BRITAIN’S most notorious prisoner has written to The Argus to say “modern day jail is too soft” after being moved to a high security prison where he sleeps on his cell floor.

Charles Bronson, now known as Charles Salvador, has been moved from HMP Wakefield to HMP Frankland in County Durham, where he says he has no chair or table in his cell.

Both prisons have earned the nickname “Monster Mansion” due to many of the UK’s most dangerous criminals being imprisoned within their walls.

After The Argus sent a letter to Salvador along with a copy of the newspaper’s front page story about his response to student Kane Manning, who was seeking advice after his father was killed, he replied and explained how prison has changed over the years.

In his response to The Argus, Salvador wrote: “As you can see I’ve recently moved to the farthest jail up north.

“I have no chair, no table and I sleep on the floor.

“And the truth is it’s the best way to do time.

“Coz when you’ve got nothing, you can’t lose nothing.

“Modern day jail for me now is too soft. It makes a man’s brain go fuzzy.

“Give young Kane my respects. Yours in the name of loonyology, Charles Salvador.”

Salvador also referred to the popular 1970s sitcom Porridge, about two prisoners at the fictional HMP Slade in Cumberland, describing how life on the inside is a lot easier these days than is depicted in the series.

He ended his letter to The Argus by writing: “PS – It’s Rice Krispies nowadays.

“Ronnie Barker would turn in his grave.

“The Porridge era is gone.”

The letter sent by The Argus asked Salvador for his reaction to our story about how Kane was inspired to write to him after watching the biopic film Bronson, where the prisoner is played by actor Tom Hardy.

Salvador, who recently got married to actress Paula Williamson inside the walls of HMP Wakefield before he was moved, sent a signed postcard back to Kane after reading his letter, telling him to “go on and win” after losing his father, Mark Manning.

Kane was overjoyed when Salvador wrote back to him giving him life advice.

The 65-year-old inmate has served more than 40 years behind bars, with him being sentenced to life for kidnapping a prison teacher in 1999.

In Salvador’s letter back to The Argus, which we received earlier this week, he also reiterated his praise for Kane and his father.

He wrote: “It’s never easy for a young lad to lose his father.

“Kane was only 16-years-old at the time.

“So I am proud of how Kane’s handled it over the last four years.

“He’s a proper geezer in my eyes. And his old man would be so proud of him.

“And let’s face reality, his dad Mark was a very tough, brave man.

“He was into removing landmines.

“Nerves of steel. Respect to the man. R.I.P.”

Mr Manning had worked removing landmines for a charity in some of the world’s poorest countries.

COMMENT

ROLE models come in all different shapes and sizes. Pop stars, musicians, footballers, actors and activists. All these people can and do influence the lives of many.

One young man found himself needing help and support after the tragic death of his father. And he decided to seek guidance from an unusual source.

Michael Peterson, also known as Charles Bronson, and more recently Charles Salvador, isn’t by definition your typical role model.

He’s more commonly regarded as Britain’s most notorious prisoner and has been the subject of many a book, documentary, and more recently, feature film starring the brilliantly talented Tom Hardy.

Kane Manning wrote to Mr Salvador, who promptly responded and love him or hate him, those words seemed to do the trick. Now Mr Salvador has written to The Argus as well.

It’s not everyday we get letters from the man described as the country’s toughest prisoner, but Mr Salvador decided he wanted to use our newspaper to have say.

Some might question why we’ve given him a platform to do so. Well why not? If anyone is an expert on incarceration then surely it’s the man who has spent most of his adult life behind bars?

Mr Salvador says prisons are becoming too soft. What’s soft to him might be considered hard as nails to the rest of us, but even so, maybe he has a point?

Criminals are jailed, released, and sometimes commit more crime. Maybe prisons are going a bit soft. And we certainly know some so called tough guys who could learn a thing from Charlie.

By Paul Kennedy