Colin Pitchfork release latest – Monster child murderer WILL walk free Parole Board decide despite killing two kids
- What happened to Colin Pitchfork's victims?
A MONSTER who raped and murdered two children will be released from prison despite a bid from the government to block his freedom.
Colin Pitchfork was jailed for life over the deaths in Leicestershire of Lynda Mann in 1983 and Dawn Ashworth in 1986.
But earlier this year gthe Parole Board has deemed the 61-year-old - the first murderer to be convicted using DNA evidence - is no longer a danger to the public after being turned down for release on two previous occasions.
The government also mounted a bid to stop the double killer's release - arguing it was "irrational" to let him go free. But Pitchfork will be released after the Parole Board "refused" the challenge.
A spokesman said in a statement: "The Parole Board has immense sympathy for the families of Dawn Ashworth and Lynda Mann and recognises the pain and anguish they have endured and continue to endure through the parole process.
"However, Parole Board panels are bound by law to assess whether a prisoner is safe to release. It has no power to alter the original sentence set down by the courts. Legislation dictates that a panel's decision must be solely focused on what risk a prisoner may pose on release and whether that risk can be managed in the community.
"As made clear in the reconsideration decision, release was supported by all of the Secretary of State's witnesses during Mr Pitchfork's review."
Read our Colin Pitchfork live blog for the latest news & updates...
WATCH: SUSANNA REID DISTRESSED AFTER THE NEWS ON MURDERER
'Distressed' Susanna Reid shocked as double killer Colin Pitchfork set to be released - saying family will want him 'torn limb from limb'COLIN PITCHFORK: WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT HIS HEINOUS CRIMES
- Pitchfork was convicted on DNA fingerprinting evidence and the first to be caught as a result of mass screening. He was 22 at the time of his first murder in November 1983.
- He left his baby son sleeping in the back of his car and raped and strangled 15-year-old Lynda Mann with her own scarf on a secluded footpath in Narborough, Leics. He then returned to his home in nearby Littlethorpe to put his child to bed.
- Nearly three years later in July 1986 and less than a mile from where Lynda died the he raped and murdered Dawn Ashworth, also 15, in Enderby.
- A police investigation initially led to the wrong suspect Richard Buckland, a 17-year-old local, who falsely confessed to one of the killings.
- After an unprecedented mass screening of 5,000 men across three villages using pioneering “DNA profiling” technology, Pitchfork was finally caught. He had earlier evaded justice by persuading a colleague to take the test for him.
SUSANNA REID GOT EMOTIONAL DISCUSSING THE KILLINGS THIS MORNING
During a debate on Good Morning Britain, Susanna said: "It's an eternal punishment [for the victims' families]. I can't imagine.
"We have the honour of sharing those stories in broadcasting and listening to those stories is immensely distressing.
WHEN COULD PITCHFORK BE RELEASED FROM PRISON?
Pitchfork had pleaded guilty to the rape and murder of the two teens and was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 30 years. This was reduced on appeal to 28 years in 2009.
Local MP Alberto Costa said he had met the chief executive of the Parole Board for England and Wales Martin Jones to discuss the case.
Following the meeting, Mr Costa announced he would write to the Secretary of State for Justice, Robert Buckland MP, to ensure both he and the Parole Board were aware of local concerns about the case.
Mr Costa said: “Colin Pitchfork’s heinous crimes quite understandably live long in the memory of many of my constituents and his case is still of considerable concern to residents in South Leicestershire.
“In light of his recent referral for a parole review, I was very pleased to meet with the chief executive of the Parole Board and to gain a better understanding of Pitchfork’s case in order to inform the next steps I will be taking on this matter.
“The safety and wellbeing of my constituents is, of course, paramount importance, so I want to ensure that the Parole Board are fully aware of Pitchfork’s crimes and his character before any decisions are made.”
HOW CAN I WATCH THE DOCUMENTARIES ON COLIN PITCHFORK?
Here's all the documentaries you can watch to find out more about the first murderer to be convicted using DNA evidence.
Two documentaries on Pitchfork’s crimes have been released in the UK.
The first was a 2002 episode of Real Crime on ITV - and the second was a 2018 episode of How I Caught the Killer on Sky Crime.
