Double child killer and rapist Colin Pitchfork cleared for release from prison

Double child killer Colin Pitchfork has been cleared to walk free from prison by the Parole Board - less than two years after he was sent back to jail.

Pitchfork was given a 30 year minimum sentence in 1988 for raping and murdering Leicestershire schoolgirls, Lynda Mann and Dawn Ashworth, who were both 15.

Pitchfork was released in 2021 but was back in jail two months later after breaching the licence conditions. 

The Parole Board confirmed today (Thursday 15 June) that Pitchfork can now be released from prison, subject to conditions.

The MP for South Leicestershire, Alberto Costa, says he will be asking the Government to challenge the Parole Board's decision.

He became the first man convicted of murder on the basis of DNA evidence when he admitted two murders, two rapes, two indecent assaults and conspiracy to pervert the course of justice.

His minimum term for the murders was cut by two years in 2009.