A British Airways captain who murdered his estranged wife and buried her body in a grave he had prepared in advance has been sentenced to 26 years in prison. Robert Brown, 47, killed millionaire Joanna Brown with a claw hammer at their family home in Ascot, Berkshire, while their two young children were in a playroom.
After the killing on 31 October last year, Brown transported the body in his car and disposed of it in a makeshift coffin in Windsor Great Park. The murder occurred days after a Supreme Court ruling that upheld the binding nature of prenuptial agreements, which Brown believed had 'stitched him up'. The couple were due in court for a final hearing on their financial disputes.
A jury at Reading Crown Court acquitted Brown of murder but convicted him of manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility and obstructing a coroner. Sentencing, Mr Justice Cooke stated: 'You intended to kill, you intended to conceal the body and to hide the evidence of the killing.' The judge noted that Brown never called for help and had dug the grave in advance, leaving a spade wrapped in tarpaulin nearby.
Brown directed police to the burial site only after evidence against him became overwhelming. His wife's relatives wept in the public gallery as the sentence was passed, while Brown looked skywards.
