Michael Peterson, better known by his fighting name Charles Bronson and Britain’s most notorious prisoner, is up for parole.
A parole board is currently deciding whether Bronson, who changed his name to Charles Salvador in 2014, should be released after spending nearly 50 years behind bars. He is currently serving a life sentence after numerous bouts with prisoners and prison guards while serving time on a robbery charge from 1988.
During his parole hearing, Bronson routinely swore and sighed loudly, the Independent reported. He was given 15 minutes to make an opening statement and began by saying, “I could fill 15 hours.”
“First of all, it’s no secret I have had more porridge than Goldilocks and the Three Bears, and I’m sick of it. I’ve had enough of it, I want to go home,” Bronson said.
He added that half of the 738-page dossier on his actions was “crap, absolute rubbish,” arguing that he was “almost an angel now,” compared to how he had previously acted.
“I have not walked on grass for over 30 years and I dream of walking on grass,” he added.
But Bronson also said he was “born to have a rumble” and disparaged a prison governor whom he had attacked and left with post-traumatic stress disorder. Bronson called the man “an a**hole,” saying he would “die an a**hole.”
The chairman of the Parole Board panel argued that Bronson had spent almost the entirety of the past five decades behind bars, except for two brief periods where he was released and quickly committed new crimes.
Born in 1952, Bronson began a life of petty crime at a young age, with juvenile court reprimands for stealing. He served time for smashing parked cars after having an argument with his then-girlfriend’s father, and a suspended sentence for a smash-and-grab raid at age 19.
His first major offense occurred in 1974 when he was convicted of armed robbery at the age of 22 and sentenced to seven years in prison.
While in prison, he attacked prisoners and guards alike, took hostages, and attempted to escape. Though he has never killed anyone, he attempted to kill multiple prisoners, including child rapist and murderer John White.
Bronson changed his name to Charles Bronson in 1987 during one of his prison releases, when he began a short-lived stint as a bare-knuckle boxer. Bronson would return to prison shortly, however, after robbing a jewelry store.
In prison, Bronson became depressed, and used art therapy as a way to cope, eventually changing his name to Charles Salvador in tribute to Salvador Dali. His paintings have been sold and earned him awards, and the Charles Salvador Art Foundation promotes his work and encourages those less fortunate to create art.
He has also written books about his experience as a prisoner and exercising in small spaces.
It is unclear whether he will be granted parole.