Colin Pitchfork: How violent maniac who raped and killed two schoolgirls was first murderer to be snared by DNA
WHEN the body of 15-year-old Dawn Ashworth was found in a Leicestershire field, cops immediately knew they were dealing with a serial killer.
Another schoolgirl of the same age, Lynda Mann, had been raped and strangled to death with her own scarf three years earlier close to where Dawn's body was found – now the girls' killer is set to be released.
Colin Pitchfork, 61, was in 1988 sentenced to life in prison for his horrific crimes – he was the first murderer to be convicted using DNA evidence.
Now the Parole Board has ruled he can be freed, despite outrage from his victims' families and a government bid to keep him behind bars.
A spokesperson 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."
Pitchfork was only brought to justice thanks to trailblazing science – and even then, another crucial mistake was needed to catch the killer.
Here's the story of how Pitchfork was brought down.
Schoolgirls raped and murdered
Lynda Mann took a shortcut on her way home from babysitting in Narborough on 21 November 1983 – when she didn't arrive at the house, her worried parents spent the evening looking for her.
The next morning, her body was found dumped on a local footpath.
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She'd been raped and strangled to death.
Police had no leads or evidence in the crime until Dawn Ashworth's body was found in similar circumstances in July 1986.
Dawn had left a friend's house in Narborough and vanished on the short walk to her home in the neighbouring village of Enderby.
Her body, found in the corner of a field hidden under branches, showed signs of a terrible struggle before she was killed.
From the point of view of the safety of the public I doubt if he should ever be released
Lord Lane
Shortly after her remains were discovered, cops arrested Richard Buckland – a local 17-year-old with learning difficulties who knew Dawn.
During questioning, Buckland repeatedly confessed and then withdrew his admission of guilt in Dawn's killing – but he refused to admit to Lynda's murder.
Convinced both girls were killed by the same person, authorities charged Buckland with the two murders in August.
Sleuth breakthrough
Cops wanted to definitively prove Buckland was responsible for both killings and so turned to an unprecedented source for help.
Alec Jeffreys, a geneticist at the University of Leicester, had recently made an incredible accidental discovery about DNA.
He attached DNA extracted from cells to photographic film which, when developed, showed a series of dark lines.
Jeffreys realised he could identify people in a study from images of their DNA alone.
That's why police officers called him to use his "DNA fingerprinting" technique to prove that the same person killed Dawn and Lynda.
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
Parole Board spokesperson
Using semen samples collected from the victims' bodies and comparing it with Buckland's blood, Jeffreys confirmed the same man had indeed raped both Dawn and Lynda – but it definitely wasn't Buckland.
Buckland was released, leaving investigators once again with no idea who was responsible for the horrific murders.
But they realised DNA fingerprinting could be the tool they needed to crack the case.
Massive manhunt
Their solution was to snare the killer with a DNA dragnet.
Every man in a certain age range who'd lived or worked in the Narborough area was sent a letter asking for a blood sample.
Civil liberty groups disagreed with the mass screening process, but thousands of men submitted samples anyway desperate for the killer to be found.
One sample submitted was recorded as belonging to Colin Pitchfork, a 27-year-old baker who'd once been questioned about his whereabouts on the night of Lynda's murder.
The dad-of-two told cops he'd been looking after his young son, and no further action was taken against him.
A man like him, who did what he did, he should never be allowed out
Kath Eastwood, Lynda's mum
In 1987, a year on from Dawn's killing, one of Pitchfork's workmates – Ian Kelly – was having a drink with friends at a pub in Leicester.
Kelly told his pals he'd given a blood sample to investigators on Pitchfork's behalf using false identifying documents.
He did so because Pitchfork told Kelly that he'd already given a fraudulent sample as a favour to a friend who wanted to avoid police attention after a previous conviction.
Someone who heard Kelly's confession reported it to police, who promptly arrested him and Pitchfork.
'It's just not right'
Finally in handcuffs, Pitchfork confessed to the crimes and gave grim details of the attacks.
He had indeed been with his son on the night of Lynda's disappearance – the baby was in the back of Pitchfork's car parked near to where he raped and killed the schoolgirl.
Pitchfork also confessed to two other sexual assaults and, at trial in 1988, he pleaded guilty to all charges against him.
He was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 30 years, with the Lord Chief Justice at the time expressing a desire for him to be behind bars forever.
"From the point of view of the safety of the public I doubt if he should ever be released," Lord Lane said.
My world has been shattered by this man
Barbara Ashworth, Dawn's mum
His sentence was reduced to 28 years in 2009 after the Court of Appeal recognised the "exceptional progress" he's made in custody.
That included becoming a specialist in transcribing printed music into Braille, work which has been used around the world.
But his previous bids for release have been opposed by the families of his victims.
"A man like him, who did what he did, he should never be allowed out," Lynda's mum Kath Eastwood previously told .
"They told me that the man who killed my daughter was planning to appeal, that he was trying to win his freedom.
"I still can't quite believe it, to be honest. It's just not right is it?"
Justice Secretary Robert Buckland challenged the Parole Board's decision last month to free Pitchfork, but a judge-led review has now dismissed the government's challenge.
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"My world has been shattered by this man," Dawn's mum Barbara said in June.
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"He can’t hurt me any more than he has already by killing my daughter, but there will be other 15-year-old girls in the streets.
"If he was released, he could search for any victim he wanted to. He is a psychopath who should be kept in prison where he belongs."
