Pilot To Receive Divorce and Pension Settlements after Prison Release

(IntegrityPress.org) – A British man convicted of killing his wife with a claw hammer in 2010 is set to receive a sizeable divorce payout as well as his pension when he is released from prison.

Robert Brown, then aged 47, battered Joanna Simpson, 46, to death while their two children, aged nine and ten, were within earshot in the family home. Despite then concealing her body in a grave which he had already dug in a nearby park, Brown was only convicted of manslaughter, rather than murder. The jury chose not to convict him of the millionairess’ murder after being told that their divorce proceedings had caused him great stress. Brown and Simpson had only been one week away from finalizing their divorce when he fatally bludgeoned the mother-of-two.

Brown was sentenced to serve 24 years in prison for the killing, with an additional two years to serve for obstructing the coroner in the course of the investigation. Due to the early release rules in the British justice system, Brown would have been automatically eligible for release after serving just half of his sentence. Justice Secretary Alex Chalk effectively blocked this release in October 2023, one month before it would have taken effect, by referring Brown’s case to the parole board for further consideration. Brown’s release was then denied, with government lawyers claiming that he had refused to engage in proper rehabilitation. Unless the parole board changes its stance, he will not be released until he has served his full sentence and so will remain behind bars until he is 72 years of age.

Upon release, Brown can expect to receive a divorce payout worth approximately $250,000 as well as his pension of around $37,650 per annum, which he earned from his lucrative career as a pilot, in which he earned a $188,000 salary. His violent crime and consequent imprisonment will not prevent him from cashing in, and the divorce and pension moneys have been set aside for him to access once he is a free man. Simpson’s family reportedly agreed to the payout as he had a stake in his victim’s house.