But some of his admirers may forget that a man died in the robbery that made Biggs famous. Train driver Jack Mills was beaten to death by one of the robbers. Biggs has always insisted it was one of the three gang members who were never caught. Biggs is reported to be deep in debt. While he writes nostalgically of wanting to see England again, many think his main motivation is to get help from the National Health Service.
Medical care is expensive in Brazil.
He says it went toward plastic surgery to give him a new face, false passports and Australian beer. She still visits him once a year. When Biggs first turned up in Brazil, Scotland Yard tried to extradite him. But he availed himself of an obscure law protecting the parents of Brazilian children from extradition. At the time, his Brazilian girlfriend, Raimunda di Castro, was pregnant with their son, Mike, now 26, who had a short-lived career as a child actor and singer.