Latest news with #ColinPitchfork
The Irish Sun
29-07-2025
- The Irish Sun
Who is Colin Pitchfork and where is he now? A look at Lynda Mann & Dawn Ashworth's murderer
FOLLOWING the confession of a local youth, Leicestershire detectives believed they had found the killer of Lynda Mann and Dawn Ashworth. But investigators utilised the then brand-new technology of genetic fingerprinting to avoid convicting the wrong man, leading them to the real monster — here's everything you need to know about Colin Pitchfork. Advertisement 3 Colin Pitchfork was jailed in 1988 for the rape and murder of two teens Credit: Rex Who is Colin Pitchfork? Colin Pitchfork was jailed for life in 1988 for raping and murdering teens Lynda Mann and Dawn Ashworth in Leicestershire. He was the first person in the world to be arrested and convicted using DNA evidence. Pitchfork grew up in Newbold Verdon, Leicestershire, before moving to Littlethorpe when he got married. He worked there as an apprentice baker and had two sons with his wife. Advertisement Pitchfork famously left one son sleeping in the back of his car while he raped and murdered his first victim, Lynda, before driving home and putting the baby to bed. Prior to marrying his wife, Pitchfork had been convicted of indecent exposure and had been referred for therapy at a local hospital. Who were Colin Pitchfork's victims? Lynda Mann and Dawn Ashworth were killed by Pitchfork. Both young women were just 15 years old when they were murdered. Advertisement On November 21, 1983, Lynda was taking a shortcut on her way home from babysitting in her village of Narborough when she disappeared. Her parents spent the evening looking for her but the next morning her body was found dumped on a local footpath, having been strangled. Lynda had also been raped. It wasn't until Dawn's body was found in similar circumstances in July 1986 that the police had any leads or evidence. Advertisement She had left a friend's house in Narborough but vanished on the short walk to her home in the neighbouring village of Enderby. Her body was found in the corner of a field hidden under branches and showed signs of a terrible struggle before she was killed. Cops arrested Richard Buckland, a local 17-year-old with learning difficulties who knew Dawn, shortly after her body was found. However, DNA evidence proved Buckland was innocent and eventually led to Pitchfork's arrest. Advertisement Pitchfork pleaded guilty to the rape and murder of both teens and was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 30 years in 1988. 3 Dawn Ashworth was killed by Pitchfork in 1986 In 2009, his sentence was reduced, on appeal, to 28 years. What happened when Colin Pitchfork was on day release in 2017? On November 13, 2017, The Sun reported that Pitchfork had been allowed out to roam Bristol city centre alone for six hours. Advertisement Pitchfork, who changed his name to Thorpe, went to a job centre and visited three banks, as well as eating a pulled pork sandwich and reading Great British Bake Off books. He was later returned by staff to HMP Leyhill, an open prison in Gloucestershire. What art has the killer exhibited? In April 2009, Pitchfork sparked public outrage when he exhibited a sculpture at the Royal Festival Hall. The design, titled Bringing Music To Life, was created from inside HMP Frankland, County Durham and was described as being made "in meticulous miniature detail by folding, cutting and tearing the score of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony". Advertisement The work was removed from display when the family of Pitchfork's victims expressed their distress. 3 Lynda Man was murdered by Pitchfork in 1983 When was Colin Pitchfork released from prison? After being denied parole on two occasions in 2016 and in 2018, the Parole Board deemed in June 2021 that Pitchfork was He was released in July 2021, but was back in jail two months later after breaching the licence conditions of his release. Advertisement It was revealed that he had "sidled up" to young women while out on long walks and was arrested Where is Colin Pitchfork now? In June 2023 However, his parole was ultimately denied following a review following intervention from the Lord Chancellor. Due to concerns about the risk he poses, the Parole Board determined he should remain in a closed prison, rather than being transferred to an open prison or released. Child Snatcher 3: Who Took Lynda & Dawn? Featuring firsthand testimonies from the families and officers involved in the case, a new C5 documentary shows how DNA evidence not only proved the initial suspect's innocence, saving him from a life sentence, but also provided a genetic blueprint of the true killer, Colin Pitchfork. With archive footage of the world's first DNA-based manhunt, the show highlights how science shattered a deadlocked case and finally brought justice to a community torn apart by fear. Child Snatcher 3: Who Took Lynda & Dawn? is scheduled to air at 9pm on Channel 5 on Thursday, July 31, 2025.
