Cross party MPs have joined forces in a bid to stop a nursery worker dubbed ‘Britain’s worst female paedophile’ being released from prison.
Tory Johnny Mercer and Labour’s Luke Pollard have vowed to put their differences behind them to stop 18-stone Vanessa George from being released.
The 49-year-old was jailed for a minimum of seven years in 2009 after she took photos of herself abusing up to 30 infants at Little Ted’s nursery in Plymouth, Devon.
A mother of two, she used the online alias ‘paedo whore mum’ to distribute the sickening images to fellow perverts across the web.
Her victims were never formally identified in court, leaving many parents uncertain as to whether their children had been abused.
She is now set to be freed in September after the parole board said she no longer posed a ‘significant risk’ to the public after less than a decade behind bars.
Vanessa George, 49, (left on a night out with friends) was jailed in 2009 (right in her mugshot) for abusing children at a Plymouth nursery and will now be released in September
George is pictured on the phone to her lawyer while in police custody in Plymouth in 2009
The decision has caused widespread outrage throughout the country. Plymouth’s rival MPs say they are now fighting to reverse it and stepping up political pressure for the government to intervene.
A parliamentary debate has been secured to discuss the release on Tuesday.
Mr Pollard, Labour Member of Parliament Sutton and Devonport, said: ‘Since news broke that the Parole Board are planning to release Vanessa George early I have been standing up for the families and opposing her release.
‘I’ve met with the Minister responsible, raised the issue in the Commons and have now secured a debate on Tuesday.
‘I have invited MPs from across the region to attend the debate to stand in solidarity with the families who have a life sentence because of Vanessa George’s abuse and continuing uncertainty as she still refuses to name which child she abused.
‘I hope all the local MPs will come to my debate and demand change.
‘Any parole system that thinks Vanessa George is safe to release and ignores the concerns of victims is not a system that is working properly. I am a fan of cross-party working and want to see more of it across every issue facing Plymouth.’
Tory Johnny Mercer (left) and Labour’s Luke Pollard (right) have vowed to put their differences behind them to stop 18-stone Vanessa George from being released
He continued: ‘I have not always had a positive reception to my calls for cross-party working in the past but am pleased that on this issue the other two city MPs are on the same page as me.
‘Vanessa George should not be released early and I will do all I can to stop her release as I believe she still poses a threat to children and should not be released until she names the children she abused in any case.’
Mr Mercer, Conservative Member of Parliament for Plymouth Moor View, said: ‘I was alarmed to hear of the Parole Board’s decision to release Vanessa George and was subsequently approached by a family in my constituency whose daughter was a potential victim.
‘My heart goes out to all her victims but I was particularly concerned on two fronts. One related to the information sharing by the Parole Board, which seems inconsistent at best and secondly, Ms George’s clear lack of remorse in choosing not to disclose the identity of her victims; thereby extending the suffering of the families involved.
‘I have asked the justice secretary to urgently review the PBs decision and bear in mind the principle of a recent petition for a change in legislation know as Helen’s law, which I know the MoJ are closely considering at present.
‘I absolutely hold shared views with Luke Pollard on this subject and will do all I can to ensure we support all affected.’
For a decade, the parents of infants at Little Ted’s Nursery in Plymouth, Devon, have faced the agony of not knowing what happened to their children.
George, a mother of two teenage daughters, refused to name which of the 30 babies and toddlers on a police shortlist she attacked.
This was despite trial judge Mr Justice Royce pleading with her, saying: ‘If I were a parent, I would want to know.’
George was jailed in December 2009 for what the judge said ‘plumbed new depths of depravity’.
She was publicly disowned by her two daughters, divorced by her husband Andrew while in jail and has reverted to her maiden name, Vanessa Sylvia Marks.
Neither Andrew, 51, nor the girls knew of her secret life, and he fears she will have ‘manipulated’ parole board members and she still poses a risk on the outside.
He insisted he was a ‘broken man’ and would bear the mental scars of her crimes for the rest of his life, adding: ‘I am staggered. I just don’t know what to say.’
Police believe George came into contact with nearly 200 children while working at Little Ted’s Nursery (pictured)
In their report (pictured) the Parole Board directed release having been ‘satisfied that it was no longer necessary for the protection of the public that George remained confined in prison’
In 2009, the 18-stone classroom assistant admitted 13 sexual assault charges, but maintained a silence over the names of children she assaulted.
Her cohort Angela Allen, who raped a girl of three, has already served the five-year minimum of her sentence imposed at the same time.
The ringleader of the paedophile gang, Colin Blanchard, will also be eligible for parole next year after being jailed in 2011 for a minimum of nine years.
George will face strict conditions when she walks out of prison, probably in September. She will be banned from using social media, having any contact with children and going to the Plymouth area.
The Parole Board said families involved at the time of sentencing had been contacted and the panel considered victims’ personal statements. At the time of George’s conviction, parents spoke anonymously of her betrayal.
One mother, who had two children at the nursery, said: ‘I used to pick up my son and daughter from Vanessa George and she would come out smiling, laughing and having a joke. The worst thing is knowing now what she must have been doing to children that day. It’s awful.’
A Parole Board spokesman said: ‘Parole Board decisions are solely focused on whether a prisoner would represent a significant risk to the public after release.
‘The panel will have carefully looked at a whole range of evidence, including details of the original evidence and any evidence of behaviour change.’
He added: ‘This is done with great care and public safety is the No 1 priority.’