Category: Business

Charles Bronson is bracing for his next parole bid – and if it succeeds, he could be a free man by December.

The 73-year-old, who is one of the UK‘s most infamous and longest-serving prisoners, might be out by Christmas if his upcoming hearings go well.

He’s spent more than five decades in custody and is said to be ‘delighted’ with the progress of his fight for freedom, although after repeated knock backs, his solicitor said he ‘is under no illusions’.

Bronson is considered to be one of Britain’s most violent offenders due to his antics behind bars, but now ‘wants to show the world he is not the person he was’, his lawyer Gurdeep Singh told the Daily Star.

The inmate, who now goes by the name Charles Salvador, hopes to convince the Parole Board that he can safely be released into the community next month at a two-day oral hearing.

The Luton-born criminal is set to reel off a list of reasons for why he deserves to walk the streets again. On 2 November, the proceedings will begin and officials will examine whether Bronson is eligible for freedom.

This isn’t his first rodeo, as he’s made a bid for freedom on eight previous occasions, which have each been rejected.

He was locked up in 1974 for armed robbery at the age of 22, but his initial seven-year sentence continued to increase after he committed several attacks on other prisoners and guards.

Bronson was released from behind bars in 1987, before being locked up again after he was found guilty of a second armed robbery the following year.

He was then handed a discretionary life sentence with a minimum term of four years after holding a prison teacher hostage for almost 48 hours in 1999.

Singh said of his client’s latest bid for parole: “Mr Salvador is delighted with the fact he has been progressed to a full hearing but he is under no illusions; this is just the start of the fight for his release.

“He wants to show the world he is not the person he was, he hopes to convince the panel that he is a changed man intent on living a simple life in the outside world,” Singh said.

“He has high hopes he can see his 95-year-old mother this year.”

Bronson could also be moved to a lower security prison or onto a wing with other prisoners to see how he adapts after being in and out of solitary confinement for countless years.

A Parole Board spokesman told the Star: “The Parole Board is an independent body whose members make judicial decisions on whether people who have committed serious offences or are assessed as potentially dangerous need to stay in public for the protection of the public.

“The parole process is focussed solely on risk and public protection is always our key consideration.”

LADbible has contacted the Parole Board for further comment.

Warning: This article contains discussion of suicide which some readers may find distressing.

The bodies of three sisters who were pulled from the sea in Brighton had taken their own lives, an inquest has heard.

Sussex Police identified the women as sisters Jane Adetoro, 36, Christina Walter, 32, and Rebecca Walter, 31, after their bodies were pulled from the water near Madeira Drive on 13 May.

An inquest has heard how the day before, they had visited the lake where their mother had died in Birmingham years earlier.

The body of Janice Adetoro, the mother of the three victims, was recovered from a lake in 2010.

They arrived at Linton Walk, Birmingham, near to Brookvale Park Lake, at 11.36pm on May 11 and were picked up to return to the flat they lived in together in Greenford, west London, at 1.28am on May 12.

On the evening of May 12, they took a pre-booked taxi to Brighton and arrived near the seafront at 10.21pm. They are thought to have last been seen alive on CCTV from the beach at 2.42am on May 13.

Sussex Police said there was no evidence to suggest criminality or that anyone else was involved.

After the incident, detectives said they were working to gather the full facts and circumstances around their deaths, with hundreds of hours of CCTV footage being reviewed and inquiries made to establishments around the beach area.

Ms Adetoro had been brought to shore by an RNLI crew and declared dead at the scene on the morning of May 13, the inquest was told.

Christina Walters was recovered from the sea by an RNLI lifeboat, and Rebecca Walters was washed on to the shore of Brighton beach.

They were also pronounced dead that morning by paramedics, as the entire beach was closed off by emergency crews for investigations to take place.

Sussex Police previously said there was ‘no evidence’ the women came to harm by any individuals.

“Based on all of the evidence currently available, our investigation has concluded that all three entered the water near to where their bodies were found, and sadly died,” a statement read.

Concluding the inquest into their deaths, senior coroner Penelope Schofield told the court on Thursday (8 October): “On May 13, in hours of darkness, they entered the sea at Brighton, they could not swim and sea conditions were adverse.”

She concluded the medical cause of death for all three women was drowning and that they died by suicide.

Chief Superintendent Adam Hays, of Sussex Police previously said: “Our priority throughout has been uncovering the truth for the loved ones of Jane, Rebecca and Christina, because at this incident’s core there has always been a grieving family coming to terms with an unthinkable tragedy and loss.

“Jane, Rebecca and Christina’s tragic deaths sparked a national outpouring of grief, and I would like to thank everyone who supported our investigation by coming forward with information.”

If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, please don’t suffer alone. Call Samaritans for free on their anonymous 24-hour phone line on 116 123 or contact Harmless by visiting their website https://harmless.org.uk.

A medical doctor advising Christa Pike’s legal team has said the 50-year-old has been removed from a ventilator and can now speak.

Following two failed attempts by the State of Tennessee to execute Pike via lethal injection, the convicted murderer was rushed to hospital to receive life-saving care.

Dr Joel Zivot, a medical professional assisting Pike’s team, has shared an update on her condition with PEOPLE and his thoughts on what her recovery will look like.

“I was told yesterday that she had recovered sufficiently that she was able to be removed from her mechanical ventilator and was able to speak,” he said, adding that she does not remember her execution at the moment but noted that her ‘memories may continue to evolve’.

When it comes to her recovery, Zivot noted that it was too soon to share a prognosis for Pike, but said that her current condition puts her in a ‘good position’ going forward.

“I think it’s still early, critically ill patients tend to move in a variety of ways,” he said.

“The fact she is doing something now puts her in good position, but I wouldn’t suggest it’s smooth sailing from here and there won’t be any residual impact.”

Meanwhile, Stephen Farrell, one of Pike’s lawyers, revealed to Radio 4 that she is now ‘up and walking’ for the first time since the execution.

“She is up and walking for the first time today, just around the room, not very far,” he said, adding that her arms are still ‘very injured’ from the failed attempts to insert IV lines, meaning that she can’t ‘use them very much’.

Zivot previously revealed that Pike was able to communicate in a basic way with those around her, but seemed confused about the fact that we were now in October.

Her first words are reported to have been: “Where am I and who are you?”

Pike’s attorney Randy Spivey previously said that his client has a ‘long road to recovery’, telling reporters that she had a ‘blood clot in one of her arms’ as well as ‘pneumonia’.

“She is not able to swallow yet, so she has not eaten,” he added.

READ MORE: All of the failed lethal injection executions in the last decade

Why was Christa Pike on death row and what happens next?

Christa Pike received the death sentence after being convicted of the 1995 murder of her Job Corps classmate Colleen Slemmer.

Pike, her then-boyfriend Tadaryl Shipp and their friend Shadolla Peterson lured Slemmer to an isolated part wooded area in Knoxville. Pike and Shipp then beat Slemmer to death while Peterson acted as a lookout for the couple.

Shipp was sentenced to life in prison as he was only 17 and therefore not eligible for the death penalty, while Peterson received probation after becoming a witness for the prosecution.

It’s not currently clear whether or not the state of Tennessee will attempt to execute Pike again at a later date. Executions in the state have currently been paused while an investigation is carried out.