RONNIE BIGGS has been refused parole by Justice Secretary Jack Straw, who accused the Great Train Robber of being “wholly unrepentant” about his crimes.
Mr Straw rejected a parole board recommendation that the 79-year-old be released, saying it was “unacceptable” that Biggs had fled prison and accused him of “outrageously courting the media” while on the run.
Biggs would have been a free man “many years ago” if he had complied with the sentence given to him, Mr Straw said.
The decision was attacked as “perverse” by Biggs’s legal advisor, who accused Mr Straw of “cruel and unusual punishment”.
In a statement, Mr Straw said: “Mr Biggs chose to serve only one year of a 30-year sentence before he took the personal decision to commit another offence and escape from prison, avoiding capture by travelling abroad for 35 years while outrageously courting the media.
“I am refusing the Parole Board’s recommendation for parole. Biggs chose not to obey the law and respect the punishments given to him – the legal system in this country deserves more respect than this.
“It was Mr Biggs’s own choice to offend and he now appears to want to avoid the consequences of his decision. I do not think this is acceptable.
Biggs was eligible for release on Friday, having served 10 years of his 30-year sentence.
