Child murderer Colin Pitchfork’s parole hearing to be held in private, leaving MP baffled

The parole hearing for convicted child rapist and murderer Colin Pitchfork will be held behind closed doors after all, an MP campaigning against his release has revealed.

Alberto Costa has also sharply criticised Caroline Corby, chairwoman of the Parole Board, for not contacting him to inform him of the abrupt change.

Pitchfork was jailed for life in 1988 for the rape and murder of 15-year-olds Lynda Mann and Dawn Ashworth in Leicestershire in 1983 and 1986, respectively - but was freed on licence in 2021.

He was recalled to jail two months later after approaching a lone woman in breach of the conditions of his release, since then the case has been the subject of complex legal wrangling.

The Parole Board ruled in June 2023 that the decision to recall him was flawed, with his ongoing incarceration deemed no longer necessary for public safety.

Alex Chalk, the former Justice Secretary and Lord Chancellor, then applied to the Parole Board asking it to reconsider its controversial June decision to release Pitchfork. The Parole Board agreed to this request and a fresh Parole hearing took place in November 2023 when it agreed with the minister that it would be irrational to release Pitchfork and his parole was denied.

But in a bizarre twist, Pitchfork himself applied to the Parole Board in December asking that it reconsider the so-called 'reconsidered decision' not to release him. The Parole Board agreed to his request, paving the way for yet another fresh hearing before a different panel.

Tory MP for South Leicestershire Mr Costa, has been closely involved in efforts to keep Pitchfork behind bars, and specifically in attempts to ensure the hearing is held in public to ensure “greater transparency”.

He told Express.co.uk: “Within a few days of the general election being called, I received a letter from Ms Corby confirming that the next parole hearing, which was scheduled for the second week of July, would be held in public so my application to the parole board was successful.

“The election was called and out of the blue, we heard that that scheduled parole hearing was postponed, because some other evidence had come to light.”

Mr Costa then wrote to the board to ask whether this postponement would compromise its adjudication on his request to hold the hearing in public, and received reassurances that it would not.

He added: “Then, also out of the blue, we were just informed the other day by way of a news statement saying that there has been new evidence in respect of his risk assessment, which has come to light as I understand during his period of recent incarceration and accordingly, the hearing will no longer be held in public."

Mr Costa, who admitted he found the latest developments “baffling”, on Thursday raised the subject in the House of Commons with the leader of the House of Commons Lucy Powell, who in turn promised to mention the matter to Justice Secretary and Lord Chancellor Shabana Mahmood.

He added: “I think what this case highlights is yet again, the public is utterly confused and perplexed why the parole board rules allow endless chopping and changing to the way in which Mr Pitchfork’s case is administered.”

To illustrate his point, Mr Costa pointed out that it had been Ms Corby herself who had initially contacted him inviting him to apply for a public hearing, in what he had taken as a strong indication that such a request would be granted - which indeed it was.

He added: “I thought it was deeply discourteous of the chairwoman not to have had the courtesy of emailing me and saying that my original application, which she had upheld and agreed to, was all of a sudden turned on its head.

“That doesn’t just show deep discourtesy, it shows very poor administration if they cannot update the principal Member of Parliament, who's been actively involved in this matter for over eight years.”

Mr Costa, a lawyer by profession, also emphasised the magnitude of what Pitchfork was originally convicted of.

He stressed: “This is somebody who's guilty of some of the worst imaginable crimes against young women whom he brutally raped and strangled.

“Let’s not forget that this man had exposed himself to over 200 women. We're dealing with somebody that really is a deeply disturbed individual.”

In response to a request for comment, the Parole Board referred Express.co.uk to a statement issued last week.

In it, a spokesperson said: “A panel of the Parole Board held a directions hearing for Colin Pitchfork on Wednesday 10 July. At that directions hearing the panel and both parties discussed how best to receive evidence in respect of fresh allegations in the case. This included the submission of new material to the panel which relates to risk.

“We regret that as a result of material changes in circumstances, there has had to be a change of decision in relation to the nature of the hearing, which will no longer be held in public. It has been caused by unforeseeable developments including fresh allegations in respect of relatively recent conduct.”

The spokesperson added: “We would like to apologise again for the increased stress that both the adjournment and the subsequent public hearing decision may have on the victims. Victim involvement is a valued part of the parole process and the victims have been invited to observe some of the private proceedings.

“Parole Board decisions are solely focused on what risk a prisoner could represent to the public if released and whether that risk is manageable in the community.

“Parole reviews are undertaken thoroughly and with extreme care. Protecting the public is our number one priority.”