THE family of Ronnie Biggs vowed to fight on for his freedom after Justice Secretary Jack Straw condemned the Great Train Robber to a likely death behind bars.
THE family of Ronnie Biggs vowed to fight on for his freedom after Justice Secretary Jack Straw condemned the Great Train Robber to a likely death behind bars.
Mr Straw rejected a parole board recommendation that the 79-year-old be released, saying Biggs was "wholly unrepentant" about his crimes.
Biggs would have been a free man "many years ago" if he had complied with the sentence given to him, Mr Straw said.
The decision was branded "perverse" by Biggs's legal advisor, who accused Mr Straw of "cruel and unusual punishment".
Biggs's son Michael said the decision "beggars belief".
He compared his father's sentence to shorter jail terms handed out to other criminals, including Baby P's killers, adding: "This is not justice."
Biggs is seriously unwell, having suffered a series of strokes. He cannot eat or speak, can barely walk and last weekend broke his hip when he fell out of his bed in Norwich Prison.
He is now in the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital where sources said his condition had deteriorated in the past 24 hours.
His son added that the hospital had confirmed to him that his father was in a "life-threatening" condition. He pleaded with Mr Straw to change his mind.
Biggs was eligible for release on Friday, having served 10 years of his 30-year sentence.
The Parole Board, which met earlier this month, recommended his release saying he posed a "manageable" threat to the public.
