Britain’s longest-serving female prisoner, Maria Pearson, is to be released after a Parole Board panel concluded she no longer poses a risk to the public, nearly four decades after she murdered her love rival.
Pearson, now 70, from Hartlepool, Co Durham, was 31 when she fatally stabbed 23-year-old Janet Newton in 1986, leading to a life sentence the following year. The trial judge at the time described the killing as “cruel and vicious”.
The Parole Board decision summary, released on Tuesday, revealed Pearson was in a bigamous relationship with her second husband at the time of the murder, having remained married to her first.
Her fears of losing their home and custody of a child intensified when her second partner met Ms Newton and sought to annul their marriage. Pearson subsequently tracked Ms Newton’s movements and routines, fatally attacking her as she left her house.
During the trial, Pearson attempted to blame her husband, but this was dismissed, with the judge concluding she was “obsessive and jealous”.
The mother-of-three had been given a minimum term of 12 years, which she completed in October 1998. However, she has remained incarcerated since, experiencing two periods in open prison before being returned to higher-security facilities due to concerns over her behaviour.
Her case has been considered by the Parole Board ten times, with the most recent review hearings taking place in January and May.
Her release will be subject to strict conditions, including residing at a designated address, adhering to a curfew with electronic tagging for a year, and abiding by restrictions designed to prevent any contact with the victim’s family.
A summary of the panel’s decision stated: “The panel concluded in a finely balanced decision that Ms Pearson met the test for release. The panel was satisfied that imprisonment was no longer necessary for the protection of the public and that she poses no more than a minimal risk of further serious offending.”
