Great Train Robber Ronnie Biggs‘s place in the annals of crime owed more to his status as a notorious fugitive than his prowess as a villain. His conviction for his part in the most celebrated robbery in the history of British crime and his subsequent escape and high-profile life in Rio de Janeiro brought him the sort of worldwide notoriety in which he seemed to revel.
But at the age of 71, and in failing health after three strokes, Biggs announced he was ending his 35-year exile. He was penniless and needed vital medical treatment in Britain which he could not afford in Brazil.
Ignoring protests from his family, including son Michael who begged him to reconsider, he sent an email to Scotland Yard informing them that he wanted to give himself up and needed a passport…