Scottish Sun
29-07-2025
- Scottish Sun
Who is Colin Pitchfork and where is he now? A look at Lynda Mann & Dawn Ashworth's murderer
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) FOLLOWING the confession of a local youth, Leicestershire detectives believed they had found the killer of Lynda Mann and Dawn Ashworth. But investigators utilised the then brand-new technology of genetic fingerprinting to avoid convicting the wrong man, leading them to the real monster — here's everything you need to know about Colin Pitchfork. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 3 Colin Pitchfork was jailed in 1988 for the rape and murder of two teens Credit: Rex Who is Colin Pitchfork? Colin Pitchfork was jailed for life in 1988 for raping and murdering teens Lynda Mann and Dawn Ashworth in Leicestershire. He was the first person in the world to be arrested and convicted using DNA evidence. Pitchfork grew up in Newbold Verdon, Leicestershire, before moving to Littlethorpe when he got married. He worked there as an apprentice baker and had two sons with his wife. Pitchfork famously left one son sleeping in the back of his car while he raped and murdered his first victim, Lynda, before driving home and putting the baby to bed. Prior to marrying his wife, Pitchfork had been convicted of indecent exposure and had been referred for therapy at a local hospital. Who were Colin Pitchfork's victims? Lynda Mann and Dawn Ashworth were killed by Pitchfork. Both young women were just 15 years old when they were murdered. On November 21, 1983, Lynda was taking a shortcut on her way home from babysitting in her village of Narborough when she disappeared. Her parents spent the evening looking for her but the next morning her body was found dumped on a local footpath, having been strangled. Lynda had also been raped. It wasn't until Dawn's body was found in similar circumstances in July 1986 that the police had any leads or evidence. She had left a friend's house in Narborough but vanished on the short walk to her home in the neighbouring village of Enderby. Her body was found in the corner of a field hidden under branches and showed signs of a terrible struggle before she was killed. Cops arrested Richard Buckland, a local 17-year-old with learning difficulties who knew Dawn, shortly after her body was found. However, DNA evidence proved Buckland was innocent and eventually led to Pitchfork's arrest. Pitchfork pleaded guilty to the rape and murder of both teens and was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 30 years in 1988. 3 Dawn Ashworth was killed by Pitchfork in 1986 In 2009, his sentence was reduced, on appeal, to 28 years. What happened when Colin Pitchfork was on day release in 2017? On November 13, 2017, The Sun reported that Pitchfork had been allowed out to roam Bristol city centre alone for six hours. Pitchfork, who changed his name to Thorpe, went to a job centre and visited three banks, as well as eating a pulled pork sandwich and reading Great British Bake Off books. He was later returned by staff to HMP Leyhill, an open prison in Gloucestershire. What art has the killer exhibited? In April 2009, Pitchfork sparked public outrage when he exhibited a sculpture at the Royal Festival Hall. The design, titled Bringing Music To Life, was created from inside HMP Frankland, County Durham and was described as being made "in meticulous miniature detail by folding, cutting and tearing the score of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony". The work was removed from display when the family of Pitchfork's victims expressed their distress. 3 Lynda Man was murdered by Pitchfork in 1983 When was Colin Pitchfork released from prison? After being denied parole on two occasions in 2016 and in 2018, the Parole Board deemed in June 2021 that Pitchfork was no longer a danger to the public. He was released in July 2021, but was back in jail two months later after breaching the licence conditions of his release. It was revealed that he had "sidled up" to young women while out on long walks and was arrested over "concerning behaviours" after being freed. Where is Colin Pitchfork now? In June 2023 Pitchfork was ruled safe for release — less than two years after he was thrown back in jail.
