Double murderer Colin Pitchfork's parole hearing to be in private

double-murderer-colin-pitchfork's-parole-hearing-to-be-in-private
Double murderer Colin Pitchfork's parole hearing to be in private

Colin Pitchfork, the double child killer who was convicted in 1988 for raping and strangling 15-year-old girls, Lynda Mann and Dawn Ashworth in Leicester, will not have his next parole hearing held in public. The decision has been made following fresh allegations, which arose due to unforeseeable developments. The Parole Board expressed regret for the increased stress on the families of the victims.

Although Pitchfork was initially sentenced to a minimum jail term of 30 years, which was later reduced to 28 years, he was released in September 2021, but got back into prison after breaching his license conditions. In June 2021, the Parole Board found that recalling him to prison was no longer needed for public safety. Nevertheless, that ruling was blocked by the then justice secretary, Alex Chalk, who called for a review of the decision to set Pitchfork free.

The 64-year-old has lost his recent bid for freedom, but recently managed to challenge the ruling that has kept him behind bars. That means he will face a fresh parole hearing that could see him released from prison. However, a spokesperson for the Parole Board apologized to the families of the victims, expressing regret that there had to be a change of decision in relation to the nature of the hearing, which will no longer be held in public.

The spokesperson also promised that a copy of the public hearing decision, made by the panel chair using their delegated authority, will be shared on the Parole Board website when available. Meanwhile, victim involvement is a valued aspect of the parole process, and the victims have been invited to observe some of the private proceedings. The spokesperson reiterated that the private oral hearing will be rescheduled in due course

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