Child killer Colin Pitchfork who raped and murdered two girls freed from prison
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A twisted murderer who raped and killed two schoolgirls has been released from prison.
Colin Pitchfork was the first person to be convicted using DNA evidence and was jailed for 30 years for killing Lynda Mann and Dawn Ashworth.
Earlier this year, the Parole Board said it was satisfied Pitchfork – who became eligible for parole in 2015 – was safe for release.
It is understood Pitchfork, 61, will be subject to 36 licence conditions in some of the strictest ever set.
He will also have to wear an electronic tag, face restrictions on using the internet and be banned from going near relatives of his victims.
On November 22 1983, Lynda Mann's body was found on a deserted footpath in the Narborough area. She had been raped and strangled by Pitchfork, who was then working at a bakery.
Three years later on August 2, 1986, Dawn Ashworth's body was found in a wooded area near a footpath called Ten Pound Lane in the same area. She had been beaten, savagely raped and strangled.
DNA profiling confirmed the girls had been killed by the same man and in 1987, one of Pitchfork's colleagues revealed to fellow workers that he had taken a blood test while masquerading as Pitchfork who had told him he wanted to avoid being harassed by police because of prior convictions for indecent exposure.
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A woman reported it to police and he was later arrested and jailed for life with a minimum term of 30 years in the first conviction using DNA evidence.
Earlier this year, the Parole Board said it was satisfied Pitchfork – who became eligible for parole in 2015 – was safe for release but the decision was challenged by the Government as the justice secretary asked for the case to be looked at again on the basis that the decision to release Pitchfork was irrational.
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The Ministry of Justice said that if Pitchfork breaches any of his 36 licence conditions he will be recalled back to prison, The Mirror reports.
A spokesman said: “Our heartfelt sympathies remain with the families of Lynda Mann and Dawn Ashworth following the independent Parole Board’s decision to release Colin Pitchfork.
“Public safety is our top priority, which is why he will be subject to some of the strictest licence conditions ever set and remain under supervision for the rest of his life.
“If he breaches these conditions, he faces an immediate return to prison”
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