SUSANNA Reid got emotional today as she discussed the upcoming release of double child killer Colin Pitchfork.
Sex-obsessed Pitchfork was caged for life in 1988 for the rape and murder of 15-year-old schoolgirls Lynda Mann and Dawn Ashworth in Leicestershire.
But the Parole Board has deemed the 61-year-old – the first murderer to be convicted using DNA evidence – is no longer a danger to the public after being turned down for release on two previous occasions.
During a debate on Good Morning Britain, Susanna said: "It's an eternal punishment [for the victims' families]. I can't imagine.
"We have the honour of sharing those stories in broadcasting and listening to those stories is immensely distressing.
Meanwhile the mother of Dawn Ashworth has said Pitchfork "will always present a danger".
And the sister of his first victim, Lynda Mann, said the only sentence Pitchfork should have received was “a bullet to the head”.
Read our Colin Pitchfork live blog for the latest news & updates…
- Joseph Gamp
DOUBLE KILLER
Pitchfork, who now calls himself David Thorpe after ditching his notorious name, raped and strangled Lynda, 15, in November 1983.
The teenager had left her home to visit a friend – but never returned.
Her body was found the next morning on a deserted footpath.
Three years later, Pitchfork, who worked as a baker, struck again – killing and raping Dawn, also 15, in almost identical circumstances.Her body was found less than a mile from where Lynda had been attacked.
After Dawn’s killing, Leicestershire Police launched the largest manhunt in its history, asking more than 5,000 local men to volunteer blood or saliva samples in a bid to match samples taken from the crime scenes.
- Joseph Gamp
LOCAL MP TO RAISE CONCERNS WITH PAROLE BOARD AND JUSTICE SECRETARY
Local MP Alberto Costa said he had met the chief executive of the Parole Board for England and Wales Martin Jones to discuss the case.
Following the meeting, Mr Costa announced he would write to the Secretary of State for Justice, Robert Buckland MP, to ensure both he and the Parole Board were aware of local concerns about the case.
- Joseph Gamp
FAMILY FURY (CONTINUED….)
“I wouldn’t put it past him to have duped the authorities into believing he was reformed and rehabilitated now. He will always be a danger.”
She added: "This news is so upsetting. There are still 15-year-old girls wandering around and this man could still have 20 years of his life to abuse them.
"He can’t hurt me any more than he has done – Pitchfork ripped my family and I apart – but he can hurt other young girls. I can’t understand how he has suddenly been judged fit for release when he was turned down before."
Dawn’s uncle Philip Musson, 67, from Newark, Nottinghamshire, added: "We are totally opposed to the notion of killers – let alone child killers – having parole. A life sentence ought to mean life because a life is something that wasn’t afforded to Dawn as a result of the actions of this man."
Pitchfork will have 35 conditions attached to his release – which include electronic tagging, lie detector tests and he must provide details of any vehicle he owns.
- Joseph Gamp
FAMILY FURY
Lynda Mann's sister told The Sun last night: “He should not be getting out. But what more is there to say? They are going to let him out.
“They would not let a serial killer out but they are letting him out. They say he has done his time, that he has rights and all that malarkey so free he goes.”
Sue blazed: “What he wants is a bullet to the head. But that’s not going to happen so there is nothing we can do about it.”
She said the decision had raked up painful memories for the family, adding: “We have been fighting it for years – but there you go.”
Barbara Ashworth, 75, whose daughter Dawn was strangled to death in 1986, told the Mail: “This is a man who has displayed psychopathic tendencies – a man who thought he was clever enough to outwit police at the time of the murders by dodging the mass blood testing exercise. He nearly succeeded.
- Joseph Gamp
DAWN ASHWORTH'S MOTHER SAYS PITCHFORK 'WILL ALWAYS BE A PRESENT DANGER'
The Parole Board has deemed that the 61-year-old – the first murderer to be convicted using DNA evidence – was no longer a danger to the public after being turned down for release on two previous occasions.
