London Daily

Focus on the big picture.

Family appeals to Dominic Raab over killer pilot's release

Family appeals to Dominic Raab over killer pilot's release

The mother of a woman killed by her pilot husband more than a decade ago has called on the justice secretary to intervene over his possible release.

British Airways captain Robert Brown admitted the manslaughter of his wife Joanna, 46, in 2010 and was jailed for 26 years.

Her mother Diana Parkes, 83, asked Dominic Raab to meet her to discuss her family's concerns.

Mr Raab said he would look at the parole case "very rigorously".

The former pilot bludgeoned his wife to death with a claw hammer in their family home in Berkshire October 2010 as their two young children cowered in a playroom.

He buried his wife's body in a pre-dug grave in Windsor Great Park.

Brown, who believed he was "stitched up" by a prenuptial agreement, was acquitted of murder by a jury at Reading Crown Court in May 2011.

He had previously admitted manslaughter on the ground of diminished responsibility.

Brown, formerly of North Street, Winkfield 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.

Dominic Raab was asked about Robert Brown's release on Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg


Mrs Parkes, has said the family is "very fearful" about the prospect of Brown being released later in the year without first being mentally assessed.

She said she wanted to meet Mr Raab "so I can explain in person why this case has gone so wrong".

Speaking on Sunday to Laura Kuenssberg, Mr Raab said "of course" he would meet the family.

"Within the powers I've got, I'll look at this as I would any other - very rigorously," he said.

He said he could not comment on whether he would block Brown's release, but said parole decisions were scrutinised "exceptionally carefully".

"And I've also been clear, I don't think the parole service powers are adequate at the moment, which is why we'll be bringing forward legislation to reform that - I hope that's something which will have widespread support," he added.

Joanna Brown ran a four-star guesthouse in Ascot

Newsletter

Related Articles

London Daily
0:00
0:00
Close
Israel Warns France of Iranian Threats at Paris Olympics
Possible Successors to Rishi Sunak as Conservative Party Leader
Olaf Scholz to Run for German Chancellor Again in 2025
TikTok Fined by UK Regulator for Child Safety Data Reporting Failures
Miracle Baby Born After Gaza Airstrike
Global Tech Outage Caused by Bug in CrowdStrike's Software
Ukrainian FM Open to Peace Talks with Russia, China Reports
EU to Transfer Interest from Frozen Russian Funds to Ukraine
Greenpeace Co-Founder Paul Watson Arrested in Greenland
EU Relocates Summit to Punish Hungary over Orban's Ukraine Visit
Netanyahu Seeks Meeting with Trump During Washington Visit
World's Hottest Day Recorded on July 21
UK Labour Government To Halt Migrant Housing on Accommodation Barge
President Biden Returns to White House After Testing COVID Negative
Trump Says Kamala Harris Would Be Easier Election Opponent Than Biden
Thousands Protest in Mallorca Against Mass Tourism
Immigration Crackdown Targets Car Washes and Beauty Sector
Nigeria's Controversial Return to Colonial-Era National Anthem
Hacking Vulnerabilities: Androids vs. iPhones
Ukraine Crisis Should Be EU's Responsibility, Says Trump’s Envoy
A Week of Turmoil: Key Moments in US Politics
Barrow's Sacred Heart Primary School Faces Long-Term Closure
German National Sentenced to Death in Belarus
Elon Musk's Companies Drop CrowdStrike After Global Windows 10 Outage
US Advises India on Russian Ties Amid Geopolitical Shifts
Trump Pledges to End Ukraine Conflict if Reelected
Global IT Outage Unveils Digital Vulnerabilities
Global IT Outage Sparks Questions About Financial Accountability
CrowdStrike Bug Affects 8.5 Million Windows Devices
Flights Resume After Major Microsoft Outage
US Criticizes International Court's Opinion on Israeli Occupation
CrowdStrike Update Causes Global IT Outage Due to Skipped Quality Checks
EU’s Patronizing Attitude Towards Africa Revealed
Netanyahu Denounces World Court Ruling on Israeli Occupation
Adidas Drops Bella Hadid Over Controversy
Global Outage Caused by CrowdStrike Update Impacts Millions
Massive Flight Cancellations Across the U.S. Due to Microsoft Outage
Global Windows Outage Causes Chaos Across Banks, Airlines, and More
Russia Accuses Ukraine of Using Chemical Weapons
UK's Flawed COVID-19 Planning Exposed by Inquiry
Ursula von der Leyen Wins Second Term as European Commission President
Police Officer Injured in Attack in Central Paris
Hulk Hogan absolutely tore it up at the RNC.
Paris is being "cleansed" of migrants and homeless people ahead of the Olympics.
Lamine Yamal arriving at his school after winning the Euros
Campaigners Urge UK Government to Block Shein's London IPO
UK Labour Government's Legislative Agenda
UK Labour Government to Regulate Powerful AI Models
Record Heat Temperatures in Ukraine Amid Power Crisis
UK Government Plans to Remove 92 Hereditary Peers from House of Lords
×