Colin Pitchfork recalled to jail after approaching young women
- Published
Double child killer Colin Pitchfork was arrested and recalled to prison because he had been approaching young women, the BBC understands.
He was released two months ago after spending 33 years in jail for murdering two teenage girls in the 1980s.
Since then he is understood to have approached young women on multiple occasions while out on walks from the bail hostel where he was living.
He was arrested after probation staff raised concerns about his behaviour.
Barbara Ashworth, whose daughter Dawn was murdered by Pitchfork in 1986, told the Daily Mail: "It is worrying that he is approaching young women in this manner. It just goes to show that a leopard never changes its spots."
There have also been concerns he had been trying to cheat lie detector tests. The BBC's home and legal correspondent Dominic Casciani has been told he was doing this by using breathing techniques.
The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) said Pitchfork has not committed any further offences since being released.
However, the step of recalling him is thought to have been taken as a preventative measure due to a concerning pattern in his behaviour.
There was public outcry when the Parole Board deemed Pitchfork to be suitable for release, and even former Justice Secretary Robert Buckland challenged the decision.
Pitchfork was subject to an unusually high number of licence conditions. The MoJ said there were more than 40 - including exclusion zones, curfews and polygraph testing - while murderers are usually only subject to about seven.
Pitchfork's case must now be referred to the Parole Board within 28 days.
There will likely be a parole hearing due to the seriousness of the case, rather than considering the circumstances of the recall "on paper", meaning by solely reviewing documents.
The hearing will determine whether Pitchfork should stay in a closed prison, be transferred to an open prison or be released.
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