1. Ronald Arthur Biggs was an English criminal who helped plan and carry out the Great Train Robbery of 1963.
46 Facts About Ronnie Biggs
1. 2.
Ronnie Biggs subsequently became notorious for his escape from prison in 1965, living as a fugitive for 36 years, and for his various publicity stunts while in exile.
3.
In 2001, Ronnie Biggs returned to the United Kingdom and spent several years in prison, where his health rapidly declined.
4.
Ronnie Biggs was released from prison on compassionate grounds in August 2009 and died in a nursing home in December 2013.
5.
Ronnie Biggs was born in Stockwell, London, on 8 August 1929.
6.
In 1947, at age 18, Ronnie Biggs enlisted in the Royal Air Force.
7.
Ronnie Biggs was dishonourably discharged for desertion two years later after breaking into a local chemist shop.
8.
On his release, Ronnie Biggs took part in a failed robbery attempt of a bookmaker's office in Lambeth, London.
9.
In 1963, Ronnie Biggs, who needed money to fund a deposit on the purchase of a house for his family, happened to be working on the house of a train driver who was about to retire.
10.
Ronnie Biggs introduced the driver to the train robbery plot, which involved Reynolds.
11.
Ronnie Biggs was given the job of arranging for Agate to move the Royal Mail train after it had been waylaid.
12.
In 1964, nine of the 15-strong gang, including Ronnie Biggs, were jailed for the crime.
13.
Ronnie Biggs served 15 months before escaping from Wandsworth Prison on 8 July 1965, scaling the wall with a rope ladder and dropping onto a waiting removal van.
14.
Ronnie Biggs fled to Brussels by boat before sending a note to his wife to join him in Paris where he had acquired new identity papers and was undergoing plastic surgery.
15.
In 1966, Ronnie Biggs fled to Sydney, where he lived for several months before moving to the seaside suburb of Glenelg in Adelaide, South Australia.
16.
In 1967, just after their third child was born, Ronnie Biggs received an anonymous letter from Britain telling him that Interpol suspected that he was in Australia and that he should move.
17.
Ronnie Biggs had a number of jobs in Melbourne before undertaking set construction work at the GTV Channel 9 Television City studios.
18.
The story led the evening news bulletin at Channel 9 and Ronnie Biggs fled his home, staying with family friends in the outer eastern suburbs of Melbourne.
19.
Twenty days later, the ship berthed in Panama and within two weeks Ronnie Biggs had flown to Brazil.
20.
In 1970, when Ronnie Biggs arrived in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil did not have an extradition treaty with the United Kingdom.
21.
In 1974, Daily Express reporter Colin MacKenzie received information suggesting that Ronnie Biggs was in Rio de Janeiro; a team consisting of MacKenzie, photographer Bill Lovelace and reporter Michael O'Flaherty confirmed this and broke the story.
22.
Ronnie Biggs was even visited by former footballer Stanley Matthews, whom Ronnie Biggs afterwards invited to his apartment after hearing that he was in Rio.
23.
In March 1981, Ronnie Biggs was kidnapped by a gang of British ex-soldiers.
24.
The boat they took him aboard suffered mechanical problems off Barbados, and the stranded kidnappers and Ronnie Biggs were rescued by the Barbados coastguard and towed into port in Barbados.
25.
The kidnappers hoped to collect a reward from the British police; however, like Brazil, Barbados was found to have had no valid extradition treaty with the United Kingdom and Ronnie Biggs was sent back to Brazil.
26.
In 1991, Ronnie Biggs sang vocals for the songs "Police on My Back" and "Carnival in Rio" by German punk band Die Toten Hosen.
27.
In 1993, Ronnie Biggs sang on three tracks for the album Bajo Otra Bandera by Argentinian punk band Pilsen.
28.
In 1993, Slipper travelled once more to Rio on a private mission to try to persuade Ronnie Biggs to come home voluntarily, which failed.
29.
Ronnie Biggs had stated that he would no longer oppose extradition.
30.
In 2001 Ronnie Biggs announced to The Sun newspaper that he would be willing to return to the UK.
31.
Ronnie Biggs arrived on 7 May 2001, whereupon he was immediately arrested and re-imprisoned.
32.
On 14 November 2001, Ronnie Biggs petitioned Governor Hynd of HMP Belmarsh for early release on compassionate grounds based on his poor health.
33.
Ronnie Biggs had been treated four times at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, London, in less than six months.
34.
Ronnie Biggs's health was deteriorating rapidly, and he asked to be released into the care of his son for his remaining days.
35.
On 10 August 2005, it was reported that Ronnie Biggs had contracted MRSA.
36.
Ronnie Biggs's representatives, seeking for his release on grounds of compassion, said that their client's death was likely to be imminent.
37.
Ronnie Biggs was claimed by his son Michael to need a tube for feeding and to have "difficulty" speaking.
38.
On 4 July 2007, Ronnie Biggs was moved from Belmarsh Prison to Norwich Prison on compassionate grounds.
39.
On 23 April 2009, the Parole Board recommended that Ronnie Biggs be released on 4 July, having served a third of his 30-year sentence.
40.
Ronnie Biggs was released from custody on 6 August 2009, two days before his 80th birthday, on "compassionate grounds".
41.
On 29 May 2010, Ronnie Biggs was again admitted to hospital in London after complaining of chest pain.
42.
On 10 February 2011, Ronnie Biggs was admitted to Barnet Hospital with another suspected stroke.
43.
Ronnie Biggs was unable to speak and used a word board to communicate with the press.
44.
In March 2013, Ronnie Biggs attended the funeral of fellow train robber, Bruce Reynolds.
45.
On 18 December 2013, aged 84, Ronnie Biggs died at the Carlton Court Care Home in Barnet, North London, where he was being cared for.
46.
Ronnie Biggs's body was cremated at Golders Green Crematorium on 3 January 2014.