Vanessa George: Judicial review of sex abuser's parole 'not likely'

Vanessa George was deemed eligible for parole on Thursday

A judicial review on the decision to release a paedophile nursery worker on parole is not likely, a minister says.

Vanessa George, 49, was jailed for a minimum of seven years in 2009 for abusing children in Plymouth.

In a parliamentary debate, city MP Luke Pollard questioned why she was being released, even under "strict" conditions set by the Parole Board.

Prisons Minister Robert Buckland said he could see "no flaw in procedure" that might allow a judicial review.

George was jailed for taking photographs of her abusing toddlers and swapping indecent images over the internet.

Parole curfew

The case was raised during a parliamentary debate secured by Plymouth Labour MP Luke Pollard on George's potential release, which the Parole Board said would be under "strict and extensive" conditions.

The conditions include living at a designated address, keeping a curfew and a social media ban. It is not known if she can return to Plymouth.

However, Mr Pollard said families had been let down twice: by children not being protected and George's offer of parole.

Robert Buckland told MPs it did not appear that other offences by George were "left to lie on the file", unlike in the case of black-cab rapist John Worboys.

This was used by Worboys' victims to bring a judicial review which made the Parole Board reconsider a decision to release him.

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Mr Buckland said new protections to avoid a repeat of the Worboys case did not have a retrospective effect.

He said that "it doesn't seem there's the sort of flaw in procedure that would justify a court giving permission to judicial review" in George's case.