Biggs has lived in Brazil since the 1970s

England have

The so-called 'Great Train Robber', Ronnie Biggs, is celebrating after Brazil's Supreme Court rejected a British request to extradite him.

The court in Rio de Janeiro ruled that because Biggs' crime was committed more than 20 years ago he could not be extradited under Brazilian law.

In 1963 Biggs was convicted of robbing a mail train, part of a 15-strong gang which stole more than ?.5m in what became known as "The Great Train Robbery".

A spokesman for the Supreme Court said the ruling was final and the British Government would not be able to appeal.

Ronnie Biggs said he was "totally elated and relieved" that the years of uncertainty were now over.

"Finally I can get on with the rest of my life," he said.

In London a spokesman for the Home Office said that it was "very disappointed" with the court's ruling.

Former Scotland Yard detective Jack Slipper, who was involved in the investigation following the robbery, told the BBC he was not surprised by the decision.

"It's a long time since the offence was committed and Biggs is an old man. I can't see any point in bringing him back," Mr Slipper said.

Biggs has lived in Rio de Janeiro for 27 years.

Just 15 months into a 30-year sentence for the robbery, he escaped from Wandsworth prison in London.

He first fled to Australia where he hid out until 1970 before moving on to Brazil.

But it was only in August, when Britain and Brazil formally ratified an extradition treaty, that his return home became a real possibility.  

Quids out: notes are being replaced by coins

News of the familiar green ? note's withdrawal came when Chancellor Nigel Lawson made his autumn statement in parliament on Monday.

Mr Lawson said the note - popularly known as a "quid" - would be phased out and replaced by coins which were introduced last April.

It was widely expected that ? notes would rapidly be withdrawn.

Their reprieve was credited largely to the intervention of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.

Speaking in parliament last December, Mrs Thatcher told MPs the pound coin was "not very popular" and she believed the pound note would be retained.

Ironically, ? notes were greeted with public outrage when they were first put into widespread use as an emergency measure to replace gold sovereigns during World War I.

Despite general misgivings the new pound coin has been welcomed by some groups such as blind people because it is easy to distinguish.

It has also found favour among makers of ticket and vending machines.

Announcing the notes' withdrawal Chancellor Nigel Lawson told MPs that coins were slightly more expensive to produce but would last up to 50 times longer.

He said the Bank of England would stop issuing pound notes at the end of the year but they would continue to be legal tender until the end of next year.

The ? notes used in Scotland and Northern Ireland are not being withdrawn.

The wider use of the largest denominator of coin in England is to be balanced by the withdrawal of the smallest - the half penny ceases to be legal tender from the end of this year.

It was introduced only relatively recently in 1971 as part of the decimalisation of British currency.

extradite: hand over to the authorities of another country（引渡）