BRITAIN'S LONGEST-SERVING FEMALE PRISONER FREED AFTER 38 YEARS

Maria Pearson, aged 70, is to be released following a Parole Board decision that she no longer poses a risk to the public. Pearson has served nearly four decades in prison after fatally stabbing Janet Newton, aged 23, in 1986 in Hartlepool, County Durham. She received a life sentence in 1987, with the trial judge describing the killing as "cruel and vicious". The Parole Board panel reached what it characterised as a "finely balanced decision" in recent hearings held in January and May.

At the time of the murder, Pearson was aged 31 and in a bigamous relationship with her second husband whilst remaining married to her first. Her fears of losing their home and custody of a child intensified when her second partner began a relationship with Ms Newton and sought to annul their marriage. Pearson tracked Ms Newton's movements and routines before attacking her as she left her house. During trial, Pearson attempted to attribute responsibility to her husband, but this was rejected, with the judge finding her "obsessive and jealous". She completed her minimum term of 12 years in October 1998 but remained incarcerated through two periods in open prison, from which she was returned to higher-security facilities due to behavioural concerns.

Her release will be subject to strict conditions including residence at a designated address, a year-long curfew with electronic tagging, and restrictions preventing contact with the victim's family. The Parole Board stated it 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". Her case has been reviewed by the Parole Board on ten occasions. She is the mother of three children.