Scots pilot is charged with murder of wealthy wife

AN AIRLINE pilot from Edinburgh has been charged with murdering his millionairess wife and disposing of her body.

• Joanna Brown was last seen alive last Sunday Photograph: PA

Robert Brown appeared in Slough Magistrates Court yesterday and was charged with murdering 46-year-old Joanna Brown and dumping her body.

Mrs Brown, a mother of two, vanished from her 3 million home on Sunday night.

Last night, Thames Valley police confirmed a woman's body had been found in Windsor Great Park and that Mrs Brown's family had been informed.

A police spokesman said: "A woman's body has this evening been found near to an area of Windsor Great Park.

"Officers attended the scene of where the body was discovered, following information received yesterday afternoon in connection with the disappearance of 46-year-old Joanna Brown from Ascot.

"Although a formal identification has not yet taken place, Joanna's family have been kept fully updated and continue to be supported by specially trained family liaison officers."

Police had spent much of the day searching woodland in Windsor Great Park - the 5,000-acre hunting ground owned by the Crown - in an area near to the Legoland Theme Park.

A post-mortem examination is expected to take place today.

Earlier, presiding magistrate James Griffiths heard that Mrs Brown was "believed to have suffered a violent, un-natural or sudden death".

It was said Mr Brown obstructed the coroner of Berkshire, Peter Bedford, in the execution of his duty by disposing of Joanna Brown's body in an unknown place.

Robert Brown, 46, who was Joanna Brown's second husband, was arrested on Thursday at a rented home he was sharing with his brother in Winkfield, Berkshire.

His parents, Robert and Maureen, who still live in Edinburgh, were said to be "shocked" to hear of the arrest of their son. It is believed that Brown's father is a university lecturer.

The tall, slim British Airways pilot was a keen cross country runner and was described as "quiet" and "a gentleman" by people who knew him.

Brown showed no emotion as he appeared in handcuffs at Slough Magistrates Court.

He was dressed in a black suit and open collared white shirt and spoke only to confirm his name and address.

A decision on bail will be made at Reading Crown Court on 8 November.