Mum of two, Joanna Simpson, was killed by her estranged husband Robert Brown on October 31 2010. Her children were in the house. The trial that followed was a miscarriage of justice. And for 15 years, her mother Diana Parkes has refused to stop fighting.

In this powerful update, Laura sits down with Diana to discuss the April 2026 parole board hearing — what it took to get there, what happened on the day, and what the outcome means for the family, for survivors, and for the criminal justice system.

In this conversation Laura and Diana cover:

- How Diana travelled alone to give her victim personal statement before the Parole Board
- Why Robert Brown refused to appear at his own parole board hearing — and how that backfired on him
- The fact finding hearing that for the first time formally acknowledged - Brown's coercive and controlling behaviour toward Joanna
- Why Brown's 37-page self-assessment was rejected by every professional on the panel
- The concept of retained culpability and why the original trial judge's sentencing remarks proved critical
- Diana's campaign for restriction zones — and the government's decision to act on her proposal
- Why women at risk must consider putting their wishes for their children in writing
- The Joanna Simpson Foundation and the work being done in schools on the Isle of Man

The parole board found Brown unfit for release. But the fight is not over.

🎧 To hear the full Joanna Simpson case from the beginning, listen to Case 004 on the Crime Analyst Podcast starting at Episode 103.
https://www.crime-analyst.com/105-the-crime-analyst-ep-105-joanna-simpson-a-miscarriage-of-justice-part-1/

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