A ban lands by letter

Irene Dunroe, 73, got a letter from HMP Wakefield telling her she can no longer visit Charles Bronson. The stated reason: she poses a risk to security and safety.

She is 4ft 11in

Dunroe stands four foot eleven and is a pensioner. The prison has judged her a threat to the security of a maximum security jail.

Who he is now

Bronson, also 73, is held at HMP Wakefield, the Category A prison nicknamed Monster Mansion for the calibre of criminals inside it.

Married as teenagers

The two married in 1971 when they were teenagers. He was jailed for armed robbery in 1974, they divorced in 1975, and they have stayed close ever since.

Fifty-two years inside

Bronson has served 52 years across consecutive sentences for violence, grievous bodily harm, hostage-taking and false imprisonment.

Thirty-seven years alone

Roughly 37 of those 52 years have been spent in solitary confinement, a scale of isolation almost no other prisoner in Britain has matched.

The visits she made

Through his decades inside, Dunroe travelled regularly to see him. She works in an Ann Summers shop and gets to the prison on her bus pass.

Her answer to the prison

Dunroe told the Sun the decision made no sense for a pensioner arriving by public transport, and she put it in the bluntest terms she could.

“What threat could I pose? That I'm going to batter them with a sex toy from work? It's completely stupid.”

Cut off before parole

She says she is part of the support network he needs right now, with parole hearings coming up. The ban removes her at the moment she says he needs her most.

“I am part of his support network, which he really needs right now as he's going for parole.”

What he wants

Dunroe says Bronson is hopeful about parole and is not chasing anything dramatic at 73.

“He is hopeful of getting it. He's old now. He just wants a bit of peace.”

Letters that may vanish

Taken off both his visitor and call lists, she plans to keep writing. She fears the letters will go missing on the way in.

He stopped singing

She says he has changed since the move to Wakefield. He used to sing her Frank Sinatra numbers and ballads like When Will I See You Again. Now he is quieter.

She will challenge it

Dunroe says she plans to fight the ban rather than accept it.

The name he chose

He is legally known as Charles Salvador. First jailed in 1974 at 22 for armed robbery and wounding, he has spent most of his life inside for attacks on warders and prisoners across many jails.

Crumble without custard

July brought his latest flashpoint. Dinner arrived with his favourite apple crumble but no custard, and the missing accompaniment infuriated him.

A sit-down in the yard

The next day he staged a sit-down protest in an exercise yard at Wakefield and refused repeated orders to come back inside.

Riot gear for a pudding

Officers in riot gear were called in and forced him back to his cell in the segregation unit. A prison source said staff cannot afford to assume he is bluffing.

“With Bronson, even something as small as a pudding can become a major security headache.”

Nine guards, three shields

Three teams of three surrounded him in a yard linked to the Close Supervision Centre, where Wakefield's most disruptive prisoners are held. The stand-off ended quickly.

“Bronson ran at the shield, looked to the sky and shouted, "This is for Reggie Kray".”

Why he sees no one

Moved from HMP Long Lartin after attacking a prisoner, he is held alone for 23 hours a day and must use the gym and shower by himself.

Silence from the ministry

The Daily Mail contacted the Ministry of Justice about the ban. No comment has been given, leaving the prison's reasoning unexplained.