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Ronnie Biggs in hospital with pneumonia


28.07.09

Ronnie Biggs has been moved out of his cell at Norwich prison and into hospital with severe pneumonia.

His son Michael said: “It is the worst he's ever been.” Biggs, 79, pictured, was refused parole over the 1963 Great Train Robbery this month.

He has fractures of the hip, pelvis and spine and has had three strokes.

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I have the same sympathy for Biggs as I do for any crook who couldn't care less about his victims. Zero. The man isn't a folk hero as you seem to think, Stephen, Welwyn Garden City - he has no regrets for anything he has done against ANY of his innocent victims. He is a piece of society's dross that had a sentence for his crimes imposed, and should serve it out. Part of the purpose of imprisonment is the fact that it is seen to be taking place by others - a warning. His imprisonment is appropriate.

- Rogan, Irving

Reading these comments I am certain that some of you are nastier than Biggs ever was. He was not Mr Big but a minor criminal. His biggest crime was putting two fingers up at the government when he escaped. This is why parole was refused not because he a threat. I doubt he will see the end of next month. If he survives this he should just be released into a nursing home and forgotten until we read his obituary.

- Stephen, Welwyn Garden City

Ronnie Biggs is in hospital.

Ronnie Biggs is out of hospital.

SO WHAT?

He should have stayed in Brazil.

Biggs has not contributed to the NHS or anything else in the UK.

- Reuben Camara, Republic of Morecambe, UK

Biggs has never been anything other than a spineless coward. He ran away from National Service, ran away from admitting the seriousness of what he did to train driver Jack Mills and ran away from serving his due time.

Then, after years of flicking the V's at the UK from Brazil, the money and the fairweather friends it bought ran away from him; so he limped home to live off a system to which he'd contributed nothing.

- Paul, Kent, UK

He is getting appropriate care for his needs - what has his prisoner status got to do with it all?

- Rogan, Irving

Ouch: that really hurts - I've had it. Whilst I feel sympathy for his condition, if he'd served his sentence when he was younger he would now be in hospital as a free man. The crack on the head they gave the train driver plagued that poor fellow with ill-health, too . . .

- Roz, France


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