The crimes have also been dramatised in a 2014 ITV series called Code of a Killer.
WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT COLIN PITCHFORK’s CRIMES (CONTINUED…)
- He pleaded guilty to both murders in September 1987 and was sentenced to life in January 1988.
- The judge said the killings were “particularly sadistic” and he doubted Pitchfork, who he described as “a danger to young women”, g would ever be released.
- In 2009, his minimum 30-year life tariff was reduced by two years for “exceptional progress” – a decision that was strongly criticised by his victims’ families.
- The Court of Appeal heard Pitchfork had achieved a “high standard of education to degree level” and had never been placed “on report” while in custody.
- The prisoner had also become a specialist in transcribing printed music into Braille to assist the blind – work which was used across the UK and internationally.
COLIN PITCHFORK: WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT HIS HEINOUS CRIMES
- Pitchfork was convicted on DNA fingerprinting evidence and the first to be caught as a result of mass screening. He was 22 at the time of his first murder in November 1983.
- He left his baby son sleeping in the back of his car and raped and strangled 15-year-old Lynda Mann with her own scarf on a secluded footpath in Narborough, Leics. He then returned to his home in nearby Littlethorpe to put his child to bed.
- Nearly three years later in July 1986 and less than a mile from where Lynda died the he raped and murdered Dawn Ashworth, also 15, in Enderby.
- A police investigation initially led to the wrong suspect Richard Buckland, a 17-year-old local, who falsely confessed to one of the killings.
- After an unprecedented mass screening of 5,000 men across three villages using pioneering “DNA profiling” technology, Pitchfork was finally caught. He had earlier evaded justice by persuading a colleague to take the test for him.
COLIN PITCHFORK WILL HAVE 35 CONDITIONS ATTACHED TO HIS RELEASE
The killer will have 35 conditions attached to his release.
These include electronic tagging, lie detector tests and he must provide details of any vehicle he owns.
He must also not visit the area where his crimes were committed
LOCAL MP TO RAISE CONCERNS WITH PAROLE BOARD AND JUSTICE SECRETARY
Local MP Alberto Costa said he had met the chief executive of the Parole Board for England and Wales Martin Jones to discuss the case.
Following the meeting, Mr Costa announced he would write to the Secretary of State for Justice, Robert Buckland MP, to ensure both he and the Parole Board were aware of local concerns about the case.
DOUBLE KILLER
Pitchfork, who now calls himself David Thorpe after ditching his notorious name, raped and strangled Lynda, 15, in November 1983.
The teenager had left her home to visit a friend – but never returned.
Her body was found the next morning on a deserted footpath.
Three years later, Pitchfork, who worked as a baker, struck again – killing and raping Dawn, also 15, in almost identical circumstances.Her body was found less than a mile from where Lynda had been attacked.
After Dawn’s killing, Leicestershire Police launched the largest manhunt in its history, asking more than 5,000 local men to volunteer blood or saliva samples in a bid to match samples taken from the crime scenes.
FAMILY FURY (CONTINUED....)
“I wouldn’t put it past him to have duped the authorities into believing he was reformed and rehabilitated now. He will always be a danger.”
She added: "This news is so upsetting. There are still 15-year-old girls wandering around and this man could still have 20 years of his life to abuse them.
"He can’t hurt me any more than he has done – Pitchfork ripped my family and I apart – but he can hurt other young girls. I can’t understand how he has suddenly been judged fit for release when he was turned down before.";
Dawn’s uncle Philip Musson, 67, from Newark, Nottinghamshire, added: "We are totally opposed to the notion of killers – let alone child killers – having parole. A life sentence ought to mean life because a life is something that wasn’t afforded to Dawn as a result of the actions of this man."
Pitchfork will have 35 conditions attached to his release – which include electronic tagging, lie detector tests and he must provide details of any vehicle he owns.
FAMILY FURY
Lynda Mann's sister told The Sun last night: “He should not be getting out. But what more is there to say? They are going to let him out.
“They would not let a serial killer out but they are letting him out. They say he has done his time, that he has rights and all that malarkey so free he goes.”
Sue blazed: “What he wants is a bullet to the head. But that’s not going to happen so there is nothing we can do about it.”
