Great train robber in battle over appeal

Great train robber Ronnie Biggs today launched a British High Court battle over a refusal to refer his case back to the Court of Appeal.

His lawyers and his son Michael Biggs lodged papers at the Royal Courts of Justice, central London, for a judicial review.

Biggs, 72, remains on the hospital wing at Belmarsh prison, south-east London, and is bringing an urgent legal challenge as his health fails.

The Criminal Cases Review Commission rejected submissions on behalf of Biggs that his was ‘‘an exceptional case’’ and should be sent back to the Court of Appeal.

His conviction for his part in one of the most celebrated robberies in the history of British crime and his subsequent escape and high-profile life in Rio de Janeiro brought him worldwide notoriety.

But, with his health failing after three strokes, Biggs ended his 35-year exile and returned home to face prison in May last year.