In a highly unusual first day of his public parole hearing, Bronson cursed, discussed his favourite hostage, and said he probably deserved about 35 years of the almost 50 he had served.

One of Britain’s longest-serving prisoners, Charles Bronson, told a public appeal hearing on Monday he is “almost an angel now” compared to his old self and is “just a normal geezer wanting to get on with his life”.

The 70-year-old convict, who has spent almost 50 years behind bars, has committed a series of violent offences but insists he is a reformed character who deserves to be freed.

In a bizarre first day of his public parole hearing, Bronson repeatedly swore, described a former prison warden he held hostage as an arsehole, and said he probably deserved about 35 years of the almost 50 he had served. He also described decades of life behind bars – often in solitary confinement.

Here’s everything Bronson said on the first day of his hearing…

Bronson on prison life

Bronson told the hearing that during his time in prison he had slept in “cages” and “boxes”, and spent “40 years of my life in solitary”.

“Don’t think I’m wearing these glasses for sinister reasons. My eyes are blown away with the light” he said, explaining that his eyes had not recovered from periods in solitary confinement.

Describing the conditions of his current ‘home’ of HMP Woodhill, the 70-year-old said they were more like a hospital than a prison for some inmates.

“I don’t want my cell to be a furnished bedsit… Unfortunately prison today is full of fairies,” he told the panel, adding: “I’ve got a telly in my cell, I can’t even believe it.”

As well as a TV, the panel heard Bronson has regular phone contact with his friends and son, and receives letters from up to 500 people on his mailing list.

“Bloody hell, I can’t reply to all of them,” Bronson interjected, as the panel was told he did not respond to some of them.

Bronson also said he had been “betting for 50 years” while in prison, winning £1,500 last year.

He described prisons as being run by “namby-pamby people now,” later telling the hearing: “I lost the plot in prison”, adding: “The only thing I knew was violence.”

Describing the conditions of his current ‘home’ of HMP Woodhill, the 70-year-old said they were more like a hospital than a prison for some inmates.

“I don’t want my cell to be a furnished bedsit… Unfortunately prison today is full of fairies,” he told the panel, adding: “I’ve got a telly in my cell, I can’t even believe it.”

As well as a TV, the panel heard Bronson has regular phone contact with his friends and son, and receives letters from up to 500 people on his mailing list.

“Bloody hell, I can’t reply to all of them,” Bronson interjected, as the panel was told he did not respond to some of them.

Bronson also said he had been “betting for 50 years” while in prison, winning £1,500 last year.

He described prisons as being run by “namby-pamby people now,” later telling the hearing: “I lost the plot in prison”, adding: “The only thing I knew was violence.”