A British Airways pilot who bludgeoned his wife to death with a claw hammer could be freed from prison, as the killer is set to appear before a Parole Board next week. 

Robert Brown, now 61, killed his 46-year-old wife Joanna Simpson in their family home in Ascot, Berkshire, on Halloween 2010 after she endured years of domestic abuse. 

He killed Ms Simpson within earshot of their young children Alex and Kate, then aged 10 and nine, and then dug a grave in Windsor Great Park before dumping her body.

Brown pleaded guilty to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility, claiming he was suffering from a stress-related 'adjustment disorder'.

The former airline captain was due to be released halfway through his 26-year sentence in November 2023. However, former Justice Secretary Alex Chalk blocked his automatic release and referred the case to the Parole Board. 

With Mr Chalk's support, the family of Ms Simpson also sought to have the hearing held in public - but the request was rejected. The hearing will instead take place behind closed doors on Thursday and Friday next week. 

Ms Simpson's mother Diana Parkes said her family had used all their efforts to 'make sure this evil man stays behind bars'. They had believed Brown should have been charged with murder due to what they considered was the premeditated nature of the killing.   

Brown attacked his estranged wife, a B&B owner, inside their marital home in Ascot while their children were in another room. He had arrived at the house to drop them off after a half-term visit. 

He brutally smashed a claw hammer on to the mother-of-two's head 14 times, before bundling her body into the boot of his Volvo.

Katie, then nine, said she could hear 'banging' from the hammer attack.

Brown then drove Ms Simpson to a pre-dug grave in Windsor Great Park, before returning to the house to disconnect the phone and remove the CCTV.

He later put his children in the car and drove them to his new partner's house. During the journey, his son asked if he was 'taking Mummy to hospital'.

Ms Simpson's body was not found until five days later.

At the time, Brown claimed that the extreme stress of an acrimonious divorce, along with a belief he was being 'stitched up' by a prenuptial agreement, caused a psychological and behavioural disturbance that impaired his ability to control his actions. He also cited other personal stresses. 

Following his manslaughter conviction, Katie wrote a letter to the trial judge, saying: 'My father killed my mummy and I'm scared if he comes out of jail too soon he might come back and hurt me because I heard him killing my mummy.

'He is the most evilest man I have ever known and I wish he wasn't my father.'

Ruling on the application for a public hearing, Parole Board chairman Sir John Saunders said Brown's right to privacy outweighed the public interest in holding the hearing openly. 

He cited Brown's right to a private life under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), which he said would be breached if the hearing were held in public. 

Sir Saunders added that an open hearing would impact Brown's 'ability to resettle in the community'. 

In response, Ms Parkes said: 'We have given up all our rights to privacy to do everything that we can to make sure this evil man stays behind bars.

'Why should Brown get to keep his privacy? I truly hope the Parole Board can still see that Brown is a dangerous man and does not let him out. 

'Sadly, everything seems to be in favour of the perpetrator. The safety of the victims is put below the safety of the offender.'

Ms Parkes and Hetti Barkworth-Nanton, a close friend of Ms Simpson's, added the Brown's potential release was 'exactly as expected'. 

Ms Simpson's family has gained support from Carrie Johnson, former justice secretary Sir Robert Buckland, and the late Baroness Newlove, the former victims' commissioner for England and Wales.