Michael was on great form when I spoke to him at his home in Barnet last  Friday. He was very chatty and as you would expect since the release of his father, very upbeat. But I was hugely aware that it is still a very sensitive time for him and his family. Ronnie is a very poorly man and the prognosis is not good. Somebody said to me, “I hear Ronnie has had a miraculous recovery.” Well who wouldn’t perk up after being released from a thirty year prison sentence? But it is obvious that he has had nothing like a miraculous recovery. I think the family were very lucky indeed that he managed to survive as long as he has through that appalling prison experience.  It was fair that he be returned to prison when he came back from Rio – but for Jack Straw to have blocked his release after it was recommended by the parole board last month was surely a travesty of fairness. Most of the other train robbers served around a third of their sentences, a little more in some cases. But they were young strong men when they were serving their time. Doing time in high security when you are old and frail is a different kettle of fish – some will say, “so what?” – he’s a criminal. But he’s human too - and his  family were never criminals. The added pain they had to suffer because of Ronnie Biggs’ condition surely deserved some consideration? The family of Mr Mills, the train driver who was battered might think differently. His and their pain and suffering are just as important. But it was clear to me that Michael is a very decent person with a lovely loving family. And yet – with a notorious father and having witnessed the glamourisation of criminality at close quarters – he could have “gone the other way” as they say quite easily. Criminality is clearly not inherited – not that his dad was ever a serious professional criminal – proof of which is his avoidence of any dodgy activity during his thirty six years as a fugitive, other than what was required to maintain his freedom of course. But he didn’t steal or rob or cheat or harm anyone. He lived a relatively honest life under many significant pressures and through it all demonstrated his “rehabilitaition” – the most potent proof of which is the way Michael has turned out. I say good luck to them.