed to villains across the world during the past century.
"But none, without possibility of contradiction can compare with the immortal line uttered by Charles Bronson: '"Nobody, no one on this planet touches my pineapples. The only person who would get them pineapples is my mother. They are my pineapples. I paid for them. But I opened that tin of pineapples and I fed him my pineapples because he was a human being the same as me.'
"This, perhaps more than anything else, sums up the enigma that is Bronson. The contradictory stories in the Press which surround him are legion yet here in 'Loonyology' we finally begin to understand the real character, the real man, the real human being behind the media legend.
"The man from Aberystwyth, he says 'yes'."
Richard Elias, Scotland on Sunday
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MY LAG-OVER BEHIND BARS
By Sofia Zagzoule
CRAZED prisoner Charles Bronson has revealed he enjoyed full sex…while serving time in some of Britain’s notorious jails.
Bronson claims he had intercourse with female visitors several times – in full view of prison officers.
The infamous prisoner – in jail for over 30 years since a robbery in 1974 – makes the claims in an explosive new autobiography Loonyology.
In it he says: “Over the years I’ve had some memorable visits – Kelly Anne was one. We got it on in Hull and Albany jails.
“You would think it’s impossible to have a shag. But she walked in with a tray of orange juice and chocolates, then she undone her coat and she had f**k-all on.
“She came around my side of the table and sat on me. The screws must have known.”
Bronson, 55, who has served 28 years of his time in prison in solitary confinement, also lifts the lid on some of the country’s most dangerous killers, including his neighbour in Wakefield jail, Robert Mawdsley, the real “Hannibal the Cannibal”.
Bronson says he and Mawdsley, who has killed four people – eating the brains of one with a spoon – argued over a watch.
He says: “I’ve had dummies and nappies sent to him, even the Gay News and a male blow-up doll – all to wind him up.”
Bronson also claims he had a part in Fred West’s decision to commit suicide by encouraging the serial killer to top himself.
He says: “It’s nice though when the beasts take their own lives.
“When West hung himself in Winson Green Jail, I’d like to think I played a part in that as all I used to do was shout out to him, ‘Top yourself you nonce’. 24/7 I used to give it to that monster.
“I drove him mental.”
In jail since the age of 19, Bronson’s sentence has been repeatedly extended after he took officers hostage and attacked staff and inmates.
His dangerous behaviour has meant he has spent time in over 120 prisons. Loonyology is due out on June 22.
Daily Star Sunday
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The name of Charles Bronson is sure to be recorded in the history of criminology as one of Britain's most violent characters who has been caged in prison for thirty-four years, on many occasions it would seem, locked in solitary confinement. I am a great believer that solitude and the time to meditate can bring change to all. Everyone progresses and can become a new and better person if they wish, whatever they may have done in their life. Charlie certainly gives an intriguing insight, not just into his thoughts and experiences behind bars, but what he is like as a person and what he thinks of others. One cannot help also thinking, and perhaps concluding, that all the things that are wrong about the prison system may have even contributed to Charlie being locked up for far longer than some criminals who have done worse things than him in their lives. Has Charlie changed? Is he now a better man who should be given a chance to prove his worth outside jail? Is it not lunacy to lock any person up and throw away the key? Read this intriguing book entitled Loonyology and judge for yourself!
Philip Solomon, Wolverhampton Express & Star
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Charles Bronson - mad, bad, wild, uncontrollable, vicious, powerful - yes maybe, but at the same time witty, articulate, vulnerable, artistic and very clever. 'Loonyology' shows a very different side to that I don't think many will have ever seen before - a fascinating and entertaining read from a talented writer.
John D Roberts, Inside Time: The National Monthly Newspaper for Prisoners (Operations Director)
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Charles Bronson writes in a raw and gritty way depicting the world of crime assordid and brutal. He pulls no punches and uses blatant language that is definitely not for the faint hearted.
Sheree Earnshaw, Living Tenerife Magazine (Books Editor)
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Charles Bronson is certainly unlike anyone else in the British prison system. Truly, this is the dark side of the loon.
Duncan Campbell, The Guardian (Senior Correspondent)
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Charles Bronson writes with chilling candor. A frighteningly vivid insight into the mad, bad and sad world of one of Britain's longest serving prison inmates.
