Just comparing the story below about Ronnie Biggs with the one further down about one of the Bankers (rythming slang) who caused the present crisis. While not condoning what Ronnie and his mates did (also aware one person died because of the great train robbery), I'd suggest as well as financial hardship there will be a lot of suicides caused by the stress of un-employment etc.
So, I'd ask, should Ronnie be freed and Fred the Shred invited to spend some time in Ronnies old cell?
Biggs was sentenced to 30 years for his role in a 15-strong gang who robbed a Glasgow to London mail train near Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire, on August 8, 1963.
The gang made off with in used banknotes.
Biggs, now nearly 80, managed to escape from Wandsworth prison in a furniture van after just 15 months in jail.
He returned to Britain voluntarily after having plastic surgery to change his appearance and spending more than 30 years on the run in Spain, Australia and then Brazil.
He was imprisoned in Belmarsh high security jail in south east London and then transferred to a unit at Norwich jail.
Last year, Biggs' lawyer, Giovanni Di Stefano, headed a campaign to release him early, stating that the time he spent in prison abroad should be counted against his sentence.
He described Biggs as "a seriously ill man who has suffered three strokes, he cannot go to the toilet on his own, he should have been released long ago".
Biggs is described as "comfortable" and is expected to return to prison next week.
Months after RBS acquired NatWest, and Sir Fred "shredded” 18,000 jobs, the bank acquired a £17.5 million private jet. The Falcon 900 EX had the registration "G-RBSG", which insiders joked stood for "Royal Bank of Scotland Goodwin". It cost £9,000 an hour to run and carried only eight passengers. RBS is selling the jet.
- During ten years at RBS, Sir Fred made 26 acquisitions. This financial year, RBS is expected to report a loss of £28 billion, the biggest loss in UK corporate history.
- For the opening ceremony for the bank’s new £350 million headquarters in Edinburgh, Sir Fred arranged an RAF fly-past.
- In response to the Government's £20 billion bailout of RBS in October 2008, when he was forced to resign, Sir Fred said: "You know, it's more a drive-by shooting than a negotiation."
- A well-known "petrolhead", Sir Fred enjoys restoring vintage cars and drives a 1972 Triumph Stag convertible. He will now be able to enjoy his passion, after remarking when he resigned from the rescued bank: “A good long rest is the first order of priority”.
- On leaving RBS last year, it emerged that Sir Fred had a pension pot worth £8 million. The Government was forced to bail out the bank for £20 billion of taxpayers' money.
John
Where is the option for both of them to be in prison?
or both of them to be out
or 'don't care either way' option.
Can we have an option for both?
Yes Biggs returned voluntary but only because his money had dried up and he was ill and good old Blighty would foot his health bills...he should continue serving his time.
the other may be a complete cock...but has he broken the law?
It's easy for crooks to obtain a tinge of glamour as the years go by. Some 'celebrities' (particularly those who originate from the East End) have tried to rehabilitate the Krays as folk heroes. The fact is that they and the train robbers were violent criminals and should not be afforded hero status. The guard on the mail train who was violenly assaulted and suffered brain damage (I am not sure that anyone was actually killed) was an innocent man going about his lawful job. He did not deserve his fate and those who meted it out do not deserve our sympathy - no matter how old or sick they are.
What the bankers did was not illegal (maybe it should have been - but that is a different argument). Certainly they were greedy and irresponsible and I do not condone their actions but I don't think they can really be compared with armed robbery and/or murder.
Will
looking at it for the Justice system point of view, I think we have rapists, child abusers and murderers who actually just get a slap on the wrist, when they should he held at her majestys pleasure, when a bank is robbed it is covered by insurance, many peoples lifes are ruined by these sort of people and we live in a society where political correctness and human rights have gone to pot, we have no justice the criminal always wins!!
many may have other opinions to me and i dont wish to offend anyone this is not a personal attack on anyone.
For starters you need to look at the actual offences committed.
Train robbery,
no one was actually killed in the Robbery, the train driver Jack mill was hit over the head with a iron bar in the struggle, and 7 years later died of luekemia, his family said he never fully recovered from the attack, but could u really pin it on the robbery?
No guns were used in the Robbery.
so for the offences: Robbery, ABH, possibly GBH, There are drink drivers, people convicted of death by dangerous driving etc.
That get lesser sentences then ronnie has...
As for the Banker...
Yes he has been cunning and made money at the cost to the tax payer, but can you convict him on it?, would people not do the same given the chance, just look at every chief exec. that has taken bonuses and fat cats that reap the profits from fuel companies whilst the rest of us pay over the odds for their products...
There are far more people in this country alone that deserve to be in what few spaces we have in our prisons, then either of the 2 mentioned.
just my view, sorry if it offends.
