The younger brother of Britain’s most notorious inmate Charles Bronson has died.
Mark Peterson, 63, had long campaigned for his sibling’s release from prison but following his most recent unsuccessful bid for parole last year it was revealed they had fallen out and stopped speaking.
Mark is understood to have died earlier this week at his home near Aberystwyth, Wales, where he lived close to their elderly mother Eira who was informed of his death at her care home yesterday.
It’s unclear if Bronson has been told about Mark’s death – or whether the brothers had reestablished contact since arguing two years ago.
Friends took to Facebook to pay tribute to the ex-naval policeman and oil rig worker, with one saying: ‘RIP Mark, my thoughts are with Eira, she was a big character in my childhood, no mother should bury two sons and have one imprisoned from her, thinking of all the family
Mark Peterson, left, pictured with Charles Bronson and their mother, Eira, known as ‘Duchess’
Bronson claims to ‘hate violence’ and says he has never been a danger to the public
Bronson, pictured on his way to a parole hearing at the Old Bailey in 2004
Another pal added: ‘Rest easy Mark, I’m absolutely speechless, thoughts and condolences to your family.’
And a third said: ‘R.I.P Mark Peterson such shocking news that you’re no longer here, top lad, top mate, thoughts with your family.’:
Bronson, 71, was first jailed for seven years in 1974 after being convicted of armed robbery and has spent most of the last 50 years behind bars where he developed a reputation for extreme violence – earning international notoriety and even inspiring a film starring Tom Hardy.
Throughout most of this time his law-abiding brother Mark was his biggest supporter – though they fell out two years ago during Bronson’s most recent, failed bid for parole.
Mark had been close to his infamous brother for decades even meeting Hardy when he played him on screen in 2009.
But they fell out in 2022 after Bronson – whose original name was Michael Peterson – became close to a man claiming to be his son against Mark’s wishes.
Mark had previously been a staunch supporter in various bids to get the veteran prisoner released so he could spend time with their elderly mother Eira Peterson – who Bronson has referred to fondly as ‘Duchess’.
Charles Bronson’s brother Mark Peterson and mother Eira Peterson and actor Tom Hardy attend the afterparty following the special screening of ‘Bronson’, at the Embassy Club on March 10, 2009
Bronson leaving the High Court in London during an earlier court hearing
A friend of Mark told MailOnline: ‘Mark died a day or two ago in Wales and his mother was told about it last night. It’s not clear where he had reestablished contact with his famous brother before he died but he was renowned locally for the connection.’
Mark had previously been in support of him getting out so he could see their elderly mum Eira Peterson who Bronson – whose real name is Michael Gordon Peterson – referred to as ‘Duchess’.
He said in a 2014 interview: ‘Mum’s 83 and, despite having a lot of trouble with her back, is really good for her age.
‘But none of us are getting any younger and the thought that one day she won’t be around any more is something that weighs heavily on the minds of both me and Michael.
‘I just hope he gets out and is able to spend a few years with mum making up for all the lost time.
‘I mean, four decades he’s been inside now and wasn’t even allowed out to attend the funerals of either our dad Joe or our older brother John, who died of a brain tumour in 2001.
‘Even the Kray twins were granted the basic right to say their final farewells when their mum died, for God’s sake.
‘But Michael’s never really had any proper closure.
‘In fact, I wrote to him a few months ago to remind him that Dad would have been 94 this year and he just replied saying that he has to block all that stuff from his mind, just to get by.’
But during his brother’s latest parole hearing, Mr Peterson, from Talybont near Aberystwyth, Wales, told the Mirror: ‘I’ve had nothing to do with him since he introduced his fake son.’
It’s not clear whether the pair reconciled before his death.
Freelance photographer George Bamby appeared on ITV’s This Morning in 2018 claiming to be Bronson’s child and said he had done a DNA test which was a 99.8% positive match.
He later admitted he had lied about the relationship, saying: ‘Me and Charlie together made up the story that he was my dad.
‘Charles Bronson is not my father. I am a PR agent. I’m a marketing person, and I’m the UK’s number one paparazzi.
‘I’ve not told anybody this for six years and it’s been an absolute bane of my life.’
He added: ‘Me and Charlie, for the last six years, have made loads of money, we’ve had loads of fun, we’ve created loads of stories, we’ve done loads of ridiculous things, we’ve manipulated the media, we’ve manipulated the prison service.
‘I got into the maximum security services in four different prisons as a journalist.’
The man dubbed ‘Britain’s most dangerous prisoner’ was born in Luton, Bedfordshire, in 1952.
But from a young age Bronson indulged in petty crime, joining a gang of four robbers at the age of 13.
He is known to have worked a two-week stint in Tesco but was sacked for attacking his manager.
And while in Walton Gaol, he randomly attacked two prisoners and was sent to Hull the following year.
In the next few years, Bronson continued to attack other inmates, adding months to his sentence and being switched between prisons.
At HMP Wandsworth, he tried to poison another prisoner, leading to him being sent to Parkhurst psychiatric facility where he befriended the infamous Kray twins.
He even described the pair, who ruled the East End of London with their gang during the 1950s and 1960s, as ‘the best two guys I’ve ever met’.
Again, he continued to attack other prisoners, threaten police officers, took people hostage and even attempted suicide as he was moved from prison to prison.
In 1982, he performed a rooftop protest at Broadmoor, removing tiles from the top of the building. He took part in a number of protests over the years, causing hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of damage.
He was released in 1987, and began boxing in the East End of London, changing his name to Charles Bronson after the actor.
After just 69 days of freedom, he was once again jailed for armed robbery for seven years in 1988.
In 1989, he created a spear out of a broken bottle and a broom handle and ran riot in the nude.
Three years later, he was released – this time lasting 53 days outside jail. He was arrested for conspiracy to rob.
In 1993, he took a librarian hostage and asked police to get him a cup of tea, a helicopter, and an inflatable doll.
Three years later, he took two Iraqi prisoners hostage in Belmarsh, demanding a plane, sub-machine guns and ice cream from police negotiators before releasing them.
He was handed a life sentence in 1999 for taking Phil Danielson hostage and trashing the prison in a 44-hour long siege.
In 2001, he married Fatema Saira Rehman, and converted to Islam, demanding to be known as Charles Ali Ahmed. After they divorced four years later, he renounced the religion.
In 2014, he changed his name to Charles Salvador, after Salvador Dali.
Bronson and Paula Williamson met in 2016, and Bronson later proposed to her in 2017 by serenading her a version of the Frank Sinatra classic My Way, from a prison pay phone.
They married in November 2017, and walked down the aisle to the Death March. They had their marriage annulled in June 2019.
She was found dead at her home in Sneyd Green on July that year in her bedroom after taking drink and drugs.
In total, Bronson has taken hostages in ten prison sieges and attacked at least 20 prison officers.
In an interview in 2021 he revealed the best piece of advice he had ever been given – which goes some way to explain his subsequent life of violence.
Bronson admitted: ‘That’s got to be my dad who told me, ‘Whenever there’s a bit of trouble, son, always get the first punch in’.
