Justice Secretary blocks prison release of BA pilot Robert Brown who killed wife

12 October 2023 , 11:16

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Robert Brown was due to be released on licence next month (Image: PA)

A British Airways captain who battered his wife to death with a hammer while their young children hid nearby has had his automatic release blocked.

Robert Brown beat his wife Joanna Simpson to death with a claw hammer in their family home in October 2010. He was cleared of murder, having admitted manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility, and was due to be released on licence next month after serving 13 years of a 26-year sentence.

Secretary of State for Justice Alex Chalk confirmed he will use new powers to stop Brown being released automatically and instead get the case reviewed by the Parole Board.

Joanna Simpson died in October 2010 (PA)

Mr Chalk said: "Joanna Simpson was bludgeoned and buried at the hands of Robert Brown, which left two children without a mother and caused irreparable harm to her family and loved ones. I made a commitment to Joanna's family that I would give this case my closest personal attention.

"Having reviewed all the information available to me, I have blocked Brown's automatic release and referred this case to the Parole Board using powers we introduced to protect the public from the most dangerous offenders."

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Mr Chalk's referral - which was enabled following changes introduced through the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 - overrides Brown's automatic release. The announcement marks a victory for Ms Simpson's loved ones who have been calling for such a move.

Ms Simpson's mother Diana Parkes said she is "delighted" by his intervention, and urged the Parole Board to "keep him in jail". She said: “Having to continuously relive my daughter's brutal killing is emotionally exhausting. We hope the Parole Board will appreciate how dangerous Robert Brown is and we fear for the safety of our family, Jo's friends and any female he may form a relationship with in the future."

Last month, Ms Simpson's best friend Hetti Barkworth-Nanton, who also chairs domestic abuse charity Refuge, told BBC Breakfast the prospect of Brown's imminent release made her feel "physically sick". Reacting to the latest development, she said in a statement: "We appreciate (the Justice Secretary) looking at this case with his closest personal attention and realising that Robert Brown is a danger to the public.

"Whilst today has been a victory for Diana Parkes, Joanna's children, myself and Joanna's wider family and friends, we know the fight doesn't and won't end here, we now hope that the parole board sees the level of danger that Brown poses and makes the decision to block his release."

Brown, formerly from Winkfield in Berkshire, was sentenced to 24 years for manslaughter and a further two years for an offence of obstructing a coroner in the execution of his duty. He killed Ms Simpson one week before the finalisation of their divorce and dumped her body in a makeshift coffin in Windsor Great Park.

A statement from the Ministry of Justice said: "Robert Brown, who killed his estranged wife Joanna Simpson in 2010, will be kept behind bars for longer after the Lord Chancellor confirmed he will block his automatic release and refer Brown’s case to the Parole Board for a decision. The referral has been made under ‘Power to Detain’ provisions, which are designed to protect the public from dangerous offenders if they present a significant risk of causing serious harm and that risk cannot be safely managed through usual licence conditions.

"Brown was handed a 26-year prison sentence in 2011 after being convicted of manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility. He was due to be released on licence next month, at the halfway point of his prison sentence. The Lord Chancellor’s referral overrides Brown’s automatic release which was enabled following changes introduced through the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts (PCSC) Act 2022. A decision on whether to release Brown will be made by the Parole Board in due course."

Antony Clements-Thrower