Murray Morse, Cambridge Evening News (Editor)
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After more than 30 years in solitary confinement, Charlie Bronson gives a unique insight into life behind bars and how you give meaning to that life - with wit, bravado and sheer bloody mindedness.
Jeremy Armstrong, Daily Mirror
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Mind-blowing, totally mad, this bloke should be locked up!
Clare Chapman, Daily Sport (Reporter)
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Scary reading, this book is as close as we're comfortable getting to Mr Bronson!
Jon Wise, Daily Sport (Literary Editor)
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Charles Bronson is an enigma; a life that will never make sense to those who are just too narrow-minded to try – and I mean really try – to understand what it must be like to have spent decades in some of the roughest prisons in the country.
It would be easy to fall in with the Charlie Bronson stereotype and simply label him as a violent nutter; someone who should stay in jail for the rest of his natural life and die in ignominy. Unfortunately, the stereotype is woefully inaccurate and bears no relationship to the real person. To understand Bronson by focussing on the stereotype is as useless as trying to find out what an orange tastes like by staring at the skin. Charles Bronson – the real Charles Bronson – lies within, and his latest book Loonyology gives us an excellent opportunity to see the author for who he really is.
Loonyology is not a pleasant book, and I’m sure Bronson knew when he started to write it that it would hardly be the sort of thing you’d find sandwiched between Twelfth Night and A Christmas Carol on the parson’s bookshelf. Truth to tell, we shouldn’t want Loonyology to be pleasant; we should want it to be accurate, true and undiluted. And it is, believe me, for whatever one may say about Charlie Bronson he is honest. Some may laugh at this description, but it’s accurate. Being honest is nothing to do with being labelled as a criminal. Criminality is to do with breaking the law; honesty is to do with telling it like it is. Charlie Bronson tells it like it is, and if there are delicate souls out there who want to tut under their breath then they should try reading something else.
The truth is that Charlie Bronson probably shouldn’t be in jail, but he is and he has determined that he’ll always be a survivor. Inside prison, he displays aspects of his persona that those who want to hate him no matter what refuse to acknowledge. He paints, writes poetry and authors books. He is perceptive, possesses a wry sense of humour and can be extremely compassionate to those who are down on their luck. The only thing Charles Bronson seems to require in return is to be treated with dignity and respect.
The value of Loonyology is that it not only gives you an insight into the true Charles Bronson, but also lets the reader see exactly what made him into the man he is today.
Those who are truly open-minded will see Charles Bronson in a radically different light, and will be forced to ask themselves awkward questions about the foundations of our criminal justice system and the way it handles – or rather, mishandles – people like the author. Loonyology is one of the best works of its kind I’ve ever read, and the fact that Bronson has survived “the system” intact enough to write it is a credit to him.
Mike Hallowell, The Shields Gazette
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LOONYOLOGY
Ellesmere Port Pioneer
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MONSTERS GO TO WAR IN JAIL
By Rick Lyons
CRAZED prisoner Charles Bronson wants a fight to the death with a fellow psychopathic inmate dubbed the real Hannibal Lector.
Bronson, who has repeatedly attacked prison staff and inmates in a 37-year stay behind bars, is locked up in maximum security Wakefield jail, known as “Monster Mansion”.
And his immediate neighbour in an ultra-secure two-cell unit is Robert “The Cannibal” Maudsley, 55, who earned his nickname when he tortured a prisoner to death before smashing his skull and eating his brains with a spoon.
The psycho then stabbed another two prisoners to death – hacking one victim’s skull with a home-made blade.
Prison staff fear he is determined to continue his killing spree and has now set his sights on Bronson after the pair fell out over a watch.
But Bronson, 55, who tells of the feud in his book Loonyology, said: “He lives in a complete fantasy world of violence.
“We now hate each other. I pray to one day bump into him at 300mph and unlike him I don’t need a blade.
“Nobody rips my heart out or eats my brain – especially a f**king nut case like Bob Maudsley.”
Loonyology, from Apex Publishing, is out on June 6.
Daily Star Sunday
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CHARLES BRONSON'S BID TO SING HIS WAY TO FREEDOM
Britain's most notorious inmate is to release a single to raise funds for a court appeal.
