Bronson's hostage given compensation

Charles Bronson: Repeated attacks on staff and inmates

A prison teacher who was held hostage by one of Britain's most dangerous inmates for 44 hours has won £65,000 compensation from the Home Office.

Charles Bronson, a serial hostage-taker during his 27 years in jail, burst into a tutorial being held by Phil Danielson at Hull Prison in February 1999.

The teacher, who was tied up at knife-point and subjected to abuse during his ordeal, has been unable to return to full-time work.

During the ordeal, Bronson carried a makeshift spear and tied a leather skipping rope round the neck of Mr Danielson.

The experience has left me a completely different person with my career prospects in ruins

Phil Danielson

Mr Danielson returned to work two months after the incident as an adult education manager for Hull City Council but later had a nervous breakdown.

He can now only work part-time.

Judith Gledhill, from Mr Danielson's solicitors, said: "Mr Danielson experienced a terrifying ordeal.

"As a civilian working among dangerous criminals his safety should have been of paramount importance.

Woodhill Prison: Bronson's current location

"The Home Office let him down very badly and because of their neglect Mr Danielson is still experiencing problems.

"Hopefully the Home Office have learnt a lesson from this case and will improve all aspects of health and safety in prisons and similar institutions up and down the country."

Mr Danielson said: "The experience has left me a completely different person with my career prospects in ruins.

"You assume prison managers are paid and trained to protect you.

"That clearly wasn't the case - their inadequate management has done a lot of damage.

Video evidence

"Some days I still can't cope, but I'm glad to be able to finally draw a line under the whole ordeal."

Bronson has been criticised for releasing a commercial video which showed him holding Philip Danielson hostage.

The 48-year-old, who changed his name by deed poll from Michael Peterson, was jailed for life in February for false imprisonment but he feels the sentence was unjust.

Bronson, who was originally jailed in 1974 for armed robbery, has spent more than a quarter of a century in prison after committing a string of offences on the "inside".

Prison marriage

During his time behind bars, 22 years of which have been spent in solitary confinement, Bronson has served time in 120 different prisons, staged eight rooftop protests, assaulted more than 20 prison officers and caused £500,000 worth of damage to property.

He has taken hostages on 10 different occasions and threatened to eat one of them.

Bronson, 48, who adopted the name of his screen idol, married behind bars on 1 June 2001.

He married Saira Rehman, a woman he had met just three times, in a ceremony inside the country's highest-security prison unit - Woodhill jail, near Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire.

His bride is 18 years his junior and used to do voluntary work in a women's advice centre for victims of domestic violence.