She said the decision had raked up painful memories for the family, adding: “We have been fighting it for years - but there you go.”
Barbara Ashworth, 75, whose daughter Dawn was strangled to death in 1986, told the : “This is a man who has displayed psychopathic tendencies – a man who thought he was clever enough to outwit police at the time of the murders by dodging the mass blood testing exercise. He nearly succeeded.
DAWN ASHWORTH'S MOTHER SAYS PITCHFORK 'WILL ALWAYS BE A PRESENT DANGER'
The Parole Board has deemed that the 61-year-old - the first murderer to be convicted using DNA evidence - was no longer a danger to the public after being turned down for release on two previous occasions.
The mother of Dawn Ashworth has said Pitchfork "will always present a danger".
And the sister of his first victim, Lynda Mann, said the only sentence Pitchfork should have received was “a bullet to the head”.
Sue Gratrick, who’s sister Lynda Mann, said the Parole Board’s decision was putting the family through hell.
Sue has since moved to a seaside town more than 100 miles away from the scene of her sister’s murder.
COLIN PITCHFORK 'DESERVES A BULLET TO THE HEAD' SAYS VICTIM FAMILIES
FURIOUS relatives of two 15-year-old schoolgirls who were murdered by a notorious paedophile have voiced their anger at the decision to set him free - saying "deserves a bullet to the head".
Sex-obsessed Colin Pitchfork was caged for life in 1988 for the rape and murder of teenage schoolgirls Lynda Mann and Dawn Ashworth in Leicestershire.
JUSTICE SECRETARY URGED TO INTERVENE OVER PITCHFORK’S RELEASE
The Justice Secretary has been urged to intervene after a Parole Board approved the release of the notorious double child killer Colin Pitchfork.
Tory MP Alberto Costa said he had asked Justice Secretary Robert Buckland to .
It comes after the Justice Secretary was granted the power to ask the Parole Board to reconsider their decisions if they were thought to be “irrational” or “procedurally unfair”.
A source close to the Justice Secretary told the Telegraph that the Government would take legal advice to explore whether the use of the new late would be appropriate.
WHEN COULD PITCHFORK BE RELEASED FROM PRISON?
Pitchfork had pleaded guilty to the rape and murder of the two teens and was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 30 years. This was reduced on appeal to 28 years in 2009.
Local MP Alberto Costa said he had met the chief executive of the Parole Board for England and Wales Martin Jones to discuss the case.
Following the meeting, Mr Costa announced he would write to the Secretary of State for Justice, Robert Buckland MP, to ensure both he and the Parole Board were aware of local concerns about the case.
Mr Costa said: "Colin Pitchfork’s heinous crimes quite understandably live long in the memory of many of my constituents and his case is still of considerable concern to residents in South Leicestershire.
“In light of his recent referral for a parole review, I was very pleased to meet with the chief executive of the Parole Board and to gain a better understanding of Pitchfork’s case in order to inform the next steps I will be taking on this matter.
"The safety and wellbeing of my constituents is, of course, paramount importance, so I want to ensure that the Parole Board are fully aware of Pitchfork’s crimes and his character before any decisions are made.”
WHEN COULD PITCHFORK BE RELEASED FROM PRISON?
Pitchfork had pleaded guilty to the rape and murder of the two teens and was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 30 years. This was reduced on appeal to 28 years in 2009.
Local MP Alberto Costa said he had met the chief executive of the Parole Board for England and Wales Martin Jones to discuss the case.
Following the meeting, Mr Costa announced he would write to the Secretary of State for Justice, Robert Buckland MP, to ensure both he and the Parole Board were aware of local concerns about the case.
Mr Costa said: "Colin Pitchfork’s heinous crimes quite understandably live long in the memory of many of my constituents and his case is still of considerable concern to residents in South Leicestershire.
“In light of his recent referral for a parole review, I was very pleased to meet with the chief executive of the Parole Board and to gain a better understanding of Pitchfork’s case in order to inform the next steps I will be taking on this matter.
"The safety and wellbeing of my constituents is, of course, paramount importance, so I want to ensure that the Parole Board are fully aware of Pitchfork’s crimes and his character before any decisions are made.”
WHAT ART HAS PITCHFORK EXHIBITED?
