Ronnie Biggs, Great Train Robber
Ronnie Biggs, one of the 'Great Train Robbers' of 1963, was sentenced to 30 years imprisonment for his part in this audacious crime, but he escaped from jail, went on the run and in 1974 he hoved up in Brazil, where he fathered a child – thereby making extradition to the UK impossible.
At the time, I was a journalist working for This Week, Thames Television's international current affairs programme in London. I flew out to try and set up an interview with him, but because he'd already signed an exclusive contract with a tabloid newspaper, the answer was 'no'. So all I got was this quickly-grabbed snapshot outside his flat in Rua Prof Gastão Baiana, Rio de Janeiro. With his eyes firmly focused on the ground, it's hardly an award-winning image – but given the circumstances, it was better than nothing and it captures a moment in time.
The Great Train Robbery was a sensation in 1963, not just because of the audacity of the operation, but also because the 15-strong gang escaped with £2.6 million in used banknotes – a staggering amount of money at the time and the equivalent of around £50 million today.
Eventually, Biggs returned to the UK voluntarily in 2001 when he was in need of medical treatment. It's worth stating that he remained a controversial and notorious criminal right through to his death on 18th December 2013 at the age of 84.
Ronnie Biggs, Great Train Robber
Ronnie Biggs, one of the 'Great Train Robbers' of 1963, was sentenced to 30 years imprisonment for his part in this audacious crime, but he escaped from jail, went on the run and in 1974 he hoved up in Brazil, where he fathered a child – thereby making extradition to the UK impossible.
At the time, I was a journalist working for This Week, Thames Television's international current affairs programme in London. I flew out to try and set up an interview with him, but because he'd already signed an exclusive contract with a tabloid newspaper, the answer was 'no'. So all I got was this quickly-grabbed snapshot outside his flat in Rua Prof Gastão Baiana, Rio de Janeiro. With his eyes firmly focused on the ground, it's hardly an award-winning image – but given the circumstances, it was better than nothing and it captures a moment in time.
The Great Train Robbery was a sensation in 1963, not just because of the audacity of the operation, but also because the 15-strong gang escaped with £2.6 million in used banknotes – a staggering amount of money at the time and the equivalent of around £50 million today.
Eventually, Biggs returned to the UK voluntarily in 2001 when he was in need of medical treatment. It's worth stating that he remained a controversial and notorious criminal right through to his death on 18th December 2013 at the age of 84.