South Leicestershire MP Alberto Costa recently met with the Minister of State for Prisons and Probation, The Rt. Hon Damian Hinds MP, to discuss the case of the convicted child-rapist and killer Colin Pitchfork ahead of his next parole hearing scheduled for April later this year.
Alberto met with the Prisons Minister to receive his assurances that the Government will be making representations to the Parole Board for England & Wales to oppose 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.
He was due to have his next hearing in front of the Parole Board in September last year, however this was then delayed and scheduled to take place in December, before again being moved to April 2023.
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, especially after he was recalled to prison after only a matter of weeks due to serious concerns over his behaviour.
Alberto said, “I was pleased to meet with the Prisons Minister earlier this week to once again reiterate the profoundly serious concerns of my constituents ahead of the scheduled parole hearing for Colin Pitchfork. The Prisons Minister has reassured me that the Government will making the strongest possible case to the Parole Board for England & Wales to oppose Pitchfork’s release, and so I do very much hope that the Parole Board will make the right decision in keeping this dangerous offender behind bars where he belongs.”
Alberto added, “Given the Parole Board’s flawed decision to release Pitchfork in September 2021, there is an understandable degree of anxiety among my constituents, and myself personally, about the prospect of Pitchfork being released again. These feelings have not been helped by the prolonged delays in having Pitchfork’s case heard with a number of recent postponements. For the sake of my constituents and most importantly, the families of Lynda and Dawn, it is imperative that Pitchfork’s case is heard in April and the correct decision is reached in the interests of public safety to refuse his request for parole.”
