This is the chilling moment a British Airways pilot refused to answer questions about his wife’s whereabouts after killing her.
Video shows Robert Brown calmly replying ‘no comment’ when interviewed by police desperately searching for Joanna Simpson after his disappearance in October 2010.
The footage shows the killer resisting police after initially telling a 999 call operator that someone had been injured during an incident at the couple’s Ascot home on Halloween.
It comes as the officer who interviewed Brown reveals how she was ‘surprised’ by his behavior and how she believes it was his attempt to control the situation he found himself in after bludgeoning his wife to death.
The footage is being released as part of The British Airways Killer, a documentary airing tonight on ITV1 and ITVX about Joanna’s brutal murder after a bitter divorce.
Robert Brown replied ‘no comment’ when interviewed by police about what happened to his wife
In the interview, the killer is repeatedly asked what happened to Joanna Simpson, but each time he answers ‘no comment’
Joanna Simpson was murdered by Robert Brown at their Ascot home in the autumn of 2010 following the couple’s acrimonious divorce
Brown, who bludgeoned Joanna to death in their home, has served 13 years of a 26-year sentence for her murder and recently took legal action after Justice Secretary Alex Chalk blocked his automatic parole.
In the episode, filmmakers reveal the contents of Brown’s first interview with police, in which he frustrates them with his failure to answer their questions.
In the interview, Detective Melanie Ward is seen investigating the circumstances that led Brown to the police station:
She says, “Joanna is missing. Blood was found in her Tun Cottage home. Robert, tell us everything you know about Joanna’s whereabouts.’
However, this questioning does not get her far, as the killer calmly answers: “No comment.”
DC Ward wonders why he is here and says, “But you kept talking to the police and coming to the police station, is that right?”
But again, this only gets a response of ‘no comment’ from Brown.
Speaking to filmmakers, DC Ward said she went into the interview with the British Airways pilot hoping to get answers.
She said: ‘In my head when he turned himself in to speak to the police I thought something had happened, he’s done something to her and he’s coming to tell us where she is.
‘It was a remorseful ‘oh my God, I did this, this happened. Please help us, please help me, please help Jo’.
Detective Constable Melanie Ward (pictured) said in the interview that she was ‘surprised’ by the killer’s behaviour
Brown (pictured here in his police mugshot) was jailed for 26 years after admitting manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility
Joanna (pictured here with her two children) told a friend that Brown had held a knife to her chest during their relationship
“The first thing out of his mouth was ‘no comment’ and I remember being very surprised.”
In another part of the interview, recordings of Brown calling 999 before going to the police station were played.
When asked by the call handler, he is asked whether the incident he reported ‘occurred recently’, to which he said ‘yes, yes, last night’.
When the operator asks if he and Joanna are okay and if anyone has been hurt, he says, “Well… well, one person is (injured).
In his interview with police, DC Ward asks “who was harmed,” to which Brown replies “no comment.”
When asked by the interviewer: ‘Has that person sought medical help, do you know? Do they need it?’ he responds by saying “Uh, no.”
When the police ask him what he meant by that, he again answers ‘no comment’.
Investigating further, DC Ward wonders, ‘was that because the person who was injured does not require medical attention? Because they are not seriously injured?’
This prompts him to say “no comment” again, causing the detective to ask “or is that because the person doesn’t need medical attention because he or she is dead?” only to receive another ‘no comment’ from the killer.
DC Ward says in an interview for the documentary: ‘What ‘no comment’ says to me is control. It’s easy to hide behind that, but I don’t think Robert was hiding behind no comment. I think so, that was his element of control.”
He would eventually confess to killing her and dumping her body in Windsor Great Park.
Joanna (pictured) was initially reported missing from her home the morning after Halloween in 2010, with Brown eventually leading police to the spot where he dumped her body.
The documentary also includes interviews with Joanna’s mother, Diana Parkes, and her friend Hetti Barkworth-Nanton, who talk about the moment they realized Brown was not what he seemed.
It also shows bittersweet footage from the couple’s wedding, with Brown saying he “can’t help being picky” while his father-in-law says Joanna’s killer was “very lucky.”
Brown would later admit to manslaughter, but was acquitted of murder by a jury after claiming he suffered from an adjustment disorder as a result of their divorce.
He was sentenced to 26 years in prison, eligible for automatic release after half of that, despite showing no remorse for his actions.
Justice Secretary Alex Chalk blocked the ex-captain’s release from prison last year, prompting legal action from Brown, who claimed it was unlawful.
Earlier this month, Justice Department attorneys said Chalk referred the case to the Parole Board because of “reasonable” concerns that Brown could reoffend.
These included fears that he might commit murder or manslaughter or threaten to kill him, the High Court heard.
Lawyer Iain Steele, for the Justice Secretary, said: ‘The Secretary of State may decide not to release a prisoner on license if he has reason 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.’
Since he was jailed in 2011, he has refused to cooperate with prison psychiatrists and psychologists, the High Court heard, with officials warning of his “arrogance and narcissism”.
Attorneys for Brown said Chalk’s decision to block his release was unlawful and appeared to be politically motivated because of the campaign to keep him behind bars.
A ruling is expected later this year.
- The British Airways Killer airs on ITV1 and ITVX at 9pm on Monday 26 February.