Charles Bronson, jailed for life after taking a teacher hostage at Hull prison in 1999, has recorded a version of Frank Sinatra's My Way.
Held in a high security block in Wakefield Prison, from where he gave his first media interview to the Mail last year, Bronson has recorded the song and hopes to raise funds needed to help secure his freedom.
First jailed for armed robbery in 1969, he has had just 69 days of freedom in 33 years.
His life sentence came after he took teacher Phil Danielson hostage at Hull prison in 1999.
In February that year, Bronson burst into a classroom where Mr Danielson, then 37, was teaching.
The convict tied a skipping rope around his neck and pulled him around at knifepoint, holding him hostage for 44 hours and leaving him in fear of his life.
Bronson is awaiting a legal ruling that could give prisoners like him - lifers who have served the recommended tariff - grounds for release.
Failing that, he will appeal to the Criminal Case Review Commission against his conviction. He is due before the Parole Board next month.
Bronson supporters are hopeful this year will be the year he walks free.
Alan Rayment, of North Lincolnshire, is a community sports coach with the Humber Sports Partnership and regular visitor to see Bronson in his specially designed cell at HMP Wakefield.
Mr Rayment, who takes his parents and wife to the prison, said he is hopeful for "Charlie".
He said: "Charlie is on the right track now and I think it's about time the powers that be started looking at the option of freedom.
"Charlie has been a model prisoner and has no need to return to a life of crime.
"He accepts what he has done in the past but wants to be judged on his most recent actions."
Mr Rayment said Bronson is committed to becoming a free man.
He said: "You would expect someone who has lived the life Charlie has to be resigned to a life inside - he isn't though.
"He is well informed on life beyond his prison walls and truly wants to get out and stay out - hopefully 2008 will be his year."
Bronson's new book, Loonyology, is released next month and a film based on his life is expected next year.
Hull Daily Mail
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Monster, or poet? Beast, or artist? One thing is for certain, this man remains the prison system’s most talked about resident. ‘Loonology’ takes you on a harrowing tour inside the mind of the man, the legend, Charles Bronson.
Jeff Maysh, Loaded Magazine
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LOONYOLOGY
Maxim Magazine
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LOONYOLOGY
The Independent
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CHARLES BRONSON
Wales On Sunday
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Charles Bronson: 'Wandsworth jail was best and worst of times'
By Diana Pilkington
Notorious criminal Charles Bronson has branded Wandsworth Prison one of the toughest jails he has ever been in.
Bronson, who has served time in 120 prisons, describes the Wandsworth slammer as a "s**t hole" in his new book Loonyology.
"Everyone loves Wanno - I don't think so," Bronson, 55, wrote. "I've had more kickings in there than I care to remember."
The self-proclaimed "most violent prisoner in Britain" has spent most of the last 34 years as a maximum security inmate.
Born Michael Peterson, his name was changed in 1987 to match that of the famous movie star.
Initially jailed in 1974 for robbery, his sentence has been extended many times.
He has spent 28 years in solitary confinement due to repeated attacks on prison staff and inmates, including several hostage situations and rooftop protests.
Bronson said that HMP Wandsworth - along with jails including Strangeways and Armley - was known as a "POA Power House", where troublemakers were sent to the segregation block "for a good kicking".
"I would arrive naked in a body belt and the treatment would kick off from one. These blocks were run by a fist of steel. Always the biggest and ugliest screws in the jail. Not one under 6ft," he wrote.
"I met all the faces in Wandsworth. Anyone who was anyone."
Charles Bronson
He said he would do whatever he could to damage the staff's regime, attacking six officers within his first week and regularly walking across the "infamous steel rimmed centre."
"It's sacrilege to step on that centre," he said.
"Every time I did that I was jumped on and carted off back to the box black and blue."
Despite the tough regime, Bronson said some of his best years were spent in Wandsworth - chinning people, smashing up dozens of cells, teaching himself to play chess and bridge, and making friends.
"I met all the faces in Wandsworth. Anyone who was anyone," he said.
The Krays, the Richardsons and Freddie Foreman were among some of the "real villains" who passed though the prison.
"Wanno was the stepping stone for Parkhurst or Dartmoor. It's like an apprentice of crime. You have to get the experience," Bronson said.
