Charles Bronson faces public parole hearing this month which could set him free

One of the most notorious criminals in UK history is set for a public parole hearing this month- which could see him freed from prison. Charles Bronson has spent most of his life since the 1970s in prison for his crimes, but the 70-year-old will face the panel which will decide if he is fit to be released.

Bronson has been out of prison very little in the past 50 years. He was first arrested for committing armed robbery and wounding in 1974 aged 22.

During his year in prison he attacked other prisoners as well as staff. In 1975, just a year after his imprisonment, he attacked a prisoner with a glass jug.

In 1994 he took a prison librarian hostage. In ransom, he demanded a helicopter, a cup of tea and an inflatable doll.

His last attempt at being released via the parole process was rejected. This was back in 2017 when he was an inmate at HMP Wakefield in West Yorkshire.

The hearing this month is set to take place on March 6 and 8 at the Royal Courts of Justice in London. At the hearing, the panel will assess whether or not Bronson is a danger to other people.

If they agree that there is a low enough level, he could be released from prison. It would be his first freedom from prison in decades.