A double child killer who was the first murderer to be convicted using DNA evidence can be released, the Parole Board has confirmed.
Colin Pitchfork was jailed for life for the rapes and murders of 15-year-olds Lynda Mann and Dawn Ashworth in Leicestershire in the 1980s.
On 21 November 1983, 15-year-old Lynda Mann took a shortcut on her way home from babysitting instead of taking her normal route home.
She did not return and so her parents and neighbours spent the night searching for her. The next morning, she was found raped and strangled on a deserted footpath known locally as the Black Pad.
Using forensic science techniques available at the time, police linked a semen sample taken from her body to a person with type A blood and an enzyme profile that matched only 10% of males.
On 31 July 1986, a second 15-year-old girl, Dawn Ashworth, left her home to visit a friend’s house. Her parents expected her to come home at 21.30 when she failed to do so they called the police.
Two days later, her body was found in a wooded area near a footpath called Ten Pound Lane. She had been beaten, savagely raped and strangled to death. The modus operandi matched that of the first attack, and semen samples revealed the same blood type.
On 19 September 1987, Pitchfork was arrested. During subsequent questioning, Pitchfork admitted to exposing himself to more than 1,000 women, a compulsion that began in his early teens.
He later progressed to sexual assault and then to strangling his victims in order to protect his identity. He pleaded guilty to the two rapes/murders in addition to another incident of sexual assault, and was sentenced to life imprisonment.
The Lord Chief Justice at the time of his sentencing said: “From the point of view of the safety of the public I doubt if he should ever be released.” The Secretary of State set a minimum term of 30 years; in 2009, Pitchfork’s sentence was reduced on appeal to 28 years.
The Parole Board said it was satisfied Pitchfork was suitable for release, which is subject to conditions.