Loonyology, the self-penned story of Bronson's life to date, is published by Apex Publishers and will be on sale in June.
Wandsworth Guardian
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UK’S MOST DANGEROUS JAILBIRD CHARLES BRONSON IN MI5 TAP-UP CLAIM
by James McCarthy, Wales On Sunday.
NOTORIOUS lifer Charles Bronson believes MI5 tried to recruit him to spy on Islamic extremists in the wake of September 2001.
The Aberystwyth-born hardman, who has been behind bars for all but three months since he was caged for robbery in 1974, makes the bizarre claim in his new autobiography, Loonyology.
Bronson, 55, converted to Islam after he married his now estranged wife Saira Ahmed in 2001, even changing his name to Ali Ahmed. He has since denounced the religion.
But in the book he says in December 2001, just three months after the terror attacks on New York’s Twin Towers and the Pentagon, he was visited by two spooks eager for him to infiltrate the Muslim prison population.
Bronson, real name Michael Peterson, alleges the two secret agents visited him in his cell at Wakefield prison – dubbed the Monster Mansion as it is also home to beasts including child killers Ian Huntley and Roy Whiting and paedophile Sidney Cooke.
Bronson, whose prisoner number is BT1314, said: “My outer door opened this day and there stood two very well dressed men. They looked official. One had a file under his arm, the other had these deep set eyes that never left my eyes.
“‘It felt very tense and unreal. ‘Who are you?’ I growled.
“The one with the file smiled and said, ‘It’s not who we are, it’s what we are.’ The other then said, ‘We have a deal for you.’ I was by now getting angry and anxious as I did not know who they was.
“‘Who are you?’ The one said, ‘If you do us a favour, we will do you one.’ I was even more confused.” The pair went on to ask if Bronson would like to move to a more ‘normal’ wing at Belmarsh Prison.
One said: “Look Ali. We want you to infiltrate the Muslim inmates in Belmarsh and find out what’s what. Everybody knows you. You’re the most infamous con in the UK. They will trust you. Tell you things. Now you’re Ahmed Ali Muslim.”
Bronson could not believe his ears.
He said: “I really was in shock but not so much to realise I was being asked to be a spy. Me. Me of all people. You just could not make this s*** up. Never in my life have I been put into this position.”
Bronson said he felt so angry that he spat through the cage and told them to forgot it. “I’m nobody’s spy. As a screw appeared from nowhere to shut the door, the one with the file was wiping the spit off his face and said: “Ahmed that will cost you.”
Bronson added: “I swear I did not know who they were. I’ve never seen them since. Nothing like this has ever happened before or after and my lawyer knows all about it. It’s on file. The screws and prison governor denied it ever happening although there is CCTV outside my door. It’s a mystery I have to live with.”
Wales on Sunday
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Anyone not captivated by the Bronson myth will be captivated by the tales of a man who has spent three decades on the inside. An insightful read that is at time hilarious and tragic, Bronson writes from the heart.
Gina Marden, Basildon Echo (Crime Reporter)
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All directly from Charles Bronson himself, Loonyology is a fascinating insight into the mind of one of Britain's most notorious prisoners, and an opportunity to draw your own conclusions about our prison system and the way we treat those at the very heart of it.
Sofia Zagzoule, Daily Star Sunday
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Loonyology is an incredible insight into the mind of Charles Bronson, arguably Britain's most dangerous prisoner.
In his own words Bronson maps out his 34 years in maximum security prisons, years littered with violent attacks on wardens, inmates and property. Now he wants to be free. Would you let this man out?
Graham Breeze, North Wales Living Magazine (Publishing Director)
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A raw and hard-hitting book that lifts the lid on Britain’s most violent criminals. Bronson gives fearful yet fascinating insight into a dark and corrupt world – a world in which he’s been trapped for three brutal decades.
Mark Pickering, Maxim Magazine (Reviews Editor)
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When the history of modern-day crime is written, the name of Charles Bronson will figure in many chapters. "Loonyology" gives a rare insight into the inside-out world of one Britain's longest serving prisoners. Caged, confused, violent: Charles' 34 years behind bars - many of them in solitary confinement - reveal more about what is wrong with our prison system than is right.
