Bronson ‘will need help with his first use of a cash machine’

CHARLES BRONSON has never used a cash machine and will need practical support if released, his parole hearing has heard.

Bronson, Britain’s most notorious prisoner, is appearing in front of the Parole Board in his latest bid for freedom, after spending most of the past 48 years behind bars.

An independent psychologist employed by Bronson’s legal team told the hearing that the 70-year-old has post-traumatic stress disorder after facing some “brutal and unacceptable” treatment in prison.

She said that Bronson, who has since changed his surname to Salvador, has been held in “very solitary conditions for a long period of time” and that a move from the close supervision unit where he is held is “long overdue”.

“I believe that Mr Salvador poses less of a risk in a community environment than in a prison environment, and I stand by that assessment,” she said.

“Of course, I’m talking about a highly supportive community environment and I’m talking about a gradual move into a community environment.”

Bronson is currently being held in the close supervision centre at Woodhill Prison near Milton Keynes, where he is locked in his cell for 23 hours a day and only mixes with three other inmates, the panel previously heard.

The psychologist added that his past violence towards prison staff had been fuelled by a dislike of authority figures, but this does not extend to members of the public.

Bronson is still in touch with his 95-year-old mother, whom he calls “the duchess”, and he said it is her wish to see him released.