The double-murderer exhibited a sculpture at the Royal Festival Hall in April 2009 — sparking public outrage.
He had created the design, titled Bringing Music To Life, from inside HMP Frankland, County Durham.
It was described as being made "in meticulous miniature detail by folding, cutting and tearing the score of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony".
Sick Pitchfork had written alongside the piece: "Without this opportunity to show our art, many of us would have no incentive, we would stay locked in ourselves as much as the walls that hold us.”
Distress from the family of his victims led to the work being removed from display.
MP VOWS TO WORK HARD TO REVERSE DECISION TO ALLOW RELEASE OF DOUBLE CHILD KILLER COLIN PITCHFORK
MP vows to work hard to reverse decision to allow release of double child killer Colin PitchforkWHAT ART HAS PITCHFORK EXHIBITED?
The double-murderer exhibited a sculpture at the Royal Festival Hall in April 2009 — sparking public outrage.
He had created the design, titled Bringing Music To Life, from inside HMP Frankland, County Durham.
It was described as being made "in meticulous miniature detail by folding, cutting and tearing the score of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony".
Sick Pitchfork had written alongside the piece: "Without this opportunity to show our art, many of us would have no incentive, we would stay locked in ourselves as much as the walls that hold us.”
Distress from the family of his victims led to the work being removed from display.
GMB’S SUSANNA REID GETS EMOTIONAL AS SHE DISCUSSES RELEASE OF COLIN PITCHFORK
SUSANNA Reid got emotional today as she discussed the upcoming release of double child killer Colin Pitchfork.
Sex-obsessed Pitchfork was caged for life in 1988 for the rape and murder of 15-year-old schoolgirls Lynda Mann and Dawn Ashworth in Leicestershire.
But the Parole Board has deemed the 61-year-old – the first murderer to be convicted using DNA evidence – is no longer a danger to the public after being turned down for release on two previous occasions.
During a debate on Good Morning Britain, Susanna said: “It’s an eternal punishment [for the victims’ families]. I can’t imagine.
“We have the honour of sharing those stories in broadcasting and listening to those stories is immensely distressing.
WHAT HAPPENED WHEN PITCHFORK WAS ON DAY RELEASE IN 2017?
On November 13, 2017, we reported how Pitchfork was allowed out to roam Bristol city centre alone for six hours.
He was seen eating a pulled pork sandwich and giggled as he pored over Great British Bake Off books.
Pitchfork, who has changed his name to Thorpe, also went to a job centre and visited three banks.
He was returned by staff to HMP Leyhill, an open prison in Gloucestershire.
WHAT HAPPENED WHEN PITCHFORK WAS ON DAY RELEASE IN 2017?
On November 13, 2017, we reported how Pitchfork was allowed out to roam Bristol city centre alone for six hours.
He was seen eating a pulled pork sandwich and giggled as he pored over Great British Bake Off books.
Pitchfork, who has changed his name to Thorpe, also went to a job centre and visited three banks.
He was returned by staff to HMP Leyhill, an open prison in Gloucestershire.
JUSTICE SECRETARY URGED TO INTERVENE OVER PITCHFORK'S RELEASE
The Justice Secretary has been urged to intervene after a Parole Board approved the release of the notorious double child killer Colin Pitchfork.
Tory MP Alberto Costa said he had asked Justice Secretary Robert Buckland to .
It comes after the Justice Secretary was granted the power to ask the Parole Board to reconsider their decisions if they were thought to be "irrational" or "procedurally unfair".
A source close to the Justice Secretary told the Telegraph that the Government would take legal advice to explore whether the use of the new late would be appropriate.
JUSTICE SECRETARY URGED TO INTERVENE OVER PITCHFORK'S RELEASE
The Justice Secretary has been urged to intervene after a Parole Board approved the release of the notorious double child killer Colin Pitchfork.
Tory MP Alberto Costa said he had asked Justice Secretary Robert Buckland to .
It comes after the Justice Secretary was granted the power to ask the Parole Board to reconsider their decisions if they were thought to be "irrational" or ";procedurally unfair".
A source close to the Justice Secretary told the Telegraph that the Government would take legal advice to explore whether the use of the new late would be appropriate.