Where is Jane Andrews now? Why Fergie’s killer ex-dresser was released early from life sentence
Jane Andrews was sentenced to life on a murder conviction
The Lady, ITV’s new drama, charts the rise and fall of Fergie’s ex-dresser and convicted murderer Jane Andrews. So, where is she now?
The four-part series, which premieres tonight (February 22), follows Andrews (played by Mia McKenna-Bruce) as she’s transported from working-class life to the hallways of Buckingham Palace.
We see her hiring, firing, and how tragedy struck in her doomed relationship with Tom Cressman, whose murder saw her sentenced to life in prison.
However, not only is Andrews still alive, but she’s no longer behind bars. Here’s what you need to know.
What did Jane Andrews do?
Jane Andrews was convicted of murdering her boyfriend, Tom Cressman.
As The Lady illustrates, Andrews struggled to hold down a partner before she met Cressman. She married Christopher Dunn-Butler (who inspires Mark Stanley’s Charles in the drama), and had a brief relationship with Dimitri Horne (the inspiration for Sean Teale’s Luis Castillo).
She met Cressman in 1998. Her expectations of marriage, children, and wealth became a source of great tension between them.
After returning from a holiday in Italy (where he didn’t propose, much to Andrews’ despair), things reached boiling point.
On September 17, Cressman called the police and asked them to send someone, because “somebody is going to get hurt”.
Nobody came, and later that night, Andrews is said to have hit him with a cricket bat while he was sleeping and stabbed him with a kitchen knife.
Andrews fled and only communicated with a few people – including her ex, Christopher, and the former Duchess of York. “You must come forward and help the police,” Fergie told her.
Andrews was later found in her car, having overdosed on painkillers.
Jane Andrews’ allegations in her trial
While the prosecution painted a clear picture of Andrews’ actions (an angry outburst that stemmed from obsessive behaviour), she came with her own allegations.
According to Andrews, Cressman had been physically abusive during their relationship, allegedly sexually assaulting her on multiple occasions.
None of these accusations have ever been proven. Barbara Cressman, Tom’s mother, said (via The Irish Independent): “She told a whole tissue of lies [and] had months to make up a story.
“She has been very carefully stage-managed to make her appearance as bad as possible and learn her lines. She murdered my son with malice aforethought.”
Andrews’ defence also argued for diminished responsibility and a manslaughter conviction, on account of her allegedly being abused as a child. Dr Trevor Turner, a psychiatrist, also said she was suffering from “moderate symptoms of depression”.
In the end, the jury found her guilty of murder, and she was sentenced to life in prison.
How long was she in prison?
Jane Andrews spent a total of 15 years behind bars.
Her first stint began in 2001, first imprisoned at HM Prison Bullwood Hall in Essex (which closed in 2013). She was moved to East Sutton Park Prison in Essex in 2009 – crucially, this is an open prison, meaning its inmates have minimal restrictions and can mostly move freely.
This is what allowed her to escape, and after a three-day search, she was found at a Premier Inn hotel around six miles away with her family.
She wasn’t charged for absconding, with the Crown Prosecution Service saying it wasn’t “in the public interest” to prosecute.
This decision was criticised by Rick Cressman, Tom’s brother. “If it’s not in the public interest to deal with a convicted murderer who has escaped from prison, I don’t know what is,” he said (via BBC News).
Why was Jane Andrews released from prison early?
Jane Andrews has actually been released from prison twice. She was released on licence in 2015 (meaning she had to adhere to specific conditions), with the parole board believing she wasn’t a threat to mainstream society.
In 2018, an ex-partner accused her of harassment, which saw her back in prison.
However, no evidence was found to support this allegation, so she was re-released in 2019.
Andrews also had the backing of Justice for Women, a feminist campaigning organisation.
“[We] supported her appeal against conviction as there was fresh psychiatric evidence to show that memories of her early child abuse were triggered by the sexual abuse she sustained at the hands of Cressman, causing significant psychiatric disturbance,” it wrote on its website.
Where is Jane Andrews now?
Jane Andrews, now aged 58, is reported to be working for a charity-funded hospital.
Andrews has reportedly had other jobs since leaving prison, including stacking shelves in a supermarket.
Her hospital job was reported by The Mirror in 2025, and Andrews (while photographed) declined to comment at the time. A local resident also told the publication: “You’d never guess she’d been a part of royal life.”
Andrews complained to the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO) after this news emerged, arguing it was a breach of privacy.
As the IPSO ruling details, she said the intrusions (including a photograph that included her car’s full number plate) weren’t in the public interest.
However, the complaint was not upheld. “The newspaper was entitled to report on the complainant following her custodial sentence. And doing so did not, in and of itself, represent an intrusion into Ms Andrews’ private and family life,” IPSO wrote.
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