Anthony France, The Sun (Crime Reporter)
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NORTH WALES' CHARLES BRONSON SAYS 'VIOLENCE IS BEHIND ME'
IT'S A BIG week for Charles Bronson, the man once dubbed Britain's most dangerous prisoner.
Charles Bronson, who was born in North Wales and spent some years living in Ellesmere Port, is currently serving a life sentence for taking hostage a prison worker.
But he has spent the majority of his 55 years behind bars – mostly in solitary confinement – for earlier offences, including armed robbery.
Over the years Bronson, whose real name is Michael Peterson, has cultivated a reputation as a hardman.
A keep-fit fanatic, one of his favourite tricks was to bend iron bars with his bare hands.
Last Friday saw sees the premiere of a film about his life, which has been compared in its violent content to the banned 1960s film A Clockwork Orange.
And recently Brosnon was told by a parole board his double AA category should be seriously downgraded.
His legal team have now been instructed to put together a 'package' for his release within the next 14 days – which the parole board will make a decision on within a week.
But the latest round of publicity has caused an angry backlash from Phil Danielson, the former head of education at Hull prison, who was taken hostage at knifepoint by Bronson in 1999 – the offence which brought him his current sentence.
He told a national newspaper he was sick of hearing of the 'utter rubbish' about Bronson from his supporters, adding that 'the madman' should never be freed.
Bronson has written a number of books during his life in prison, the latest of which is an autobiography entitled Loonyology.
In it he argues that his life of crime and violence is now behind him and that his only desire is to spend the rest of his life as a free man.
Wrexham Evening Leader
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LOONYOLOGY
Prze Kroj Magazine (Polish Magazine)
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LOONYOLOGY
On The Doors Magazine
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LOONYOLOGY BY CHARLES BRONSON
Zoo Magazine (Australia)
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LONELY WORLD OF BRITAIN'S MOST DANGEROUS PRISONER
Daily Express
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LOONYOLOGY
The Brit (Madeira Newspaper)
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LOONYOLOGY
Inside Time: The National Monthly Newspaper for Prisoners
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LOONYOLOGY
Tenerife Property Guide
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Britain's most dangerous inmate says prisons have gone 'soft'
Britain's most dangerous inmate, Charles Bronson, has confirmed what many suspect - prisons have gone 'soft'.
The serial hostage taker, who has attacked at least 50 prison officers over the past three decades, said criminals did not realise how lucky they were to live in today's politically correct regime.
Writing in prisoners' newspaper Inside Time, he complained about 'cons snivelling over petty things', adding 'it just cracks me up'.
The 55-year-old describes the prison system as 'insane', and says: 'We are all living in one big asylum! You'd better believe it! It's no longer porridge, it's cornflakes; no longer mailbags, it's making fairy cakes; no longer planning the next bank job, it's doing an anger management course.
'The screws no longer wear studded boots and peaked hats, they wear moccasins and gel their hair! The days of hard cons and brutal screws are a thing of the past; even prison governors are softies – political correctness comes first.'
'I just wish some of you cons could live my existence for just a month, then and only then you’d wake up and start to appreciate just what you have got; TV, radio, CD’s, carpets, curtains, flasks, own clothes, open visits, phone calls, gym, pool, canteen – even the food is not so bad.
'Accept it, be grateful for it, and stop moaning about pathetic things!'
It follows claims by the Prison Officers' Association that prisons were so soft that inmates did not want to leave.
They said prostitutes plied their trade in open prisons and criminals in secure units enjoyed breakfast in bed, satellite TV and sports facilities, while staff treated them 'with kid gloves' and were 'subservient' for fear of breaching their human rights.
Earlier this week, the Daily Mail revealed how almost 40,000 inmates have opted out of the early release tagging scheme since it was introduced in 2000, turning down the chance to leave jail up to 18 weeks early.
And more than 40 outsiders have been caught inside prisons or trying to enter by scaling walls. Many are apparently selling drugs to criminals.
Since being jailed for armed robbery in 1974, Bronson has developed a reputation as Britain's most dangerous convict.
