Do You Think They Should Release Ronnie Biggs?  

oh i forgot to add, the driver of the train lost his life as a result of his injuries and the trauma involved in the robbery. his family suffered his loss and his wife lost a husband. a sentence is a sentence no matter how much we might sympathise with him.

I have to say I agree with you he's had years of freedom while all the other served their time, but it must cost more to the taxpayer too as he has to be cared for in prison so it is a tough one to reason. I've only heard the song once it was funny though offensive, didn't they say "God bless Myra Hindley" in it at some point.

I knew that they trian driver was injured but not that he had lost his life. Is this true?

He didn't die straight away it was couple of years later but it was caused by what happened during the robbery, and apparently the guy was never the same again personality wise it really ruined his life.

He does have family I think they were going to care for him, but you're right he's still going to die and need constant care wherever he is. I think the government just want to make an example of him to stop anyone else thinking they can do the same.

They got really big sentences he has 28 years left to serve he won't be alive much longer. His crimes weren't as bad as the first robber, a man was hit during the robbery and died some years later as a result and was never the same again, it wasn't Biggs who hit him though. That's not the point however as he was involved in the robbery if that hadn't happened the guy would have lived a full life.

So how do you feel about the 150 year sentence handed down to Bernie Madoff? Even if he were only 20 yrs old, there's very little chance he'd serve even half of that.

They could let him out on a tag so he couldn't leave wherever he was released to but at least he would be with his family, he had a daughter who's growing up he missed because he was Brazil for all those years. It's his own fault I know but it also punishes her too.

Well, in the words of Gilbert and Sullivan, I think we should "let the punishment fit the crime". In this case I think the man should be sentenced to work all his days to pay restitution to all those who were swindled. Of course, he couldn't possibly ever complete that task, but let's have him get a running start on it. In this case though, putting him in jail to remove him from society does serve the purpose of removing a danger to society. A scammer who is in jail can't continue to scam innocent people. His punishment for robbing others of their worldly goods is to be deprived of his and to spend his life isolated from society. However, if in 20 years the man is blind, feeble, deaf and about to die, I would still say release him to his family to die at home. At that point, his continued incarceration serves no purpose.

Yes you make a good point they can't let him get away with escaping from prison then being so public about rubbing their noses in it.

I think they should release him on a tag to his families home so he can't leave so at least he gets to spend his final days or even hours as it will be at this rate with his family.

Even if he did go out and rob trains he'd only get a meagre sentence. The justice system is a joke in the UK. If he had done it this century he'd have got a few years max! Or sent on a holiday courtesy of the taxpayer as most criminals are these days.

yes nancy, i agree they should tag him just to keep en eye on him, however, he is frail now and i cannot see him getting up to much, he's a very ill man so the least they could do is allow him to be with his folks so he can die with them around him...

exactly wolfie, your right, there's people in jail that have done worse than him and got less time, the UK justice system is a joke, seriously, and it's the likes of us who pay to keep these people fed and watered, i say just let him go home and die with his family around him, they are wasting alot of money keeping a terminally ill man in jail, if they did release him, he would only end up in a rest home so there wouldn't really be much difference because he will still have people around him keeping an eye on him, it's not like he's gonna do another robery because he aint got the strength any more, his time is almost up, so the least they could do is let him go.

apparently at the time it happened the robbers lawyers were shocked by the size of their sentences, It was just to make an example of them because they robbed the Queen effectively. it is wrong as like you say men who've threatened people with guns get less time these days.

yep wolfie it makes alot of sense what your saying, just wanted to let ya know that i completely agree, what's the point in keeping him there? it's stupid. like i said above, there's people in jail who have done worse and got less time, it's completely hilarious, at times i wish that we had the same justice system as USA because they come down heavy and hand out the max penalties, over here it's like a holiday for them and a slap on the wrist, the criminals of today are living a life of luxury on OUR money, so instead of spending all that money on a sick old man, let him go and put the real crims behind bars with the max sentense. it's ridiculous. so yep, i agree with you whole heartedly. well said...

It's because it's such a high profile case, if he was an unknown robber they probably would have let him go on a tag straight away. But because he's well known he'll die in prison like other high profile prisoners have just to make an example of them. It's sickening in this day and age our homes secratary is still too scared to be the one to release Ronnie Bigg's

Men who've done worse and are more capable of doing it again have been released in this country, it's only because it's a high profile case all this fuss is being made.