The mother of Dawn Ashworth has said Pitchfork "will always present a danger".
And the sister of his first victim, Lynda Mann, said the only sentence Pitchfork should have received was “a bullet to the head”.
Sue Gratrick, who’s sister Lynda Mann, said the Parole Board’s decision was putting the family through hell.
Sue has since moved to a seaside town more than 100 miles away from the scene of her sister’s murder.
- Joseph Gamp
COLIN PITCHFORK 'DESERVES A BULLET TO THE HEAD' SAYS VICTIM FAMILIES
FURIOUS relatives of two 15-year-old schoolgirls who were murdered by a notorious paedophile have voiced their anger at the decision to set him free – saying "deserves a bullet to the head".
Sex-obsessed Colin Pitchfork was caged for life in 1988 for the rape and murder of teenage schoolgirls Lynda Mann and Dawn Ashworth in Leicestershire.
Read more here.
- Joseph Gamp
JUSTICE SECRETARY URGED TO INTERVENE OVER PITCHFORK’S RELEASE
The Justice Secretary has been urged to intervene after a Parole Board approved the release of the notorious double child killer Colin Pitchfork.
Tory MP Alberto Costa said he had asked Justice Secretary Robert Buckland to intervene in the case.
It comes after the Justice Secretary was granted the power to ask the Parole Board to reconsider their decisions if they were thought to be “irrational” or “procedurally unfair”.
A source close to the Justice Secretary told the Telegraph that the Government would take legal advice to explore whether the use of the new late would be appropriate.
- Niamh Cavanagh
WHEN COULD PITCHFORK BE RELEASED FROM PRISON?
Pitchfork had pleaded guilty to the rape and murder of the two teens and was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 30 years. This was reduced on appeal to 28 years in 2009.
Local MP Alberto Costa said he had met the chief executive of the Parole Board for England and Wales Martin Jones to discuss the case.
Following the meeting, Mr Costa announced he would write to the Secretary of State for Justice, Robert Buckland MP, to ensure both he and the Parole Board were aware of local concerns about the case.
Mr Costa said: "Colin Pitchfork’s heinous crimes quite understandably live long in the memory of many of my constituents and his case is still of considerable concern to residents in South Leicestershire.
“In light of his recent referral for a parole review, I was very pleased to meet with the chief executive of the Parole Board and to gain a better understanding of Pitchfork’s case in order to inform the next steps I will be taking on this matter.
"The safety and wellbeing of my constituents is, of course, paramount importance, so I want to ensure that the Parole Board are fully aware of Pitchfork’s crimes and his character before any decisions are made.”
- Niamh Cavanagh
WHAT ART HAS PITCHFORK EXHIBITED?
The double-murderer exhibited a sculpture at the Royal Festival Hall in April 2009 — sparking public outrage.
He had created the design, titled Bringing Music To Life, from inside HMP Frankland, County Durham.
It was described as being made "in meticulous miniature detail by folding, cutting and tearing the score of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony".
Sick Pitchfork had written alongside the piece: "Without this opportunity to show our art, many of us would have no incentive, we would stay locked in ourselves as much as the walls that hold us.”
Distress from the family of his victims led to the work being removed from display.
- Niamh Cavanagh
WHAT HAPPENED WHEN PITCHFORK WAS ON DAY RELEASE IN 2017?
On November 13, 2017, we reported how Pitchfork was allowed out to roam Bristol city centre alone for six hours.
He was seen eating a pulled pork sandwich and giggled as he pored over Great British Bake Off books.
Pitchfork, who has changed his name to Thorpe, also went to a job centre and visited three banks.
He was returned by staff to HMP Leyhill, an open prison in Gloucestershire.
- Niamh Cavanagh
JUSTICE SECRETARY URGED TO INTERVENE OVER PITCHFORK'S RELEASE
The Justice Secretary has been urged to intervene after a Parole Board approved the release of the notorious double child killer Colin Pitchfork.