Daily Mail
22-07-2025
- Daily Mail
Colin Pitchfork could be back on the streets by Christmas as child killer makes a new bid for freedom
Double child killer Colin Pitchfork could be back on the streets by Christmas as he is set to make his latest bid for freedom. Pitchfork was jailed for life in 1988 after raping and strangling two 15-year-olds, Lynda Mann and Dawn Ashworth, in Leicestershire in 1983 and 1986. Then aged 27, 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. Pitchfork, now 64, was initially released from prison in September 2021, but was back behind bars two months later after breaching his licence conditions when he approached a lone woman while litter-picking. He is now set to tell a Parole Board panel of experts that he is no longer a risk to the public when he pleads his case in October, The Mirror reported. If successful, the convicted killer could be freed within a matter of weeks. His upcoming hearing was delayed from last year and will be held at a date in October. Pitchfork previously lost a High Court bid to challenge Parole Board decisions over an allegation that he sexually assaulted another prisoner. Barbara Ashworth, 79, mother of his victim Dawn said she would not be attending this latest hearing. She said: 'I've always attended parole hearings but I can't do it this time. I've spent too long getting angry about Pitchfork. I can't keep living with it. 'It was Dawn's birthday at the end of June and it's nearly the anniversary of her death on July 31. I can't tell you how difficult it is to deal with. But I'll say what I always say: he should die in prison, they need to throw away the key. He's a danger to the public, he always will be.' The latest hearing, due to take place in private, is expected to last three days. In June last year, the Parole Board found the decision to recall Pitchfork to prison was flawed and said his detention was no longer necessary for public safety. But this ruling was blocked by then-justice secretary Alex Chalk as he called for the decision to release Pitchfork to be reviewed. Although Pitchfork lost his latest bid for freedom in December, earlier this year he successfully challenged the ruling to keep him behind bars. It means this upcoming parole hearing, which was originally due to be held in public, will decide if he can be freed from jail. Parole Board hearings are typically conducted behind closed doors but can, in certain circumstances, take place in public following changes in the law in a bid to remove the secrecy behind the process. According to a document outlining the decision to have Pitchfork's case heard in public, the Parole Board said he had changed his name by deed poll a number of times since his conviction due to an apparent 'desire to protect his identity given the public reaction to his offences and his potential release'. The name he is currently using has not been disclosed. Pitchfork's first application for parole was rejected after it emerged that he had been loitering in forests and parks, even approaching lone women during his spell of freedom. He had been released under ultra-strict licence conditions in June 2021 before being recalled to prison just three months later in September that year. The killer became eligible for release again in June 2023 but the decision was blocked by the government after pressure from MP Alberto Costa, who represents South Leicestershire where the vile crimes were committed. The double child-rapist and murderer successfully appealed the December 2023 decision to keep him behind bars triggering a fresh parole hearing this summer. Mr Costa previously wrote to Parole Board chair Caroline Corby calling for the hearing to be held in public due to his concerns about how the Parole Board has handled Pitchfork's case. During the Parole Board hearing last year, in which Pitchfork's bid for release was rejected, previously unknown details about why he had been recalled to prison came to light. After his release in a town on England's south coast, on one occasion the monster was spotted by his parole officer approaching a lone female - a direct contravention of his licence term - in the car park directly outside his parole office. On a different occasion Pitchfork shouted at a parole officer after trying to cheat a polygraph test by controlling his breathing. During the December hearing the Parole Board was told that prior to Pitchfork's arrest in 1987 he held 'deviant fantasies', felt entitled to sex where and when he wanted, and enjoyed sexual violence against women. The board's decision to deny his release was because of a lack of information about Pitchfork's current attitudes towards sex and 'protracted and inconsistent explanations from the killer as to why he was recalled to prison'. Pitchfork killed Lynda in Narborough, Leicestershire, in November 1983, and Dawn in the nearby village of Enderby in July 1986. Lynda was brutally murdered as she made her way home from babysitting in Narborough. Dawn disappeared three years later while on a short walk to her home in Enderby. Her body was discovered dumped in the corner of a field hidden under branches. Pitchfork was arrested on September 19 1987 and sentenced to life imprisonment the following January after pleading guilty to both murders, with the judge giving him a 30-year minimum term, later reduced to 28 years on appeal. He was also convicted of having sexually assaulted two more girls, including a 16-year-old who he threatened with a screwdriver and a knife. The Parole Board has been contacted for comment.
