February Newsletter

It’s only the end of February , and it’s already been a busy year for JSF

Given the recent press activity in The Daily Mail and The Sun, as well as coverage on The BBC we wanted you, as our long-standing supporters, to be updated.

At  the event at Buckingham Palace to mark The United Nations Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and Girls, Diana met Carrie Johnson who wanted to become involved on hearing about the imminent  release of Robert Brown on licence in late 2023. As Brown has only served half of the determinate sentence for manslaughter of 26 years, Carrie understood the real issues that this creates and wanted to help.

Diana and Carrie have found a common cause. As some of you may know , Carrie was preyed on by the  convicted Black Cab rapist John Warboys and courageously waived her right to anonymity and campaigned successfully to prevent him from leaving prison after it was revealed that the parole board was considering him for release .

This support has materialised incredibly quickly and Carrie has organised a reception at Westminster Chapel, on Wednesday 1^st March, for MPs and members of the House of Lords which will be an opportunity for Diana, Hetti  (our co-founder and now Chair of Refuge UK) and others to present the facts and concerns about Robert Brown’s pending release, on licence, and the issues this presents in the current social and economic climate . The Rt. Hon. Priti Patel , Rt. Hon. Sir Robert Buckland KC MP, Jess Phillips MP and many other MP’s and Peers have already confirmed their attendance. It is a real opportunity to shine a light on this, raise awareness of domestic violence and homicide and be a catalyst for change.

Netflix have completed their filming of an episode of “When Missing Turns to Murder” and this amazingly insightful and accurate drama/documentary is scheduled for release on April 18th .

A campaign is also being launched to draw attention to the pending release of Robert Brown and the issues that the laws on release on licence creates for families. It is a fact regularly acknowledged that system is broken and the accompanying support network for families does not work and is flawed. This means that many families and victims in a position similar to Diana and Joanna’s children have a genuine and real fear of the consequences when a convicted killer is released on licence.

You can support the campaign by clicking HERE to contact your MP

We hope to find time to host a lunch in the not too distant future and catch up with all our wonderful supporters.

With our very best wishes

The Joanna Simpson Foundation Trustees