Charles Bronson 'attacked by murderer' as ex-wife gives romance update

Britain's most infamous prisoner Charles Bronson is reportedly 'living on his nerves' following an altercation with a murderer in his Category A prison, according to his ex-wife. The notorious inmate allegedly punched murderer Robert Donaldson four times after the latter attempted to attack him at HMP Woodhill in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire last week.

Bronson's former wife Irene Dunroe expressed her disappointment upon hearing about his latest violent incident. Irene, who has a son with Bronson, stated that he is "living on nerves, waiting for the next thing to happen."

She also mentioned that he has always kept a safe distance from Donaldson. A prison source disclosed that Bronson - held art teacher Phil Danielson hostage for two days in Hull prison in 1999 - had his privileges revoked following the altercation, and the authorities are still investigating the incident.

READ MORE Arsenal of weapons discovered after car seized in Halifax

Irene, 71, and Bronson, 70, divorced in 1976 but have remained in contact. They met up for the first time in 50 years last year, reports the Mirror. However, Irene revealed that they haven't been communicating as frequently in recent months due to a disagreement between them. Irene, an employee of Ann Summers from Brimstage, Wirral, Merseyside, said: "I'm gutted as I'd love to see him out.

"As far as we're concerned, we're still living in that time he went away. I just want peace and mind for our son - his mum will be gutted about this too. I think it was in self-defence. He suffers with PTSD and he's never known over the years who's going to come and jump on him.

"When I went to visit him I reached out to touch him and you would have thought I'd burnt him the way he reacted - it was very upsetting. He's always kept well away from this man. Because he's so much like he is, when this bloke bumped into him he's had to protect himself. He's living on his nerves anyway, just waiting for the next thing that's going to happen to him."

Irene, a mother of three and the mum of the incarcerated individual, expressed her hopes and dashed expectations, saying: "I know he'll be really devastated. His parole was next year and it was practically 99% sure he'd get it. He's been good for over six years and I'm gutted for him - it's upsetting."

She added: "We all thought he'd get it last time. It was looking very good for March next year. This is just a big hiccup. So many things like this have happened over the years - stuff I think was done to him to make him kick off."

Irene visited Bronson in August last year for their first face-to-face meeting in nearly 50 years, following a period of phone calls and letter exchanges. Last Christmas, he expressed his fondness by sending her a hamper adorned with a large gold bow.

She has claimed that he was eager for a reunion and had even considered purchasing a ring. However, she disclosed that their communication has recently hit a snag. Speaking about the situation, Irene commented: "We've had a little bit of a falling out. But this is him all over, I know what he's like, he's very stubborn. He was a bit annoyed with something and he didn't want to talk about it."

She added: "I feel sorry for him, I'm sure we'll be talking again soon. They're doing an inquiry into what happened, and a lot of people who know Mick say he shouldn't get penalised for this as it wasn't his fault."

Donaldson, now 48, was imprisoned for the murder of Paul Bourke back in 2005. His criminal history includes gagging a deaf centenarian woman and assaulting her 76 year old son while they were asleep.

In 2014, at HMP Grendon Underwood, Donaldson cut a fellow inmate's throat with an improvised weapon, severing the jugular vein, which led to his transfer to HMP Woodhill.

Bronson, originally named Michael Peterson, later adopted the name of the renowned actor from the Death Wish film series. He has since rebranded himself as Charles Salvador, paying tribute to the artist Salvador Dali.

His criminal record is extensive, with a significant portion of his life spent behind bars. He was found guilty of causing injury while incarcerated in 1975, 1978 and 1985.

Previously released in 1987 and 1992, he found himself back in prison within weeks each time. Over the years, Bronson has taken several hostages, including deputy prison governor Aidan Wallace in 1994.

The notorious criminal has been repeatedly denied parole and was gearing up for another attempt in 10 months. HM Prison Service chose not to comment on the matter, and a representative for Thames Valley Police stated they had no record of the incident being reported to them.