Autumn date given for killer Pitchfork’s next hearing

HE CAN APPEAL TO PAROLE BOARD FOR HIS RELEASE

DOUBLE child killer Colin Pitchfork will remain behind bars until at least the autumn, the Parole Board has confirmed, but will be able to make the case for his rerelease at that point.

Pitchfork, pictured, who was jailed for life for the rape and murders of 15-year-olds Lynda Mann and Dawn Ashworth in Leicestershire in the 1980s, was freed from prison last September.

He was quickly returned to jail, reportedly following concerns about his behaviour, especially towards women.

The 62-year-old’s next hearing before the Parole Board has been set for the autumn and the hearing could pave the way for him to be freed again.

Last year’s release of Pitchfork sparked anger from the families of Lynda and Dawn, as well as the public. Concerns were also raised by politicians, with the then Justice Secretary Robert Buckland calling on the Parole Board to change its mind.

They didn’t and within weeks of his release, Pitchfork was arrested and returned to prison after breaching his release conditions.

That led to Mr Buckland’s successor, Dominic Raab, to say that reforms to the parole system were needed. South Leicestershire MP Alberto Costa is among those to have campaigned to keep Pitchfork behind bars indefinitely.

In a meeting with Martin Jones, chief executive of the Parole Board for England and Wales, he said Pitchfork remained a threat to society.

“I have long held very serious concerns about the threat to public safety still posed by Pitchfork, and as ever, I will continue doing all I can to oppose his release,” said Mr Costa.

“Given Pitchfork’s recall to prison after only a matter of weeks following his release on licence last November, it is quite clear he still presents a very real risk to my constituents and the general public.”

At present, it is thought Pitchfork is in a closed prison.

He is likely to remain there until the parole hearing in the autumn.

Since Pitchfork’s re-arrest, the government has said it intends to give Ministers the power to block dangerous criminals – such as Pitchfork and London taxi cab rapist John Worboys – from ever being released.

Mr Costa said that was a step in the right direction.

“I have been greatly encouraged by the government’s announcements to reform our country’s parole process, and I remain in close contact with both the Justice Secretary and the Minister for Policing in helping to shape this new system for the benefit of victims, their families and my constituents who still have serious concerns over individuals such as Pitchfork,” the MP said.

Responding to the original Parole Board decision to release Pitchfork in September last year, Lynda’s sister Rebecca Eastwood said: “I don’t have any confidence at all in the justice system if they are prepared to let someone like him out.

“It comes down to the justice system looking at someone who has done the things this man has done and thinking ‘he’s done his time, let’s give him a chance and let him out.’

“They can’t give a 100 per cent guarantee he will not offend. Even if it’s only a small chance that he will commit more crimes, it’s not a risk worth taking.

“They say they have looked into every single nook and cranny to make sure it’s the right decision and that they’ve looked into the risk he would pose.

“They say he has made progress and admitted the attitudes he had towards women then and that these have been addressed now.

“I understand why he has been a ‘model citizen’ while he has been going through this process – he has no other choice and he wants to be released. He’s a very clever man.”

Reacting to his arrest two months later, she said: “In my view it shows we were right to be worried. It seems they feel he has been hiding something or acting suspiciously in this time he’s been given.

“But in a way it’s a relief because it does show that they are watching him closely. That’s what they told us they were going to do all along. If they felt he needed to be recalled to prison then they might have saved someone’s life, we just don’t know.” According to background documents shown by the Parole Board at the time of his release, Pitchfork was subject to a long list of restrictions on his conduct and movements.

He was told he would have to live at a certain address, take part in probation supervision, wear an electronic tag, take part in polygraph “lie detector” tests and to disclose what vehicles he was using. There also conditions relating to any contact with children. Crucially, he was told he was not allowed to go anywhere near Leicestershire or to any area where members of the girls’ families live.

Even if it’s only a small chance he will commit more crimes, it’s not a risk worth taking Rebecca Eastwood