South Leicestershire MP Alberto Costa has held an urgent meeting with the Secretary of State for Justice Alex Chalk KC MP to discuss the Parole Board and its handling of double child-rapist and murderer Colin Pitchfork's latest bid for freedom.
Mr Costa's urgent meeting with the Justice Secretary came just hours after he questioned the Justice Secretary in the House of Commons about the Pitchfork case calling for a meeting with the Secretary of State to discuss the Parole Board rules.
In his meeting with the Justice Secretary, Mr Costa raised Colin Pitchfork and his successful bid to have the December 2023 decision not to release him reconsidered in yet another fresh Parole Board hearing. Mr Costa expressed his concern to the Justice Secretary that Colin Pitchfork has made a successful appeal to the Parole Board arguing that it would be "irrational" not to release him.
The Parole Board’s role is to assess the risk prisoners might pose to the public and decide if they can be safely released from prison. Unlike a court of law, its processes are not usually open to the public.
Mr Costa has recently issued a survey across his South Leicestershire constituency on Parole Board reform which hundreds of residents have already responded to. Mr Costa is calling on the Government to make the Parole Board more transparent and is hoping to secure support from local residents who, he argues, have a unique perspective on the Parole Board given their proximity to Pitchfork's horrendous crimes.
Mr Costa said "I am grateful to the Secretary of State for Justice for making time to discuss the important issue of Pitchfork’s repeated attempts to seek release from prison. I informed the minister that my constituents are being consulted via a survey on vital changes that may be needed to the Parole Board to make it much more transparent and accountable to the public.”
Mr Costa added, “We cannot continue with a situation where Pitchfork has limitless opportunities to apply for reconsiderations of Parole Board decisions which do not go in his favour. This was never the intention of the Reconsideration Mechanism in the Parole Board rules. I will continue to campaign on this issue because I know it has affected so many people across South Leicestershire and the wider country.”
