Ailing Biggs launches his memoirs

AILING Ronnie Biggs says he would be remembered as Britain’s “loveable rogue”.

The Great Train Robber said he was proud of his achievements despite expressing remorse.

Biggs’s family described how he was the “Jordan of the 1980s” as he appeared publicly for the first time to promote his book.

Unable to speak after several debilitating strokes, Biggs, 82, answered questions by pointing to a word and letter board.

When asked by reporters how the nation perceived him, Biggs spelled out: “Loveable rogue.”

Son Michael Biggs, speaking on his father’s behalf, said his father had no regrets about voluntarily returning from Brazil to face justice in 2001.

He had been working on the book since his release from jail on compassionate grounds in 2009. Biggs’s deteriorating health has left him unable to walk or talk.

His son described how he developed a life-threatening chest infection every few weeks. “It’s a constant battle for my father,” he said.

Launching Odd Man Out: The Last Straw, Biggs expressed sorrow over the fate of mail train driver Jack Mills, who was injured during the robbery and died in 1970.

Asked whether any proceeds from the book would go to the Mills’ family, Biggs’s son said: “That has not been discussed yet.”