Double child murderer Colin Pitchfork faces fresh hearing over release

Double child rapist and murderer Colin Pitchfork will face a fresh hearing after challenging a decision to keep him behind bars.

Pitchfork was jailed for life for raping and strangling two 15-year-old girls, Lynda Mann and Dawn Ashworth, in Leicestershire in 1983 and 1986.

He was granted parole but this was challenged by ministers and the Parole Board denied his release in December.

Pitchfork applied for that decision to be reconsidered, and this was granted.

It means he will face a new hearing with a different panel of Parole Board members.

In a statement, the Parole Board said: "Mr Pitchfork made an application for reconsideration in December 2023 and this was considered and granted by a reconsideration member of the Parole Board in February 2024."

The "complete re-hearing" will take place in due course.

"Mr Pitchfork has, and will continue to, remain in prison until this case has fully concluded," the board added.

Dawn Ashworth's mother Barbara told the PA News agency: "Words fail me now.

"He seems to want to fight no matter what. He's killed two schoolgirls. I know what I'd do. I'd throw away the key."

Pitchfork, who was the first murderer to be convicted using DNA evidence, was released in 2021 but recalled two months later.

The Parole Board deemed his recall "inappropriate" after it was established he had not gone anywhere he was not allowed to visit, and one condition of his release - a requirement to take polygraph tests - was, in fact, unlawful.

Pitchfork was granted parole in June last year, but concerns about the danger Pitchfork posed caused Justice Secretary Alex Chalk to intervene, making an "application for reconsideration".

A judge, when asked to reconsider the June decision to release, agreed it was "irrational", leading to the panel hearing later in the year..

Mr Chalk is now seeking an "urgent meeting" with the Parole Board following Monday's announcement.

A government source told the PA news agency: "It is deeply concerning that having made one flawed decision, the Parole Board have made another, causing immense distress to the families of Lynda Mann and Dawn Ashworth.

"They are again left with no certainty."

Conservative MP for South Leicestershire Alberto Costa, who has been campaigning against Pitchfork's release, said the decision to accept Pitchfork's request was "irrational".

"Once again, the Parole Board is demonstrating its utter inability to appropriately deal with this dangerous man who we must never forget brutally raped and strangled two young women," he said.

Mr Costa said he intended to apply for Pitchfork's hearing to be heard in public in a bid to ensure "proper scrutiny" of the decision-making process.

A similar request was previously rejected, which meant the hearing on 2-3 October and 6 November took place behind closed doors.

A Ministry of Justice spokeswoman said: "Our heartfelt sympathies remain with the families of Lynda Mann and Dawn Ashworth at this difficult time.

"This government is reforming the parole system to add a ministerial check on the release of the most dangerous criminals and are changing the law so that for society's most depraved killers, life means life."