Britain's longest-serving female prisoner, Maria Pearson, has been returned to custody just weeks after her release in July. Pearson, 70, was serving a life sentence for the 1986 murder of her love rival, Janet Newton. Her release followed a parole board decision at the tenth attempt, despite concerns that she posed a high risk of serious harm.
Pearson was recalled to prison for allegedly breaching the conditions of her license. The specifics of the breach have not been publicly disclosed. The news of her return to prison was met with relief by the victim's family. Lynn, sister of Janet Newton, expressed that it was the "most positive update" they could have hoped for and called for lessons to be learned from the parole board's decision.
Pearson was convicted in 1987 of stabbing Ms. Newton 17 times. She was ordered to serve a minimum of 12 years. Her previous bids for release were repeatedly denied. In 2006, then Home Secretary John Reid rejected a parole board recommendation for her to be moved to an open prison. She was later moved to open conditions twice before being returned to higher-security facilities due to behavioral concerns.
In June 2026, the Parole Board approved Pearson's release on license. The decision was described as "finely balanced" and stipulated that she would be subject to strict conditions, including GPS tracking and a curfew for 12 months. At the time of her release, she had served nearly 39 years, surpassing the time spent in prison by Myra Hindley, who died after 36 years of incarceration.
A spokesperson for the Prison and Probation Service stated that prisoners on license are closely supervised and will be returned to custody if they violate the rules. A review will be conducted by the Parole Board to determine if Pearson will remain incarcerated.