Home / Crime and Justice / Life Sentence Ends: UK's Longest-Serving Female Prisoner Freed
Life Sentence Ends: UK's Longest-Serving Female Prisoner Freed
30 Jun
Summary
- Maria Pearson, 70, to be released after decades in prison.
- She was jailed for life in 1987 for a 1986 murder.
- Parole Board ruled she no longer poses a public risk.
Maria Pearson, who has served as Britain's longest-serving female prisoner, is due for release following a Parole Board decision. The 70-year-old, from Hartlepool, was convicted of the murder of Janet Newton in 1986 and sentenced to life imprisonment in 1987.
Pearson, then 31, was found guilty of what the judge called a 'cruel and vicious' murder. The Parole Board noted Pearson was in a bigamous relationship at the time and feared losing her home and child when her second husband met Newton. She fatally attacked Newton as she left her house.
Pearson's minimum 12-year sentence was completed in October 1998. However, she remained in prison, with periods in open conditions followed by returns to higher-security facilities due to behavioral issues. This was her tenth parole hearing.
In a closely considered decision, the Parole Board concluded that Pearson no longer presents a significant risk to the public. Her release conditions include residing at a designated address, adhering to a curfew with electronic tagging for a year, and avoiding contact with the victim's family.
