Wife-killer pilot’s release is blocked
Minister denies automatic freedom after vow to victim’s family – and hands case to Parole Board
THE Justice Secretary has stepped in to block the automatic release of a killer British Airways pilot.
Alex Chalk has referred the case of Robert Brown – who bludgeoned his estranged wife Joanna Simpson to death in 2010 – to the Parole Board.
The decision came after a campaign – backed by the Mail – was launched to prevent the killer’s release.
The victim’s grieving mother last night said she was ‘delighted’ and urged the board to keep Brown behind bars. Mr Chalk, who is also Lord Chancellor, used new powers introduced by the Conservatives in 2021 to ensure the killer will not be automatically released next month. He 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.’
Ms Simpson, 46, was bludgeoned to death with a claw hammer at the couple’s former marital home in Ascot, Berkshire, as their two children cowered in a playroom.
She had filed for divorce after enduring years of cruelty. Brown then drove her body to
Windsor Great Park, where he had already buried a garden crate that would serve as his wife’s makeshift coffin.
The former BA captain was acquitted of murder in 2011 after previously admitting manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility. He was jailed for 26 years.
Diana Parkes, Ms Simpson’s mother, said she was ‘delighted’ with Mr Chalk’s decision. She added: ‘Having to continuously relive my daughter’s brutal killing is emotionally exhausting. We hope that 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.
‘We would urge them to keep him in jail.’ She added: ‘We would like to thank the Daily Mail and its readers for supporting the campaign to urge the Justice Secretary to block Robert Brown’s early automatic release.’
Hetti Barkworth-Nanton, a close friend of Ms Simpson, said: ‘We now hope that the Parole Board sees the level of danger that Brown poses and
makes the decision to block his release.’ Under rules that were in force at the time of Brown’s conviction, he was due to have been freed automatically next month at the halfway point of his sentence.
The Government has since amended the law to delay automatic release for similar crimes to the two- thirds point of a sentence. However, the changes do not apply retrospectively.
The Justice Secretary has referred Brown’s file to the Parole Board under provisions in the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022, which allows ministers to override automatic release in the most serious cases. If an independent assessment by a parole panel concludes an offender may still pose a risk to the public, they can direct that they are kept behind bars.
In February the campaign to block Brown’s release won the backing of prominent Conservative women, including ex-home secretary Priti Patel and Carrie Johnson, the wife of former PM Boris Johnson.
DON’T LET KILLER HUSBAND GO FREE From the Mail,Mail February 25,25 2023