In his time in prison, he has been involved in at least ten jail sieges, attacked 50 prison officers and caused £500,000 of damage in rooftop protests. He has been deemed so dangerous that he has been moved 150 times, and has spent more than 22 of his 30 years in jail in solitary confinement. He is currently in Wakefield Prison.
Bronson, who has written a book called Loontology about the penal system, is about to be made the star of a feature length film.
According to Inside Time, he has been advising the film-makers from his cell on how he should be characterised. His visitors include Tom Hardy, the British actor who appeared with Tom Hanks in Steven Spielberg's Band of Brothers, and who has been cast to play him in Bronson.
Last year, he was given £200 to buy designer glasses so he could see the ball while watching Match of the Day on TV.
The Prison Service offered the money to Bronson after his old pair of spectacles was damaged in a brawl with two guards at high-security Full Sutton jail.
Prisons Minister David Hanson: 'Prison is about punishment and reform. It is anything but soft and it is absurd to suggest otherwise. No-one should be fooled by suggestions to the contrary.
'The punishment of the court is loss of liberty by being sent to prisons which combine tough regimes with the opportunity of rehabilitation.'
Evening Standard
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Brutally honest, and sometimes just brutal, Loonyology is a fascinating insight into the darkest recesses of our society. Told with an unexpected charisma and humour, it reveals the complex and confused reality behind 'Britain's most violent prisoner'.
Laura Kelly, Big Issue Scotland
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CHARLES BRONSON TELLS IT LIKE IT IS IN 'LOONYOLOGY'
Ardrossan & Saltcoats Herald
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LOONYOLOGY
Ayr Advertiser
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Loonyology is Charles Bronson's account of his life, in his own words., it makes very interesting reading. I found it fascinating to examine such a personal account of what appears to be the overall madness of the legal sand penal system:- Loonyology as Bronson calls it.
This book gives a real insight into Bronson's world and his life. He writes with candour but also with humour. He is very direct and his language use is not for the faint hearted. His style of writing I found almost matey, peppered as it is with information, advice, diary entries and very funny one-liners.
Every one should read this book, giving as it does a glimps of a life that most of us would find unimaginable; it certainly opened my eyes. Boronson is now 55 and has spent 34 years in prison althouth he has never killed any one. Surely it is time he was released.
Katherine Watts, County Echo
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LOONYOLOGY!
BRITAIN'S most dangerous prisoner Charles Bronson, a man who once sent me a cartoon Christmas card showing him eating Iraqi inmates (which somewhat missed the spirit of the festive period, I thought), claims our prisons have gone soft.
He says: "It's no longer porridge, it's cornflakes. No longer mailbags, it's making fairy cakes."
A strange bedfellow for anti crime campaigners like Monmouth MP David Davies, who has dubbed Prescoed open prison as the "penal equivalent of Butlins", but with much the same standpoint on our criminal justice system.
Of course, Bronson also has his latest book to plug, "Loonyology: In My Own Words".
But perhaps he could spare some time to back Mr Davies' call to ensure there is no early release for violent offenders - after all, Bronson has spent most of his adult life locked up and probably needs a few new faces to talk to.
South Wales Argus
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LOONYOLOGY
Bridlington Free Press
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HOW JAILED BRONSON TAUNTED SHEFFIELD MURDERER
Charles Bronson, who has spent 30 years in solitary confinement, has revealed how he taunted triple Sheffield murderer Arthur Hutchinson.
Bronson, a Wakefield jail inmate who revels in being known as Britain's most violent prisoner, whistled a sick song to wind up Hutchinson.
Hutchinson is serving life for murdering a bride's parents and brother hours after her wedding in Dore in October 1983.
Writing in his memoirs, Charles Bronson Loonyology, the lifer refers to Arthur Hutchinson, who broke into the home of Sheffield solicitor Basil Laitner while on the run.
Hutchinson, who dubbed himself 'The Fox' in letters he sent to the police, then killed Mr Laitner, his wife Avril, and their son Richard, before committing a rape.
Bronson - who changed his name from Michael Peterson to that of the American star of the film Death Wish - writes: "We had him here not long back - 'The Fox'.
"I used to whistle Billy Idol's song, Nice Day for a White Wedding, when 'The Fox' was out in the yard.
"He used to go mad. I'd sooner chin him but I can't, so I whistle instead."
