34 Facts About Colin Pitchfork

Colin Pitchfork was arrested on 19 September 1987 and sentenced to life imprisonment on 22 January 1988 after pleading guilty to both murders.

Colin Pitchfork was granted parole in June 2021 and released on licence on 1 September that year.

Colin Pitchfork lived at 6 Brascote Lane in Newbold Verdon, attending school in Market Bosworth and Bosworth College in Desford.

Colin Pitchfork was in the 1st Newbold Verdon Scout Group, gaining the Chief Scout's Award in September 1976.

Colin Pitchfork was one of four scouts chosen in Leicestershire to go to the 14th World Scout Jamboree in Norway in August 1975, amongst 1,600 scouts from the UK.

Colin Pitchfork married a social worker in 1981 and moved to the Leicestershire village of Littlethorpe.

Colin Pitchfork had obtained work in Hampshire's Bakery in Leicester, in 1976, as an apprentice.

Colin Pitchfork continued to work there until his arrest for the murders.

Colin Pitchfork became particularly skilled as a sculptor of cake decorations and had hoped, eventually, to start his own cake decorating business.

Colin Pitchfork did not return and her parents and neighbours spent the night searching for her.

Colin Pitchfork's parents expected her to return at 9:30 pm; when she failed to do so they called police to report her missing.

Colin Pitchfork had told Kelly that he wanted to avoid being harassed by police because of his prior convictions for indecent exposure.

On Saturday, 19 September 1987, Colin Pitchfork was arrested at 32 Haybarn Close, in Littlethorpe, by Detective Inspector Mick Thomas.

Colin Pitchfork's wife tried to attack him, when he told her that he had killed two girls.

Colin Pitchfork said this was in order to protect his identity.

Colin Pitchfork's advocates presented evidence of his improved character, noting that Colin Pitchfork had furthered his education to degree level and had become expert at the transcription of printed music into braille, for the benefit of blind people.

In June 2016, Michael Gove, then Justice Secretary, agreed with the board's recommendation, and at some point prior to 8 January 2017, Colin Pitchfork was moved to an undisclosed open prison.

In November 2017, Colin Pitchfork was seen walking around Bristol, so it was assumed that he had been moved to HM Prison Leyhill in Gloucestershire.

On 3 May 2018, Colin Pitchfork was refused release on licence.

The Parole Board said Colin Pitchfork would be eligible for a further review within two years.

In 2017, it emerged Colin Pitchfork would be released from open prison on unsupervised days out.

On 7 June 2021, Colin Pitchfork was granted release on conditional licence.

The Secretary of State for Justice, Robert Buckland, applied for a review of the decision under the terms of the Parole Board Reconsideration Mechanism, introduced in 2019, and Colin Pitchfork remained in custody pending the outcome.

In November 2021, Colin Pitchfork was recalled to prison for breaching his licence conditions by "approaching young women" while on walks from his bail hostel.

David Baker, a former police detective who helped capture Colin Pitchfork, believes Colin Pitchfork could deceive the Parole Board and pretend it was safe to release him.

Baker maintains Colin Pitchfork is a psychopath and it will never be safe to release him.

The Parole Board's hearing to consider releasing Colin Pitchfork again was postponed to 2023.

In July 2023, the Lord Chancellor intervened and ordered that the board reconsider their decision after a huge public outcry, particularly since Colin Pitchfork breached his licence conditions within weeks of his initial release.

In December 2023, parole was denied, meaning that Colin Pitchfork would remain in prison.

Colin Pitchfork challenged the Parole Board's decision on procedural grounds, and in February 2024 the Board agreed to schedule another hearing before a different panel to consider his potential release.

On 16 May 2024, the Parole Board Chair, Caroline Corby, reversed an earlier decision that Colin Pitchfork's parole hearing should be held behind closed doors; the next hearing was broadcast due to public interest.

Colin Pitchfork's crimes were originally chronicled in the 1989 book The Blooding by Joseph Wambaugh.

Colin Pitchfork's crimes were aired on the American true crime series Forensic Files in October 1996.

Colin Pitchfork's crimes are the focus of an episode of the Sky series How I Caught the Killer.