Charles Bronson, who changed his name to Charles Salvador, has had a date set for his latest bid for freedom
One of Britain’s most infamous inmates, Charles Bronson, has snubbed his own parole hearing.
The veteran prisoner has been scheduled for another shot at freedom on October 1 and 2.
His former spouse disclosed this week that the 72 year old, who now goes by Charles Salvador, is boycotting the hearing as it will be conducted behind closed doors.
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This development follows a May ruling by a Parole Board judge that the session would not be open to the public.
Irene has reported that he’s dismissed the proceedings as a “waste of time”. His previous parole review in 2023 was among the initial ones to be held openly.
Irene, mother to Bronson’s son, remarked: “He has decided he is not going to attend the parole hearing.
“He’s not going because he’s having a closed down hearing again.
“It’s just a farce. It’s a waste of time.
“It’s the ritual of doing it all for the sake of it.”
She mentioned that the 2023 public hearing had been packed with Bronson’s backers and well-wishers.
“Last time he had lots of psychiatrists and doctors and officers in the prison speaking up for him so they have stopped all that again now,” she commented.
“Of course it should be held in public, definitely.
“The truth is getting out and they know there is no reason why he should be locked up.
“He was an activist so they are scared of him getting out.”
Irene also conveyed that her ex-partner is incensed by the Parole Board’s verdict.
“He is angry.
“He’s just living day by day, getting through one day at a time.
“It’s now going to be at least another three years before they let him have a parole after this one, and another two years after that.
“He should have his followers there and people to stand up for him.”
Notorious convict Charles Bronson, first imprisoned in 1974 at the tender age of 22, initially faced a seven-year sentence for armed robbery.
His continuous string of violent outbursts in prison solidified his notoriety as an intimidating inmate, preventing his release until 1987.
After tasting freedom for a mere 69 days, Bronson was back behind bars, following a heist at a jewellery store.
The aftermath of that crime landed him another seven-year term, and apart from a fleeting period of freedom in 1992, he has been incarcerated ever since.
Bronson’s previous parole deliberation in 2023, peculiarly public, ended with his bail refused, thwarting his quest for liberation.
Efforts for a second public hearing were dashed in February 2025 as the Parole Board dismissed a fresh application.
During the appeal, his solicitors stated: “He feels that he is directly responsible for the change in law and Parole Board rules and so he should be allowed to participate in a public hearing.”
They added: “He has a legitimate expectation that his subsequent parole hearings will be held in public following his lengthy proceedings to instigate the change in the rules.”
In the ruling, the Parole Board contended that a public hearing in 2023 did not justify an October hearing to be open to the public.
“The fact that an applicant has had a previous public hearing is not a special factor supporting a subsequent application for his having another one: indeed it may be a reason for his not having another one,” the document states.
“Equally, the fact that he is responsible for the change in the law does not give him any legitimate expectation that his subsequent hearings will be held in public.”