This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-25426914
The article has changed 11 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
Version 0 | Version 1 |
---|---|
Great Train Robber Ronnie Biggs dies aged 84 | Great Train Robber Ronnie Biggs dies aged 84 |
(35 minutes later) | |
British criminal Ronnie Biggs, who took part in the 1963 Great Train Robbery, has died aged 84, his spokeswoman has confirmed. | |
Biggs was part of the gang which escaped with £2.6m from the Glasgow to London mail train on 8 August 1963. | |
He was given a 30-year sentence but escaped from Wandsworth prison in 1965. | He was given a 30-year sentence but escaped from Wandsworth prison in 1965. |
In 2001, he returned to the UK seeking medical help but was sent to prison. He was released on compassionate grounds in 2009 after contracting pneumonia. | |
Biggs, who died early on Wednesday, was being cared for at the Carlton Court Care Home in East Barnet, north London. | Biggs, who died early on Wednesday, was being cared for at the Carlton Court Care Home in East Barnet, north London. |
He could not speak and had difficulty walking after a series of strokes. | |
He was last seen in public at the funeral of his fellow Great Train Robber, Bruce Reynolds, in March. | He was last seen in public at the funeral of his fellow Great Train Robber, Bruce Reynolds, in March. |
Christopher Pickard, ghost writer of Biggs's autobiography, said he should be remembered as "one of the great characters of the last 50 years". | |
He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme his friend was "kind and generous" with a great sense of humour, which he retained to the end. | |
Biggs was the first product of the "media age" who "inherited fame while running around the world", he said. | |
Rope ladder | |
Biggs, Reynolds, Ronald 'Buster' Edwards and the other gang members wore helmets and ski masks to carry out their crime. | |
They made off with 120 bags of money totalling £2.6m - the equivalent of £40m in today's money. | |
Train driver Jack Mills was struck over the head during the robbery and never worked again. He died in 1970. | |
Biggs, who lived in Spain, Australia and Brazil while he was on the run, had been in prison for 15 months when he used a rope ladder to climb over the prison walls. | Biggs, who lived in Spain, Australia and Brazil while he was on the run, had been in prison for 15 months when he used a rope ladder to climb over the prison walls. |
He had initially fled to Paris, with his wife Charmian and two sons, Farley and Chris. | He had initially fled to Paris, with his wife Charmian and two sons, Farley and Chris. |
The robbery is the subject of two BBC film dramas - A Robber's Tale and A Copper's Tale - due to air on BBC One on Wednesday and Thursday night. | The robbery is the subject of two BBC film dramas - A Robber's Tale and A Copper's Tale - due to air on BBC One on Wednesday and Thursday night. |