Quick Info

ProfessionCriminal
NationalityBritish
Date of Birth08/08/1929
Age84 years (died on 18, Dec, 2013)
BirthplaceLondon, England
Date of Death18/12/2013

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Bio/Wiki

Full NameRonald Arthur Biggs
Known ForGreat Train Robbery (1963), prison escape (1965), fugitive status for 36 years
SummaryBritish criminal who helped plan and carry out the Great Train Robbery of 1963. Became notorious for his escape from prison in 1965 and lived as a fugitive for 36 years before returning to the United Kingdom in 2001.

Personal Life

Death LocationNursing home, London
HealthRapidly declined during imprisonment after 2001 return

Career

Major CrimeGreat Train Robbery
Date08/08/1963
LocationBridego Bridge, north of London
DetailsStopped the Glasgow-London Royal Mail Train with 14 other men and stole £2.6 million. Role involved arranging a retired train driver to move the train after it was stopped.
Sentence30 years imprisonment (1964)
Prison Escape1965 from HMP Wandsworth
Fugitive Period36 years
Countries Visited While Fugitive
  • France
  • Australia
  • Panama
  • Argentina
  • Bolivia
  • Brazil
Return to UK2001
ReleaseAugust 2009 on compassionate grounds

Some Lesser Known Facts

1. Not a hardened criminal before the Great Train Robbery; was invited by friend Bruce Reynolds
2. Had never left England prior to the robbery
3. Underwent plastic surgery in Paris while fugitive
4. Experienced two kidnappings and an attempted suicide while in Brazil
5. Spent 13,087 days on the run
6. Became synonymous with the 1960s era alongside Lord Lucan and the Profumo Affair
7. Born in Lambeth, South London
Information on this page is collected from public sources and may not be 100% accurate. Report an error
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