Tory MP Alberto Costa said he had asked Justice Secretary Robert Buckland to intervene in the case.
It comes after the Justice Secretary was granted the power to ask the Parole Board to reconsider their decisions if they were thought to be "irrational" or"procedurally unfair".
A source close to the Justice Secretary told the Telegraph that the Government would take legal advice to explore whether the use of the new late would be appropriate.
- Niamh Cavanagh
WHAT HAPPENED TO DAWN ASHWORTH AND LYNDA MANN?
The two girls were pounced upon by Colin Pitchfork, a baker and convicted sex offender who was in his 20s when he murdered them.
Both girls were raped and strangled.
Given the similarities of the attack and location, police linked them.
Yet there were not enough leads or evidence to connect anybody to the murder and the case was not immediately solved.
- Niamh Cavanagh
HOW PITCHFORK WAS THE FIRST MURDERER TO BE SNARED BY DNA
When the body of 15-year-old Dawn Ashworth was found in a Leicestershire field, cops immediately knew they were dealing with a serial killer.
Another schoolgirl of the same age, Lynda Mann, had been raped and strangled to death with her own scarf three years earlier close to where Dawn's body was found – now the girls' killer can go free.
Colin Pitchfork, 61, was in 1988 sentenced to life in prison for his horrific crimes – he was the first murderer to be convicted using DNA evidence.
Now the Parole Board has ruled he can be released, believing he is no longer a danger to the public after he was turned down for release on two previous occasions.
More on the story here.
- Niamh Cavanagh
WHEN COULD PITCHFORK BE RELEASED FROM PRISON?
Pitchfork had pleaded guilty to the rape and murder of the two teens and was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 30 years. This was reduced on appeal to 28 years in 2009.
Local MP Alberto Costa said he had met the chief executive of the Parole Board for England and Wales Martin Jones to discuss the case.
Following the meeting, Mr Costa announced he would write to the Secretary of State for Justice, Robert Buckland MP, to ensure both he and the Parole Board were aware of local concerns about the case.
Mr Costa said: "Colin Pitchfork’s heinous crimes quite understandably live long in the memory of many of my constituents and his case is still of considerable concern to residents in South Leicestershire.
“In light of his recent referral for a parole review, I was very pleased to meet with the chief executive of the Parole Board and to gain a better understanding of Pitchfork’s case in order to inform the next steps I will be taking on this matter.
"The safety and wellbeing of my constituents is, of course, paramount importance, so I want to ensure that the Parole Board are fully aware of Pitchfork’s crimes and his character before any decisions are made.”
- Niamh Cavanagh
WHAT ART HAS PITCHFORK EXHIBITED?
The double-murderer exhibited a sculpture at the Royal Festival Hall in April 2009 — sparking public outrage.
He had created the design, titled Bringing Music To Life, from inside HMP Frankland, County Durham.
It was described as being made "in meticulous miniature detail by folding, cutting and tearing the score of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony".
Sick Pitchfork had written alongside the piece: "Without this opportunity to show our art, many of us would have no incentive, we would stay locked in ourselves as much as the walls that hold us.”
Distress from the family of his victims led to the work being removed from display.
- Niamh Cavanagh
WHAT HAPPENED WHEN PITCHFORK WAS ON DAY RELEASE IN 2017?
On November 13, 2017, we reported how Pitchfork was allowed out to roam Bristol city centre alone for six hours.
He was seen eating a pulled pork sandwich and giggled as he pored over Great British Bake Off books.
Pitchfork, who has changed his name to Thorpe, also went to a job centre and visited three banks.
He was returned by staff to HMP Leyhill, an open prison in Gloucestershire.
- Niamh Cavanagh
JUSTICE SECRETARY URGED TO INTERVENE OVER PITCHFORK'S RELEASE
The Justice Secretary has been urged to intervene after a Parole Board approved the release of the notorious double child killer Colin Pitchfork.
