Charles Bronson

A public Parole Board hearing has begun for Charles Bronson , one of Britain's most notorious and longest-serving prisoners.

The 70-year-old, has been in prison for much of The Last 50 Years .

At The Beginning of the hearing The Panel chairman asked him: " Do you intend to give evidence? "

In a gravelly voice Bronson, who is known for liking publicity, replied: " Oh yes, yes, certainly. "

When he was told the Parole Board panel hearing the case had not watched a recently-broadcast television documentary, he replied " I find that hard to believe".

Shaven-headed Bronson was wearing a suit and his trademark small round sunglasses.

The Prisoner - who now uses The Last name Salvador - is being held at a specialist close supervision centre at Woodhill Prison in Buckinghamshire.

This is only The Second Parole Board hearing ever to be held in public but this one has a

Members of The Press and public filled Court 76 at The Royal Courts of Justice to watch the hearing on a live video link.

Charles Salvador 's real name is Michael Gordon Peterson .

He was convicted of armed robbery in 1974, aged 21, and apart from a couple of brief spells of freedom, he has been in prison ever since.

He changed his name to Charles Bronson in 1987 and most of his notoriety came after that moment.

Most infamously he took an art teacher hostage in 1999, for which he received a Life Sentence .

In 2014, he changed his name, again, to Charles Salvador as a tribute to the Spanish surrealist artist Salvador Dali .

He was last convicted in 2014 of assaulting a prison governor.

The Parole Board panel is deciding whether he is still a risk to The Public , or whether he can be released from prison.

If they decide against releasing him, they have been asked to consider allowing Bronson to be moved to " open" prison conditions, where he would have much more freedom.

Source of news: bbc.com