Convicted killer freed from jail

Susan May's supporters say she will continue to fight to clear her name

A 59-year-old woman who has served 12 years in prison for murdering her elderly aunt has been freed.

Susan May was convicted of killing 89-year-old Hilda Marchbank at her home in Oldham, Greater Manchester, in 1992.

The pensioner was found battered and smothered to death at her ransacked home in Tandle Hill, Royton.

May, who has always maintained her innocence, was freed from Askham Grange prison in York on Tuesday after a parole board agreed her release.

The grandmother had previously made two failed appeals against her conviction.

Hilda Marchbank was found battered and smothered to death

Speaking on Tuesday, she said she didn't know how she felt about her release.

"I am pleased to be free from prison, but I've got this heavy heart because I am still a convicted person, convicted of a crime I didn't commit.

"I can't feel free until the courts recognise that I was wrongly convicted."

Her supporters say they are "overjoyed" to see her freed, but will continue to fight to clear her name.

The Friends of Susan May (FOSM) campaign group claims she will be the first person to be freed on schedule while still protesting her innocence.

A spokesperson said: "The real fight is to get her conviction quashed and her name cleared."

A spokesman for the Parole Board said: "It is unlawful for the board to refuse parole simply on the grounds of denial of the crime."