South Leicestershire MP Alberto Costa has again raised his ‘profound’ concerns in the House of Commons regarding the proposed release of the convicted child-rapist and killer Colin Pitchfork.
The MP spoke in Monday’s (10th July) Ministerial Statement in the House of Commons on ‘Criminal Justice Response to Rape and Sexual Violence’ and highlighted the concerns expressed by his constituents, and many others, at the Parole Board’s decision to release Pitchfork last month.
Last week, the Secretary of State for Justice announced that the Government would challenge the Parole Board’s decision following a successful campaign by Mr Costa to oppose Pitchfork’s release.
Alberto has long campaigned against the release of Colin Pitchfork, who raped and murdered two teenage girls, Lynda Mann and Dawn Ashworth, in his constituency in 1983 and 1986 respectively. The MP has been highly critical of the Parole Board’s actions in directing Pitchfork for release in September 2021, before he was then recalled to prison a matter of weeks later due to concerns over his behaviour.
Alberto met with the Secretary of State for Justice in March earlier this year, following his question to the Prime Minister in the House of Commons, in which the MP raised serious concerns about the prospect of the Parole Board granting Pitchfork’s release.
Pitchfork, who was sentenced to life imprisonment in 1988, was previously released by the Parole Board in September 2021 before being recalled to prison two months later for breaching his licence conditions.
Alberto said, “I was pleased to raise the profound concerns of my constituents once again in the House of Commons regarding the Parole Board’s unthinkable decision to provisionally release the child-killer Colin Pitchfork. The Government have acted swiftly and rightly in challenging the Parole Board’s actions, and I now sincerely hope that their decision will be reversed once it is properly reviewed in the coming weeks.
I should like to reassure my constituents, the families of Lynda and Dawn and many others across the country that I will continue to campaign against Pitchfork’s release, and I will continue to exert as much pressure as possible in Parliament to try and ensure that Pitchfork remains in prison where he belongs.”
