Lynda Mann was raped and then strangled to death in Narborough a little village a few miles from Leicester city center. In 1986 the same fate happenend to another 15 year old girl Dawn Ashworth. Both girls where the same age at the time of their deaths and of a similar appearance.
Lynda was on her way to a friends house when she learned her friend was ill turned around to go to another friends house. She took a shortcut known locally as the black pad which is a path that run along side a mental hospital.
There was a wide search for Lynda’s killer which proved to be fruitless. In 1986 Dawn Ashworth was raped and strangled to death in exactly the same way in broad daylight in the next village to where Lynda was murdered. The police knew then they were searching for a serial killer.
At the time Leicester university where making a breakthrough with pioneering new advances in a new technique for catching criminals. What they developed at the time we now regard everyday as DNA evidence.
The police then decided and being unsure took a risk using this new technique. They asked all local men to volunterily give a sample of their blood so they could be eliminated from their enquiries. This was and is still to date Leicestershire’s biggest ever manhunt.
At the time a local man by the name of Colin Pitchfork who was a baker was confiding with one of his colleagues that he was scared to take the test as he had previously been convicted of flashing and in his words “was scared they would pin it on him”. