Killer loses court bid over alleged sex assault

Double child killer Colin Pitchfork has lost a High Court bid to challenge Parole Board decisions over an allegation that he "sexually assaulted another prisoner".

Pitchfork was jailed for life in 1988 after raping and strangling 15-year-olds Lynda Mann and Dawn Ashworth in Leicestershire in 1983 and 1986.

After being released and then recalled in 2021, the 64-year-old was again granted parole in June, but this decision was challenged by ministers.

He is currently awaiting a new hearing - due to take place in March - to decide whether he can be released again.

In a High Court hearing on Tuesday, Mr Justice Chamberlain said the allegations concern a claim that Pitchfork "sexually assaulted another prisoner by putting his hand on the complainant's upper thigh through clothing".

A parole hearing was due in 2024 but it was postponed after Pitchfork launched a legal challenge over the extent of material he had been allowed to see following the sexual assault allegation, which first came to light in July 2024.

The court was told that Pitchfork sought to challenge two decisions barring him from seeing police body-worn footage of an interview with the alleged victim.

However, Mr Justice Chamberlain ruled that Pitchfork did not have an "arguable" case.

He also rejected a bid by the killer's barristers for the hearing to be held in private.

The judge said: "There is simply no arguable basis at this stage for the contention that the claimant's rights have been infringed."

He added that, while it was "unfortunate" the next hearing concerning Pitchfork's potential release will be the third since 2021, the Parole Board's decisions "cannot at this stage be shown to be unlawful".

Rather than being shown the interview with his accuser, Pitchfork was instead allowed to see a redacted transcript of the footage and a police report.

Paul Harris, representing Pitchfork, claimed the decisions were "procedurally unfair" and his client would be placed at a "critical disadvantage in relation to a serious matter".

Mr Harris said: "We are dealing with an absolutely critical stage in this man's progress and in this situation, and we are dealing with the possibility that even a few words can make a difference.

"It can be one word or one phrase that actually turns this case around."

He added: "The argument for withholding the material is weak."

Mr Harris said Pitchfork "did terrible things very many years ago" but has since made "exceptional progress in prison" and "has had no adverse reports about him in prison for 20 years".

Iain Steele, representing the Parole Board, said Pitchfork's lawyers could see the footage if they gave assurances they would not disclose the footage to him, which they chose not to give.

In written submissions to the court, Mr Steele said Pitchfork will "be entitled to test any evidence" at the upcoming hearing concerning whether he should be released.

Pitchfork's lawyers asked for Tuesday's hearing to be heard in private but the judge rejected the application.

The court also heard Pitchfork now goes by a new name and the judge made a temporary order saying his new identity should not be revealed.

Mr Justice Chamberlain said the reporting of the killer's new identity "may give rise to real danger to the claimant should he be released on licence in the future".

However, he said the order may be challenged by the media in the future and that Pitchfork's lawyers had 28 days to apply for the reporting restriction to be made permanent.

Pitchfork was 27 when he became the first man to be convicted in the UK using DNA profiling and was handed a minimum jail term of 30 years, later reduced to 28 years.

After his release and recall, the Parole Board found, in June 2023, that the decision to recall him to prison was flawed and that his detention was no longer necessary for public safety.

However, the ruling was blocked by then-justice secretary Alex Chalk who called for the decision to release Pitchfork to be reviewed, keeping him behind bars.

Pitchfork was granted another hearing to consider his release, which was scheduled for July 2024 but was then postponed following the sexual assault allegation.

The police decided against taking further action against Pitchfork over the allegation, because his alleged victim did not support it.

The latest hearing, due to take place in private, was rearranged for October and November last year but was again postponed due to Pitchfork taking legal action in the High Court.

A three-day hearing is now expected to take place later this year, beginning on 28 March.

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