The Great Train Robbery took place way back in 1963, when just over £2½ million was stolen from a train. This was regarded by many as almost a victimless crime, because the money consisted of old banknotes that were on their way to a government incinerator. These robbers almost became folk heroes, had it not been for the fact that in the course of the robbery the train driver, Frank Mills, was badly beaten, and never made a full recovery. It has never been established which robber actually wielded the cosh, but if Mr. Mills had died as a result of his injuries within a year and a day of the robbery, then his death would have been murder, and every single robber who took part, regardless of his individual role, would, under the law of common purpose, have been guilty of murder and would have been liable to the death penalty, which then had not yet been abolished.
Even so, in spite of this one act of violence, many people, if they didn’t actually side with the robbers, at least found it hard to generate much indignation about the actual theft. It was government money after all, and they were going to burn it to ashes anyway, so what was the harm? Well, the forces of the Establishment saw lots of harm, and the robbers (who may have been audacious but apparently weren’t very bright) were almost all rounded up in a relatively short while, tried and sentenced to very long terms of imprisonment – many of them thirty years or more. This led to many protests that the law regarded offences against property as more serious than offences against the person. Most of the sentences were not reduced, though in fact none of the robbers served his full time – all were released early due to remission, time off and a number of other reasons.
One who only served fifteen months was Ronnie Biggs, a not very bright petty criminal who was one of the lower echelon robbers. He managed to escape from prison and after going to France and then Australia, fetched up in Brazil, which had no extradition treaty with Great Britain. Throughout the seventies, eighties and nineties we were treated to images of Ronnie Biggs in floral shirts and Bermuda shorts, seemingly enjoying himself in the Brazilian sunshine. He managed to father a son with his Brazilian girlfriend and as the father of a Brazilian citizen he made himself doubly extradition-proof. Visiting Brit tourists and celebrities used to have themselves photographed with him, in exchange for a bit of cash. Several attempts were made to extradite him but they all failed. Then, in 2001, Biggs returned voluntarily to England. He was old and frail and was weary of living in poverty in Brazil – he was allowed to live there but not to work.
When he arrived back in England he went straight back to prison to complete his sentence. He can have expected nothing less. It was inconceivable that society would call it quits then and there. However I suspect that he thought that he would only have to serve a token sentence before being let out to enjoy, or at least experience, his last remaining years. Six years later, he is still inside and according to latest reports, in very poor health, and pressure is being brought to bear to secure his early release. Now, he has served a total of seven and a half years, which with fifty percent remission is the equivalent of a fifteen year sentence. The British justice system is based on preserving the safety of the public and the rehabilitation of the offender. Retribution and revenge have no place in it. The finest Englishman who ever lived put it far better than I ever could, way back in 1910: “The mood and temper of the public in regard to the treatment of crime and criminals is one of the most unfailing tests of civilization in any country. A calm and dispassionate recognition of the rights of the accused against the state, and even of convicted criminals … and an unfaltering faith that there is a treasure, if you can only find it, in the heart of every man – these are the things which… mark and measure the stored-up strength of a nation.” (You can read the full quote here).
Ronnie Biggs clearly presents absolutely no threat to the public. He took part in a robbery and he escaped from prison – there is no argument about that – but when one sees people drawing far shorter sentences these days for offences more serious than his, then one is led to the ineluctable conclusion that he should be released. Gordon Brown’s new government can make this gesture without (if that is what they are worried about) losing a single vote at the polls next time there is an election. There is far more dignity in an act of compassion than in an act of spite, and there is nothing to be gained by upholding the vindictive sentences imposed by judges from a bygone era. There is no need for a Royal pardon. Just release this sad old creature without fanfare and let him enjoy whatever months he has left in obscurity, before his next stroke or heart attack finishes him off.
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