All crimes matter. All harm society. But there are some crimes which are so shocking that they trigger a collective wave of horror and revulsion in us all. The killing of Joanna Simpson was just such a case.
As Echo readers may remember, Joanna Simpson was bludgeoned to death with a claw hammer in 2010 by her husband within earshot of their two young children.
Robert Brown, a former British Airways pilot, was convicted of manslaughter and was due to be freed in November after serving half of his 26-year sentence.
Brown left two children without a mother and caused irreparable harm to her family and loved ones.
One of my first acts as Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice was to meet Joanna’s mother Diana Parkes and close friend, Hettie Barkworth-Nanton. It was so, so appalling to hear what had happened to Joanna and the impact that this has had on her family and friends.
I made a commitment to Joanna’s family that I would give this case my closest personal attention.
Having reviewed all the information available to me, I decided there were proper legal grounds for me to step in to block Brown’s automatic release from prison. I referred the case to the Parole Board using my powers, introduced by this Government, to protect the public from the most dangerous offenders. He will now not be freed unless the Parole Board rule that it is safe to do so.
This new power builds on action already taken by the Government to keep those who pose the greatest danger to society locked up and off our streets. That includes ending the automatic halfway release for serious sexual and violent offenders and making whole life sentences the default sentence for the most heinous types of murder.
I passionately believe that every part of the criminal justice system must work to protect and defend victims and to keep the public safe from depraved criminals.
We owe it to victims like Joanna and her family.
[Column published in the Glos Echo and Cheltenham Post]