A PILOT who bludgeoned his wife to death won’t be freed from prison – after her mum pleaded he stay behind bars.
Joanna Simpson was brutally smashed over the head 14 times with a claw hammer before her body was thrown into the boot of a car.
Mum Joanna Brown was bludgeoned to death with a claw hammer in 2010INS News Group
PAHer husband Robert Brown was jailed for 26 years for the killing – but was set to be released last year[/caption]
ITVJoanna’s mum Di Parkes this week said she fears for her family’s life if Brown is freed[/caption]
She was then driven to a pre-dug grave, where her body remained until it was found five days later.
The horror crime was committed by Joanna’s husband Robert Brown in her Windsor home within earshot of their two children in 2010.
The following year he was thrown behind bars for 26 years after being convicted of manslaughter due to diminished responsibility.
Brown had been due to be released early in November until Justice Secretary Alex Chalk stepped in – using “powers to detain” to keep him behind bars.
The killer then launched a Judicial Review at the High Court against Chalk’s decision to block his automatic release from prison.
The review came to a close today.
It came after Joanna’s mum Di Parkes opened up about how terrified she would be if Brown walked the streets again.
Speaking on Good Morning Britain on Monday, Di said: “We fear his release because he’s dangerous and it certainly wasn’t manslaughter, it was premeditated all the way through.
“He dug the hole where he put the garden box many months before and it was so carefully planned.
“I don’t really know [what he will do], but I hope he comes to kill me first so that all my family and in fact women in general will be safe because he’s a psychopath in my opinion.”
A hearing earlier this month heard that he could be at risk of killing again if he was released early from prison and has “no remorse”.
The Ministry of Justice argued that Brown was a “significant risk of serious harm” due to his “non-engagement” with probation officers which would allow officials to properly assess the danger.
The killer’s lawyers said that it was a “political decision” made by the Secretary of State due to pressure from the media and not grounded in policy.
It was revealed that before a decision was made in October last year, the Secretary of State had received letters from 220 MPs expressing their concern over the case.
Brown’s lawyer Philip Rule KC argued that because of the extensive media campaign surrounding the case, the Justice Secretary was “grasping to justify” the decision to detain Brown rather than amassing evidence first.
He told London’s High Court today: “There was no open mind being applied by the time you get to making a decision.”
Mr Rule added: “This matter does not seem to leave the top of the pile for the minister because of the attention it is receiving.”
Joanna’s family and close friends have been campaigning since her death to stop Brown from being released halfway through his 26-year manslaughter sentence.
What happened to Joanna Simpson?
On Halloween in 2010, ex-BA pilot Brown killed Joanna, 46, at their family home in Ascot, as their two children played nearby.
Brown hit Joanna 14 times over the head, before placing her body into the boot of his car.
This had followed a sustained period of domestic abuse which included coercive control, isolation, intimidation and severe violence.
Joanna’s body was found five days later buried in a pre-dug grave.
The tragic death of the mother-of-two took place just one week before the finalisation of their divorce.
Following her death, the Joanna Simpson Foundation was set up in her memory.
The foundations work is based on her beliefs, values, and the love of her children.
The Sun launched its Justice For Joanna campaign last year to ask the Justice Secretary to review Brown’s case.
The mum’s death came just one week before her divorce from Brown was finalised.
Their relationship was volatile – with a sustained period of domestic abuse which included coercive control, isolation, intimidation and serious violence.
Things got so bad in 2007 that Brown held a knife to Joanna’s chest.
Di added: “Unfortunately, when he took a knife to my daughter in 2007, he told her that he’d hated her family for the eight years they were married.”
The heartbroken mum continued: “I mean it because I am going to be 85 in May. I’ve lived my life and my family… I’m fearful.
“My granddaughter, my grandson, my son, and his family. We’re all terrified.
“He certainly should be serving his 26-year sentence and in fact now, he would have been serving two thirds of that, but 12 years ago it was sadly half.
“If he killed me, he would be sent to prison for a whole lifetime, really.”
Dan CharityThe mum was just 46 when she was brutally killed[/caption]
ITVUnseen footage of the couple’s wedding has come to light[/caption] Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
