Justice Secretary blocks release of Berkshire wife killer
The parole board will now consider the case
Last updated 12th Oct 2023
Robert Brown, a British Airways pilot who killed his wife with a hammer at their Berkshire home, will remain in prison after his release was blocked by Justice secretary and Cheltenham MP Alex Chalk.
The Lord Chancellor used new "powers to detain" to refer Brown to the Parole Board, blocking him from being freed on license.
Robert Brown was halfway through a 26-year sentence for killing his wife Joanna Simpson.
"This was an absolutely appalling case", said Alex Chalk, "I have exercised my discretion to block his automatic release which would otherwise have happened - he would have otherwise walked out.
"I made this decision having considered all the evidence with care."
Brown killed Joanna Simpson in their own home, whilst their children were in the house.
He then dumped her body in a makeshift coffin in Windsor Great Park.
He was acquitted of murder by a jury at Reading Crown Court in 2011, and was jailed for manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility.
Lord Chancellor Alex Chalk was able to refer the case to parole under new "power to detain" provisions which allow Mr Chalk to block automatic release, if offenders present a significant risk of causing serious harm which cannot be safely managed through usual license conditions.
This new power came into force under South Swindon MP Robert Buckland, who was Justice Secretary at the time.
Mr Buckland has described Brown's referral as a "relief".
"I'm very pleased the Justice Secretary has acted decisively," he said, "and in doing so has used a power that I introduced in law as justice secretary to ensure that people who posed a continuing danger were not automatically released."
"This is not only good news for the family of his victim but also wider good news for the rest of us.
"We want to see confidence maintained in our justice system and decisions like this go a long way to help with that."
The decision to block Brown's release has come after a campaign by Joanna Simpson's mother and best friend.
Ms Simpson’s mother Diana Parkes said she is “delighted” by his intervention, and urged the Parole Board to “keep him in jail”.
“Having to continuously relive my daughter’s brutal killing is emotionally exhausting,” she said in a statement.
“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.”
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.”
Mr Chalk has paid tribute to their hard work: "I made an undertaking to them that I would do everything I lawfully could to ensure justice was done in this case."
A decision on whether Brown will be released will be made by the Parole Board.