This year judge Mr Justice Michael Tugendhat ruled there was 'no reason at all' to depart from the whole life sentence that would keep 67-year-old Hutchinson behind bars forever.
But Bronson said: "The Fox was - is - a filthy pervert. Why don't they just hang these monsters? What good are they?
"They're never to be released, so it's just sense to waste them."
Bronson, now 55, was put away for seven years at 21 in 1974 for armed robbery.
But his vicious, unpredictable behaviour inside - including countless assaults, hundreds of thousands of pounds' of damage, and hostage-taking - has lengthened his tariff.
Bronson has been in most of Britain's toughest jails. In his often contradictory and thoroughly unpleasant memoirs, he mentions HMP Lindholme, Doncaster, a lower-category institution.
He has never been held there but writes: "I've had mail from cons there, who all say it's easy.
"It's not my type of jail, though. I find places like that a bit boring, no atmosphere, a bit stuck-up.
"The screws are plastic and the cons aren't real cons. It's more like a circus."
Bronson's rambling 460-page book frequently drifts off the vicious topics - primarily violence, and his sense of injustice. He even randomly abuses Rotherham comedy duo the Chuckle Brothers.
The Star
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TOP PRISONER AND ME, BY PUBLISHER CHRIS
Clacton Gazette
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WHEN CRIME GRABBED THE LIMELIGHT
Loonyology, the autobiography of Charles Bronson, reputedly "the most violent prisoner in Britain", was published last month.
The Guardian
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LOONYOLOGY
Spalding Guardian
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LOONYOLOGY BY CHARLES BRONSON
Loaded Magazine
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BRONSON TURNS TEEN AROUND
A TEENAGE tearaway has turned his life around after a prisoner dubbed 'Britain’s Most Violent Criminal' warned him: “Don’t end up like me.”
Troubled Andrew Ottewell, 14, has put years of boozing, drug-taking and petty crime behind him after reading a book by jailed hardman Charles Bronson.
The youngster decided to go on the straight-and-narrow after discovering how Bronson has spent just four months out of custody since he was locked up in 1974.
HARDMAN ... CHARLES BRONSON
Andrew wrote to the inmate at Wakefield Prison, West Yorks, and was stunned to get a reply — congratulating him on changing his life.
Bronson, 56, who has spent years in solitary confinement because of his violent streak, told the lad he was “special”.
And he wrote: “You’re an inspiration to all kids - I salute you. I’m so proud of how you have turned it all around because you were once on the road to doom and gloom.”
Wayward Andrew, whose yobbish behaviour has repeatedly landed him in bother with the police, has now managed to stay out of trouble since last summer.
He puts his new attitude down to Bronson’s autobiography Loonyology — because he is now terrified of ending up in jail like the author.
STEALING
Last night Andrew, of Farnworth, Bolton, Gtr Manchester, said: “I realised I didn’t want to go down the same path as him.
“I’d got in with a bad crowd. I was stealing and smoking weed, but I wasn’t happy. If my life had gone in a different direction I could’ve ended up in prison.
“I wrote to Charles Bronson to tell him how I’d changed. Three weeks later, my mum was holding an envelope. I was over the moon.”
Bronson’s life-story has now hit the big screen through a controversial new movie called Bronson.
He was originally jailed for seven years for a bungled armed robbery, but has repeatedly had his sentence extended for crimes committed in prison — including numerous hostage situations.
Andrew’s mum Tracy, 44, told how she was amazed by her son’s new outlook and described the past as “a horrible, horrible time”.
She said: “He was always running off, he wouldn’t go to school.
“I couldn’t keep him in the house. I would spend nights looking for him, not sleeping and worrying where he was. But he wouldn’t listen to me.
“He was going down a bad road and could have ended up inside.
“Charles Bronson is a bit of an inspiration to him, because his story made Andrew turn his life around.
“Before, he wouldn’t even put his arms around you - now I get hugs. He helps around the house, he is in at night and lets me know where he is going.
“I can sleep again, it’s so nice for me as a mum - I used to have sleepless nights.”
The Sun
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LOONYOLOGY
Daily Star Sunday (Take 5 Magazine)
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LOONYOLOGY
Inside Time: The National Monthly Newspaper for Prisoners
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