ITV documentary, The British Airways Killer, examines what happened to mum-of-two Joanna Simpson, who was bludgeoned to death by her estranged husband Robert Brown
BA pilot Robert Brown and his millionairess wife Joanna Simpson looked like any other ordinary married couple, but behind closed doors, Brown was far from what he seemed.
A chilling turn in their doomed marriage is revisited in tonight’s ITV documentary, The British Airways Killer, which examines the harrowing story of how Brown murdered his estranged wife after she told friends she feared her ex after he held her at knifepoint. Tragically, when she asked for a separation from Brown, she knew she was putting her life at risk.
Amid a costly divorce battle following a sustained period of domestic abuse – which included coercive control and severe violence – Brown beat Joanna to death with a claw hammer at their sprawling family home. The killer then buried her body in a prepared grave.
The ex-British Airways captain was sensationally cleared of murder, having admitted manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility due to suffering from a mental illness. Currently, the killer has served 13 years of a 26-year sentence.
The two-part documentary examines Joanna’s disappearance and the subsequent investigation that changed British legal history and led to a tragic discovery. So what happened to the mum of two on that fateful night?
It was reported that on Halloween in 2010, Brown became consumed by rage over a prenuptial agreement and believed Joanna, 46, had stitched him up. It was claimed he dismissed her offer of a £573,000 settlement and instead wanted her £3.5million home in Ascot, Berkshire.
He bludgeoned Joanna to death in their home as their two young children cowered in the playroom, using the hammer to beat her over the head at least 14 times. The court heard that he attacked his estranged wife after she made him feel like “an idiot”. He said: “I just lost it. I blew up and the next thing I was standing over Jo and blood was all over the place.”
After wrapping her bloody body in plastic sheeting, she was bundled into the boot of his car and dumped in a makeshift plastic coffin in Windsor Great Park. Prior to this, he had dug a grave in preparation, the court heard.
The morning after she went missing, Brown made a 999 call to report a domestic issue, but despite handing himself in, he then refused to help the police with their investigation. The documentary shows a clip from his subsequent police interview in which he would only answer “no comment”. Eventually, he confessed to the murder and revealed where he had dumped the body.
The documentary features interviews with Joanna’s mum, Diana Parkes, and friend Hetti Barkworth-Nanton, who talk about the moment they realised Brown was not all he seemed. Ms Barkworth-Nanton claims Joanna told her Brown had held a knife to her chest during their relationship.
She said: “She [Joanna] said to me, and I’ve heard it from so many victims subsequently, that ‘His eyes went dark, almost black, cold, dark, black eyes.’ And he said, ‘I’m going to do it’. So she was saying, you know, ‘What will happen to the children?’ He didn’t care about what would happen to the children.”
After Joanna told Brown she wanted to end their marriage, Ms Barkworth-Nanton says, “She genuinely believed that he was going to kill her, she was of no doubt whatsoever.”
Recalling the moment she was called about Joanna’s disappearance, her mum Ms Parkes reflected: “A friend rang and said, ‘Have you spoken to Jo this morning?’ And I said ‘no’, and he said, ‘I’ve had a worrying call…’ I was told there’s police tape around the house, and I just said, ‘He’s killed her.’ I just said that straight away, ‘He’s killed her.'”
Brown later admitted to manslaughter and was cleared of murder after claiming he was suffering from adjustment disorder due to the divorce. But Judge Mr Justice Cooke handed down one of the harshest prison terms for manslaughter available to him.
Appearing to question the jury’s decision at the sentencing in May 2011, he told the pilot: “Your responsibility, though diminished, remains substantial. You intended to kill, you intended to conceal the body and to hide the evidence of the killing.”
Outside court, Joanna’s mother described the verdict as a “gross miscarriage of justice”. And she added: “Robert Brown got away with murder in name only.” He was eligible for automatic release after half of his 26-year jail term, but this was blocked by Secretary of State for Justice Alex Chalk.
Lawyers from the Ministry of Justice said the minister had referred the case to the Parole Board. The High Court heard this was due to fears Brown could commit murder, manslaughter or make threats to kill.
Lawyer Iain Steele, for the Justice Secretary, told the Daily Mail : “The Secretary of State can decide not to release a prisoner on licence if he has reasons to believe he will be dangerous if released.” He added: “His [Brown’s] risk is not manageable … We are dealing with a very dangerous individual.” A ruling is expected later this year.
*The British Airways Killer airs tonight at 9pm on ITV
