Double child killer Colin Pitchfork can be released from prison subject to conditions, the Parole Board has said.
Pitchfork was jailed for life in 1988 after raping and strangling two 15-year-olds, Lynda Mann and Dawn Ashworth, in Leicestershire in 1983 and 1986.
He was given a minimum term of 30 years, later reduced to 28 years due to progress he had made in prison, and was released in September 2021.
But Pitchfork was back behind bars two months later after breaching the licence conditions of his release.
3/ It is quite clear to many, not only in South Leicestershire, but the country that this man still presents a very real danger to the public and I will do all I can to challenge this decision.
My thoughts remain with the families of Lynda and Dawn at this most difficult time.
— Alberto Costa MP (@AlbertoCostaMP) June 15, 2023
The Parole Board said the decision to recall Pitchfork to custody was flawed and “made on the basis of some of the allegations not being proved and upon some incorrect information”.
The panel said Pitchfork’s behaviour for almost all his time in prison has not caused any concern and it was no longer necessary for Pitchfork to remain confined for the protection of the public.
Alberto Costa, MP for South Leicestershire, said he was “deeply disappointed” by the decision and said he thought Pitchfork still presented “a very real danger to the public”.
