Maria Pearson, Britain's longest-serving female prisoner, has been recalled to prison just weeks after her release in July, having apparently breached a licence condition. Pearson, now 70, served almost 40 years for the 1986 murder of her ex-boyfriend's new partner, Janet Newton, a case that had made her the UK's "forgotten inmate" after nine failed parole bids. Her recall has been welcomed by the victim's family, who had warned she remained dangerous and criticised the Parole Board's decision to free her.

Pearson stabbed 23-year-old Janet Newton 17 times in October 1986 after her ex, Malcolm Pearson, became engaged to Newton, and was convicted of murder in 1987 with a minimum 12-year tariff. Despite offender managers assessing her as posing a "high risk" of serious harm, the Parole Board approved her release in June 2026 on the tenth attempt, subject to strict conditions including 12 months of GPS tracking and a curfew. She had served almost 39 years, longer than Moors Murderer Myra Hindley, and Newton's sister Lynn said the recall, coming just two weeks after release, was the "most positive update" the family could have hoped for and called for lessons to be learnt.