Britain’s most notorious prisoner Charles Bronson has been moved to HMP Wakefield, known as Monster Mansion, at a time when he is preparing for what could be his final attempt to secure release after more than 50 years behind bars.Bronson, 73, was transferred last week from Long Lartin prison in Worcestershire to the high-security facility in West Yorkshire, which houses some of the country’s most dangerous convicted criminals. Prison officers at Wakefield are said to be deeply worried about his placement there after he was put back into solitary confinement and had his art materials taken away.A source familiar with the situation said nobody inside the prison could understand why the transfer had happened at such a sensitive time. The source said Bronson’s passion for painting is well known and that removing his pens and paints has raised fears he will react badly to the conditions.His ex-wife Irene Dunroe, 63, who remains in regular contact with Bronson and refers to him by his real name Mick Peterson, said she was appalled by the decision. She said he had been placed in a cell within a cell in an underground section of the prison. She described the move as a deliberate attempt to unsettle him ahead of his oral parole hearing and said prison authorities were “stretching the elastic to see how far they can make it break.”Bronson was first jailed in 1974 for armed robbery. His sentence was extended after repeated violent incidents inside prison including hostage-taking. He held a deputy prison governor and others hostage in 1997 and later took an art teacher hostage for 44 hours at Hull prison. He has not picked up a new conviction in 12 years and his legal team had hoped that even if parole was refused for a ninth time he would at least be moved to a lower-security facility.HMP Wakefield houses some of Britain’s most disturbing convicted criminals. Serial killer Robert Maudsley is among its inmates. Soham murderer Ian Huntley died earlier this year after being attacked by a fellow prisoner at the same jail.A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said the government does not comment on individual prisoners.
