Britain's most notorious inmate Charles Bronson puts his parole bid in jeopardy after punch

Release time：2024-05-08 11:10:54 Source：Horizon Herald news portal

Notorious inmate Charles Bronson has had a prison punch-up with a murderer, jeopardising his parole bid for freedom in ten months, the Mail can reveal.

Bronson, 71, hit killer Robert Donaldson with two hooks and two uppercuts when the sick killer tried to attack him on a wing of Category A HMP Woodhill on Monday, a source revealed.

Donaldson, 48, was jailed in 2005 for murdering Paul Bourke, 38, weeks before gagging a deaf 100-year-old woman and beating up her 76-year-old son while they slept.

In 2014, while serving his sentence in HMP Grendon Underwood, he slashed the throat of another inmate using an improvised weapon, severing the jugular vein, and grabbed a prison officer and threatened to cut his neck.

The former crack addict has been detained at HMP Woodhill alongside Bronson for two-and-a-half years but Bronson was so disgusted by his crimes that he had always avoided him, a source said.

Notorious inmate Charles Bronson had a fight with a notorious convicted killer, it can be revealed

Robert Donaldson, now 48, was jailed in 2005 for murdering Paul Bourke, 38, weeks before gagging a deaf 100-year-old woman and beating up her 76-year-old son while they slept

The source said Donaldson had angrily charged at Bronson with his fists raised after banging into him as he walked down a landing last week. 

They added: 'Charlie knows this man's history. Donaldson has attacked older people in the same age bracket as Charlie and has also slashed the throat of another inmate using a concealed weapon.

'Charlie obviously feared the worst and could not know if this nasty piece of work was holding a weapon so, to defend himself, he hit Donaldson.

'It was two hooks and two uppercuts. Charlie has been in this position many times before; he knows how to handle himself of course, but it is such a shame because he has been on his best behaviour for six years so now worries this will undo all his work.'

Bronson, who was first convicted in 1974 for armed robbery and now spends 23 hours a day in a cell, lost a parole board bid for freedom last March.

His next opportunity to make a case for his release will come early next year.

The fight is under internal investigation but it is understood Bronson has been deprived of his enhanced prisoner status and various privileges including television use while the probe is ongoing.

The source said Donaldson had not been punished.

Bronson, who changed his named to Charles Salvador in 2014, was convicted of wounding while inside prison in 1975, 1978 and 1985

'Donaldson is now going around with a load of bandages on his head acting like the victim,' they continued.

'The prison authorities will be going through the CCTV and statements from the officers.'

They said officers will 'understand' Bronson was 'not the antagonist', but added: 'He is so worried that he could be found guilty of assaulting Donaldson that all his hard work will be undone and his bid for freedom will be scuppered.'

The Ministry of Justice confirmed it was investigating an incident in the prison.

A spokesman said: 'We do not tolerate violence in prisons and anyone who breaks the rules will be punished. It would be inappropriate to comment further while investigations are ongoing.'

Bronson, who changed his named to Charles Salvador in 2014, was convicted of wounding while inside prison in 1975, 1978 and 1985.

He was released in 1987 but was back inside 69 days later after robbing a jewellers.

He was released again in 1992 but jailed again weeks later for intent to rob.

In 1994 he took prison deputy governor Aidan Wallace hostage, then three years later took two staff members and three inmates hostage in the same way.

The Ministry of Justice confirmed it was investigating an incident at the Category A Woodhill Prison

In 1999 he took art teacher Phil Danielson hostage for two days then in 2014 assaulted a prison governor for allegedly withholding his letters.

But he told his Parole Board hearing last year that in the past decade he has become a peace-loving artist and described himself as a 'retired prison activist.'

Donaldson was described as 'sub-human' after he shook deaf centenarian Annie Steinberg awake then gagged her and tried to rip her rings from her fingers.

He then went into her 76-year-old son Woolf's room and hit him over the head several times with a whisky bottle before taking a watch, a camera and £25 from the home in Stoke Newington, north London, almost 20 years ago.

Mrs Steinberg, who had been deaf since the age of 12 and came to Britain from Russia with her family when she was eight to escape anti-semitic pogroms, had received a birthday telegram from the Queen shortly before the attack.

While on remand for the robbery, Donaldson admitted stabbing Mr Bourke to death in Dalston, East London.

He was later convicted of attempted murder and threats to kill relating to the 2014 prison attacks.

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