Tory MP Alberto Costa said he had asked Justice Secretary Robert Buckland to intervene in the case.
It comes after the Justice Secretary was granted the power to ask the Parole Board to reconsider their decisions if they were thought to be "irrational" or"procedurally unfair".
A source close to the Justice Secretary told the Telegraph that the Government would take legal advice to explore whether the use of the new late would be appropriate.
- Niamh Cavanagh
WHAT HAPPENED TO DAWN ASHWORTH AND LYNDA MANN?
The two girls were pounced upon by Colin Pitchfork, a baker and convicted sex offender who was in his 20s when he murdered them.
Both girls were raped and strangled.
Given the similarities of the attack and location, police linked them.
Yet there were not enough leads or evidence to connect anybody to the murder and the case was not immediately solved.
- Niamh Cavanagh
HOW PITCHFORK WAS THE FIRST MURDERER TO BE SNARED BY DNA
When the body of 15-year-old Dawn Ashworth was found in a Leicestershire field, cops immediately knew they were dealing with a serial killer.
Another schoolgirl of the same age, Lynda Mann, had been raped and strangled to death with her own scarf three years earlier close to where Dawn's body was found – now the girls' killer can go free.
Colin Pitchfork, 61, was in 1988 sentenced to life in prison for his horrific crimes – he was the first murderer to be convicted using DNA evidence.
Now the Parole Board has ruled he can be released, believing he is no longer a danger to the public after he was turned down for release on two previous occasions.
More on the story here.
- Joseph Gamp
GOVERNMENT WILL SEEK LEGAL ADVICE – REPORTS
It is understood the Government will seek legal advice over the decision.
- Joseph Gamp
RELEASE OF PITCHFORK STILL NEEDS APPROVAL FROM JUSTICE SECRETARY
The decision is provisional for 21 days,
Pitchfork’s release is subject to the approval of the Justice Secretary who has the power to appeal against the decision.
- Joseph Gamp
EXPLAINED: HOW WAS COLIN PITCHFORK CAUGHT?
Colin Pitchfork was arrested and jailed in 1988 for the murders.
It was a revolutionary case because he was the first criminal to be trapped by DNA profiling.
He was one of the thousands of local men who gave blood samples that were compared with material found on the girls’ bodies.
The profiling technology had first been pioneered by Sir Alec Jeffreys at the University of Leicester and since Pitchfork’s conviction, changed how police investigations in the future were carried out.
- Joseph Gamp
WHEN WERE THE SCHOOLGIRLS MURDERED?
On November 23, 1983, 15-year-old Lynda Mann took a shortcut on her way home from babysitting.
But she did not return home and her parents and neighbours spent the night searching for her. The next morning, she was found dead.
She had been raped and strangled on a deserted footpath known locally as the Black Pad. Then, three years later, on July 31 1986, a second 15-year-old girl, Dawn Ashworth, vanished after leaving her home to visit a friend's house.
Two days later, her dead body was found in a wooded area near a footpath called Ten Pound Lane.
She had been savagely beaten, brutally raped and strangled. The semen samples also revealed the same blood type.
- Joseph Gamp
COLIN PITCHFORK MUGSHOT FROM THE 1980s
Colin Pitchfork was caged for life in 1988 for the rape and murder of teenage schoolgirls Lynda Mann and Dawn Ashworth in Leicestershire
- Joseph Gamp
COLIN PITCHFORK CAN BE RELEASED FROM PRISON SAYS PAROLE BOARD
A DOUBLE child killer who raped and murdered two 15-year-old girls can be released, the Parole Board has ruled.
Sex-obsessed Colin Pitchfork was caged for life in 1988 for the rape and murder of teenage schoolgirls Lynda Mann and Dawn Ashworth in Leicestershire.
Read more here.
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