**Colin Pitchfork Denied Release After Parole Review**

Colin Pitchfork, the notorious double child killer and rapist, will remain in prison following a recent decision by the Parole Board. The 65-year-old was sentenced to life imprisonment in 1988 for the brutal rapes and murders of 15-year-olds Lynda Mann and Dawn Ashworth in Leicestershire during the early 1980s.

The Parole Board concluded that Pitchfork poses a continued risk to the public and did not recommend his transfer to an open prison. A report from the panel stated, "The panel considered Mr. Pitchfork to only have limited internal controls and poor insight into his risky thinking and behaviour." It further noted that he had not made sufficient progress in addressing his risk factors.

Pitchfork's legal troubles have been ongoing. Earlier this year, he lost a High Court challenge regarding a previous Parole Board decision linked to an allegation of sexual assault against another inmate. His case was complicated by a legal challenge concerning the information he was allowed to access related to new allegations about his conduct in prison.

In 1988, Pitchfork became the first man in the UK to be convicted using DNA evidence. Initially sentenced to a minimum of 30 years, this was later reduced to 28 years. The Parole Board's assessment highlighted that Pitchfork had previously expressed deriving a "buzz" from sexually assaulting his victims, describing his violent outbursts as pent-up rage that "exploded."

Concerns about Pitchfork's behaviour have persisted. After his release in September 2021, he was recalled to prison two months later for breaching licence conditions by approaching a lone woman. Although a June 2023 ruling deemed his recall flawed, the then-justice secretary Alex Chalk intervened, calling for a review of the decision to release him.

The Parole Board's latest review also considered a fresh allegation regarding Pitchfork's conduct towards a younger prisoner, which it found credible. None of the professional witnesses at his parole review supported his release. The panel reviewed a comprehensive 2,000-page dossier prepared by the justice secretary, which detailed Pitchfork's past crimes, including two indecent assaults where the victims escaped with their lives.

The prosecution had described the murders of Mann and Ashworth as "sadistic attacks," and the nature of Pitchfork's crimes has left a lasting impact on the community. Victims of Pitchfork were allowed to observe the recent parole hearings, a move aimed at increasing transparency and confidence in the justice system.