Bronson has spent almost 30 years in jail

Charles Bronson is appealing against a conviction for taking teacher Phil Danielson hostage during a siege at Hull prison in January 1999.

Bronson told the court he had "changed drastically" since the incident.

He has spent nearly three decades in prison after being jailed originally in 1975 for armed robbery.

The Court of Appeal granted Bronson leave to appeal last December on the grounds that the trial judge had failed to allow a vital defence of "duress circumstances".

Bronson's lawyers claim this left the jury no option but to convict him of false imprisonment.

'Drastic change'

At Thursday's appeal Bronson told three High Court judges he was sorry for what he had done to Mr Danielson.

"I am not the same person as I was then," he said. "I have changed drastically."

In 2001 while at Woodhill prison in Milton Keynes, Bronson married Saira Ali Ahmed, who has a 13-year-old daughter.

He told the court he now had family responsibilities, and would never be rehabilitated if he remained in prison.

"The rehabilitation I will be getting is from my wife and my lovely daughter and from my mum," he said.

Bronson's wife told the court her husband would respond positively if he were given a fixed release date, rather than facing an ongoing life sentence.

"That would make him more determined to make himself work harder towards rehabilitation," she said.

'Fear of regime'

Bronson says he took Mr Danielson hostage because he was afraid of the "torture" of solitary confinement - a prison regime he had experienced for more than twenty years.

Launching Bronson's appeal, barrister David Whitehouse QC urged the judges to overturn his client's conviction for false imprisonment.

He said Bronson was in "a very depressed, low and psychiatrically-disturbed condition at the time of the Hull prison riot".

Mr Whitehouse said Bronson had been particularly afraid of the consequences of a move to Woodhill prison, which he termed "the most severe regime in the country".

"He believed that for him to be returned to conditions which he regarded as torture would lead to him suffering serious mental injury," he said.

Bronson, born Michael Peterson, changed his name in homage to the star of the Death Wish films and has earned himself a fearsome reputation during his years in prison.

He was originally jailed for armed robbery and has been held ever since for repeatedly attacking staff and inmates.

The appeal hearing is due to finish on Friday.