A VISIT WITH CHARLIE
by
Mark Emmins
25 August 2007

I know that they say to get to the prison early for a visit, so I set off at 3am from Devon to Wakefield, strangely enough I got there 5 hours too early and spent time walking around the area and catching up on sleep in the car as well as answering all the kind text messages from people saying to wish him well and good luck to me on my 1st ever visit to him.

For anyone that has never been on a prison visit, the 1st experience can be a nerve wracking one. In my case, I was a complete bag of nerves, not only am I at Monster Mansion (HMP Wakefield)
But im here to see Charles Bronson!!

The tedious part of the visit was the signing in at the visitor’s center. Finger printing, photograph, lecture on what to expect etc.

After a long wait in the visitor’s area, finally the call comes for the 1st lot of visitors to go across to the prison, so off I go with my pass etc.
At the prison, you get given a box and put all your belongings into it, including your shoes, to go through a scanner, whilst you have to walk through a human one., then, you get searched, then another scan, then another search !! Finally, you get to move onto the next phase of entry. Where you are fingerprinted for about the 5th time. The guard then calls to another guard who has been waiting for me, I then got separated from the other visitors, I collect Charlie’s famous flask and am taken to the snack area and fill a tray to the brim with Galaxy muffins, chocolate bars, milk shakes “warning to all “ NEVER FORGET THE MILKSHAKES……$*%$”

After all that malarkey I am led away through the 1st door into a room and then begins the journey to see Charlie. Through door after door
“Pass some nutter with 3 guards with him “he looked as evil as they come ( David Harker Cannibal ). Then into the centre of the prison, you are now outside looking at what can only be described as what a Nazi war camp would look like, all concrete, and barbed wire, and electric intercom gates!
We go through another 2 gates and we finally get closer to my visit area.
As I walk through the last gate, I spot a prisoner in the yard, a tall man with medium length graying hair, and grey beard, he looks me straight in the eyes and I look back into his, his eyes were black, and he just looked through me and then continued to look up into the sky, this man was completely soulless, empty, and evil looking.
Suddenly a voice shouts from the window “oi let me out and lock him up” its Charlie shouting to me. I have finally made it to his visiting area... well after 2 more doors that is
Suddenly the last door gets opened and there he is with a massive smile on his face. I put down the tray and put out my hand to shake his firmly and then the visit really begins.

Charlie and I spend the next 2 hrs chatting about allsorts. People. Places, books, music and the reasons why he should now be out. Charles has really been touched with the young lad Rhys Johns the 11yr old lad that got shot by 2 teenagers in Liverpool , he finds the whole thing so tragic, and his heart was going out to the parents at this bad time in their lives. And then that Jehovah witness that just walked from court for over 11 counts of kiddy fiddling one included a child of 18 months old, Charlie said to me... they let a nasty bastard like that out on the streets only to do it again, yet I have done nothing like that monster, he walks ,, I remain locked up .. Where’s the justice eh

When in a room with Charlie the time flies by so fast, there just didn’t seem to be enough time to get to talk about everything I had planned, but was happy just listening and watching Charlie, he really does go out of his way to make visits memorable for people. I had heard so many people praise him for being so entertaining. I just found it brilliant that I was practically in the same room as my mate Charlie Bronson, and he was my tea waiter for a few hours. After Charlie and I greeted each other, I told him about the man in the yard staring at the sky, he said “well Mark now you have seen your first cannibal mate, that’s Bob Maudsley (Hannibal the cannibal) that one ate part of one of his victims brain”
That shook me; I never expected to look that monster in the eye, nor did I expect to see two cannibals in one day ( or lifetime coming to think of it)

The visit soon came to an end and I just did not want to leave him there. I had already said to Charlie that I would be upset on the way out, he said you will leave here smiling mate, he was right I did leave smiling.

After saying our goodbyes etc, I left the prison, and sat in my car for a few minutes just going over in my mind what had just happened to me. And how privileged I am to have been on a visit with Charlie.it was a terrible shame that I had to see him through prison bars, It's ok for me I can deal with that but what about his poor Mum, Son and Family, surely they could at least let them see him in an open visit style room. there are people in that prison that have done far worse than Charlie and yet get open visits, not behind bars. its an outrage really and an insult to Charlie.

Charlie is denied luxuries in life, he is denied the rights to live like a human being, denied the rights to mix with other prisoners, and yet he looks healthy, and is happy, he shares a block with people like Bob Maudsley, a mad man ! and yet Charlie is sane, completely sane, there was nothing he said to me that made me feel remotely un easy about him, in fact I am going to ask him if it would be ok to pass my wife for the next visit. As the most un scary part of that prison visit was standing talking to Charlie, the rest is not so comfortable, the scans, searches, fingerprinting, I know its all necessary but it makes you feel like a criminal yourself.

During the visit, I realized that Charlie is an entertainer, a man that could have a conversation about anything with anyone, he showed me his true side to when he talked about Rhys Jones, and he was truly upset by that shooting. Now I know and you know that Charlie is in jail for a reason, but for what reason exactly? Is it now because he is an artist? Or because he is polite? Is it because he wears dark glasses?
I’m fucked if I know why he is still there, and the screws there think the same (off the record of course) but they talk of Charlie with a smile, not one officer made any grunt or bad look when Charlie’s name is mentioned, they all grin, they all seem to like him,
Does that sound to you that Charlie is a monster? If he is so bad then why is he so well liked by the officers?
I felt truly upset to leave him there whilst I went back to my life. I now know 100% that Charles would do well in the outside world, he is not institutionalized at all, he would settle into the outside world easily, it would not take long for him to adapt back into real life. He has beaten the system, that’s easy to see. And when (not if) he is released he will prove to the world that the legend that is Charles Bronson is a normal, funny, intelligent, warm hearted, approachable and friendly man. What ever Charles Bronson was all those years ago, he certainly isn’t now.
The media that hate him so much and degrade him with their stories and lies will all be behind him when he comes out, they will realize how wrong they have been by writing the lies and smears on his character and learn to love Charlie for the man he is now.

I can also see now why people like Raymond Kray did a rooftop protest for Charlie’s release, “never met Ray but would like to meet him and shake his hand for that” Ray if your planning another one,, I’m coming up with you !
The media have fed the public lies and kept you all in fear of Charlie
They use words like “most dangerous & monster” he may have been dangerous once, and I don’t care about his past it’s his future that concerns me now, his future back in our world.
I can not stress this point enough but it’s a tragedy that Charlie is still in prison, he is of more benefit out here than in there, he is totally sane, happy, and ready to come home, so please sign the petition if you haven’t done so already, buy the stickers & t-shirts get behind Charlie and help him home. People say if he comes out he will end up back in jail... 34 years of your life served in a jail 30 in solitary. I ask you the question... if that was you and you were released from prison, would you want to go back in ? No? Neither does Charlie.

Get behind Charlie Bronson and help him to get home.