Archive for July, 2009
Should Ronnie Be Let Out?
The Justice Secretary, Jack Straw, has rejected a recommendation by the parole board to release Ronnie Biggs, the Great Train Robber, at the age of 79.
Usually, I would say that when governments delegate authority to a 3rd party body, they should then follow any directives that issue forth from it. I have to say, though, that in the case of Ronnie Biggs it’s a bit less black and white.
First off, I think the fact that the romanticism surrounding the Great Train Robbery; the most expensive robbery at the time, with the subsequent fleeing of Biggs abroad, evading capture for 40 years, has meant that those involved have been seen almost as heroes - on the run against those still trying to put old men behind bars.
The thing is, they not only got away with a large sum of money, they also assaulted someone that night. So whilst one might forgive the disappearance of all that money into the mists of time, it is harder to accept that Biggs should be let out simply because he is old and frail.
He’s done his time alright - sunning himself in Brazil, whilst the driver, Jack Mills, was never able to work again and died 7 years later. Perhaps now, Biggs should do some real time.