Wife killer BA captain ‘must be kept in prison’
A BRITISH Airways captain who bludgeoned his millionairess wife to death more than 13 years ago has lost a bid for freedom.
Robert Brown killed Joanna Simpson, 46, in the family home in 2010 with their two kids nearby.
Brown, who was jailed for 26 years in 2011, claimed that “political motivation” improperly contributed to a decision to refer his case to the Parole Board. It followed a media campaign against his release, he argued.
Divorce
His lawyers told a hearing earlier this month that Justice Secretary Alex Chalk’s referral was unlawful.
However, Mr Justice Ritchie in the High Court has now dismissed Brown’s challenge.
He wrote that there were “good grounds for believing” that at release Brown posed a “high risk to the public of serious harm” and needed full and proper assessment. Brown, formerly of Winkfield, Berkshire, killed Joanna just before their divorce was due and dumped her body in Windsor Great Park. He was cleared of murder after a trial but admitted manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility, with a psychiatric report saying he suffered an “adjustment disorder”.
Aged 47 at sentencing, Brown believed he was “stitched up” by a prenuptial agreement and was affected by stress linked to his divorce, a judge was told. He was due to be automatically freed on licence halfway through his sentence in November but Joanna’s friends and family urged Mr Chalk to intervene.
In October the minister used new powers to have Brown’s case reviewed by the Parole Board, an independent body that does risk assessments on prisoners to determine if they can be safely released.
Brown’s legal team said the risk posed by the former pilot had not increased and he was subject “to a high-profile campaign through the media and with politicians that has sought to block his release”.
Detain
But the Ministry of Justice argued that Mr Chalk “in no way seeks to ‘go behind’ or ‘disapply’ or ‘fail to respect’ the sentencing court’s decision”.
MoJ lawyers said the offender had “refused to engage in the rehabilitative elements” of his sentence.
Mr Chalk’s referral, through a new “power to detain” provision, overrode Brown’s automatic release.
A spokesperson from the Joanna Simpson Foundation added: “We now hope that the Parole Board sees the same level of threat to the public...and continues to block Brown’s release.”