Notorious train robber wants early release

LONDON, Dec. 30 (UPI) -- Ronald Biggs, a bit player in the 1964 Great Train Robbery, appealed to British Justice Secretary Jack Straw for early parole, citing health concerns.

Biggs, 78, has asked to be released from prison to spend his final days with his family, The Independent on Sunday report.

"I am an old man and often wonder if I truly deserve the extent of my punishment. I have accepted it and only want freedom to die with my family and not in jail. I hope Mr. Straw decides to allow me to do that," Biggs said in a statement.

Biggs returned to England in 2001 from Brazil after spending 35 years evading capture. He is serving a 30-year prison term for his role in the 1964 heist that nabbed nearly $5.2 million from a mail train.

He suffered a series of strokes that left him partially paralyzed and mute. He is able to walk and is mentally alert, though he is tube-fed, the newspaper said.

"There is little evidence that Mr. Biggs is likely to die imminently and I do not think that he is incapacitated enough to not cope with the prison environment," his prison governor, James Shanley, said.