Charles Bronson’s brother refuses to back the notorious inmate’s bid for freedom as parole judges decide if violent offender is ready to be released from jail

• Bronson has spent most of the past 48 years behind bars but is now fighting for his release at a parole board review
• Violent offender has compared his prison hearing to ‘being on The Apprentice’
• Brother says the siblings lost contact after ‘fake son’ came on the scene 

The brother of Britain’s most notorious prisoner Charles Bronson is refusing to back his bid for freedom.

Bronson was jailed for seven years in 1974 after being convicted of armed robbery and was given a life sentence for kidnapping prison teacher Phil Danielson in 1999.

The 70-year-old – whose real name is Michael Gordon Peterson – could be released in a matter of weeks after spending most of the past 48 years behind bars after three parole judges started hearing his case at HMP Woodhill in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire.

The second day of Bronson’s parole review heard Bronson ‘feels like the whole system is about humiliating and degrading him’.

The parole hearing – which finished on Wednesday – is the second to be held in public in the UK.

Bronson has compared his parole hearing to ‘being on The Apprentice’ as the panel heard he would need help if he is ever released from jail because he has never used a cash machine.

His brother Mark Peterson has now said he lost contact with his sibling after ‘fake son’ George Bamby came on the scene.

He had previously been in support of him getting out so he could see their elderly mum Eira Peterson – who Bronson has referred to as ‘Duchess’.

Mr Bamby appeared on ITV’s This Morning in 2018 claiming to be Bronson’s child and said he had done a DNA test which was a 99.8% positive match.

Mark Peterson, left, pictured with Charles Bronson and their mother, Eira, known as ‘Duchess’

‘I’ve had nothing to do with him since he introduced his fake son,’ Mark told The Mirror.

Bronson – who now goes by the name Charles Salvador – has had a difficult relationship with Mr Bamby, who also at one stage added Salvador to his own name.

Soon after his TV appearance, Bronson reportedly wrote to a friend to say that he no longer spoke to him – and hadn’t for months.

However, it is believed they have made up since.

Freelance photographer Mr Bamby worked with Channel 4 for a recent documentary on their relationship, which included footage of Bronson in his prison cell.

He also said he went to the first day of the open parole proceedings at The Royal Courts of Justice on Monday.

Writing on Facebook, he said: ‘I listened to the opening speech from The Parole Head who confirmed that legally they were unable [to] watch the recent Channel 4 documentary. Which me and our legal team knew from day 1 may I add.

‘The legal team that I got for Charlie. I walked in there with my head held high as I won’t be bullied by people.’

He went on to say: ‘Regardless of any trolls I will continue my support for Charlie and keep campaigning for his release. What a lot of idiots don’t realise is this public parole hearing is happening because of my 5 years of tireless work.’

Mr Bamby added: ‘I decided to leave the parole hearing after 20 minutes as it’s his day and his chance for freedom and I didn’t want it to be overshadowed by idiots saying that I shouldn’t have been there.’

Once dubbed one of Britain’s most violent offenders, Bronson has spent most of the past 48 years behind bars, apart from two brief periods of freedom during which he reoffended, for a string of thefts, firearms and violent offences, including 11 hostage-takings in nine different sieges.

Charles Bronson, pictured at the parole hearing, left, is one of the UK’s most notorious inmates

Victims included governors, doctors, staff and, on one occasion, his own solicitor.

He was handed a discretionary life sentence with a minimum term of four years in 2000 for taking a prison teacher at HMP Hull hostage for 44 hours. Since then, the parole board has repeatedly refused to direct his release.

The review heard that Bronson has a ‘romanticised’ view of violent incidents in the past, after he told parole judges how he loved a ‘rumble’ and enjoyed mass brawls in prison but insisted he has since found solace in art and is a man of ‘peace’.

While he found violence ‘cathartic’ in the past, he now draws on art in the same way, said a psychologist, who has not been named.

She told the hearing she believes Bronson should eventually be moved to a lower security prison with open conditions to allow him to interact with other people and poses ‘less of a risk’ outside of jail.

Earlier this week, Bronson appeared on camera sat opposite the panel of parole judges, wearing a black suit, white shirt and dark glasses. The 70-year-old was asked if he wished to give evidence to the parole hearing, to which he replied: ‘Oh yes, certainly.’

When the hearing was told that Bronson had tried to get someone outside prison to place a bet for him, he told the panel: ‘We all love a bet, guv, come on.’

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