"alan.holmes" wrote in message
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"BAC" wrote in message
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"Christina Websell" wrote in message
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snip

My own opinion? Ronnie took part in a robbery for his own personal
gain and someone died because of his greed. He then escaped to South
America and lived the life of Riley there for years. He came back to
take advantage of the NHS when his health began to fail and has never
shown any remorse for what he did.
He still has quite a lot of sentence to serve if I remember rightly so
let him serve it. If it means he dies in prison, so be it.
Myra Hindley was not released when she was dying of cancer, so why
should Ronnie Biggs be?


Leaving aside the fact that Biggs's offence was by no means equivalent to
Hindley's, the main difference is that the parole board recommended Biggs
release.

Killing someone is still killing!

Maybe so, but none of the Great Train Robbers were convicted and sentenced
for murder or manslaughter, but for robbery. Hindley was convicted and
sentenced for her part in the deliberate and premeditated abduction, torture
and murder of several children, which is hardly the same.

The parole board took the view that 'releasing' the very ill Biggs (to die
in a care home rather than a prison) would not have posed any significant
threat to the public. Since our justice system incorporates institutions
like courts and parole boards to take decisions on our behalf, it doesn't
make much sense to have politicians over-rule them, either for political
effect, or to 'punish' a person for a 'crime' with which he was never
charged.