A man who raped and killed two schoolgirls can be freed, the Parole Board has ruled.
Colin Pitchfork, who was the first man convicted of murder on the basis of DNA evidence, was jailed in 1988 for life after strangling 15-year-olds Lynda Mann and Dawn Ashworth in Leicestershire in 1983 and 1986.
A document detailing the decision said: “After considering the circumstances of his offending, the progress made while in custody and the evidence presented at the hearing, the panel was satisfied that Mr Pitchfork was suitable for release.”
The Parole Board panel considered more than 1,100 pages of information, victim statements and heard evidence from Pitchfork – who is now in his 60s – as well as his probation officers, police and a psychologist.
Pitchfork was sentenced to serve a minimum of 30 years after being caught following the world’s first mass screening for DNA – where 5,000 men in three villages were asked to volunteer blood or saliva samples.
Advertisement
He pleaded guilty to two offences of murder, two of indecent assault and one of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice.
His minimum term was reduced by two years in 2009 and he was later denied parole in 2016 and 2018 before being moved to an open prison three years ago.
More from UK
According to the panel’s document, at the time of his offending, Pitchfork thought “about sex a lot”, used “excessive force” and “sex to demonstrate power and control over women”.
It goes on to state, during his time behind bars, he has taken part in several courses and his “behaviour in custody has been positive and included extensive efforts to help others”.
Pitchfork will be subject to a number of strict conditions upon his release including having to live at a certain address, take part in lie detector tests and face particular limits on contact with children.
The decision by the Parole Board is provisional for 21 days until Justice Secretary Robert Buckland decides to approve or appeal against the ruling.
Singer and actress Marianne Faithfull has died at the age of 78.
A spokesperson said: “It is with deep sadness that we announce the death of the singer, songwriter and actress Marianne Faithfull.
“Marianne passed away peacefully in London today, in the company of her loving family.
“She will be dearly missed.”
Faithfull was best known for her 60s hit As Tears Go By, written by The Rolling Stones’ Jagger and Keith Richards.
She also starred in films including The Girl on a Motorcycle and 2007’s Irina Palm, for which she was nominated for a European Film Award for Best Actress.
In recent years, she provided voice work for the 2021 remake of Dune and 2023’s Wild Summon.
More from Ents & Arts
Born in 1946, Faithfull started her singing career in 1964 after being discovered by the Stones’ manager Andrew Loog Oldham.
Her self-titled debut album was released a year later, with As Tears Go By reaching number nine on the UK singles chart.
She went on to have a string of successful singles, including Come and Stay with Me, This Little Bird, and Summer Nights, and famously dated Sir Mick from 1966 to 1970.
Faithfull was prolific throughout the 60s, releasing six albums – some only in the UK and some for the US – as well as contributing backing vocals to the Beatles’ Yellow Submarine and inspiring the Stones’ Sympathy For The Devil.
That decade also saw her star in films like 1967’s I’ll Never Forget What’s’isname – where she was one of the first people to say f*** in a mainstream studio film – 1968’s The Girl on a Motorcycle, and Tony Richardson’s 1969 adaptation of Hamlet.
Her relationship with Sir Mick was notorious, with the couple being arrested in 1968 for possession of cannabis.
She was also infamously found by police wearing only a bear skin rug when they arrived for a drugs raid at Richard’s home in 1967.
After breaking up with the Stones frontman, Faithfull spent two years homeless in Soho while suffering from anorexia and heroin addiction, before she started living in a squat.
She wrote in her 1994 autobiography: “For me, being a junkie was an admirable life. It was total anonymity, something I hadn’t known since I was 17.
“As a street addict in London, I finally found it. I had no telephone, no address.”
In 1979, following success in Ireland with the country-themed Dreamin’ My Dreams, Faithfull released the Grammy-nominated Broken English – widely considered her best album.
She later achieved critical acclaim as a jazz and blues singer with 1987’s Strange Weather and went to rehab that same decade.
Faithfull released a total of 21 solo albums throughout her career. Her most recent was the spoken word album She Walks in Beauty from 2021, which saw her work with frequent Nick Cave collaborator Warren Ellis.
She made a full recovery from breast cancer in 2006, and fell into a coma after catching COVID-19 early in 2020 before recovering.
The winner, who chose to remain anonymous, scooped the third-biggest National Lottery winner ever.
The biggest EuroMillions win by UK players was in 2022 when a single ticket-holder won £195m.
Two months before that, Joe and Jess Thwaite, from Gloucester, won a then record-breaking £184,262,899 with a Lucky Dip ticket for the draw in May 2022.
A man has been jailed after his XL bully attacked a 12-year-old girl.
Justin Allison, 38, from Ebbw Vale, was sentenced to three years in prison at Newport Crown Court on Wednesday.
The girl was seriously injured and needed hospital treatment, police said.
Allison had previously pleaded guilty to possessing a banned breed without a licence and being in charge of a dog dangerously out of control in a public place. He also admitted a charge of possessing an offensive weapon in a private place.
Officers were called to an address in Nantyglo, Blaenau Gwent, last October to reports a child had been attacked by a dog.
Gwent Police said the dog – later identified as an XL bully – was seized and humanely destroyed by a vet.
The breed was banned in England and Wales from 1 February last year, with the ban later extended to Scotland.
Detective Chief Inspector Virginia Davies said the girl was “viciously attacked” after Allison “failed to keep his dog under control”.
She said the case “should serve as a reminder to all dog owners of the importance of having your dog under control at all times”.
“We take all reports of suspected irresponsible dog ownership seriously and we urge everyone to follow the legislation and guidance to prevent events like this happening in the future,” she added.
Allison was also banned from owning dogs for 10 years.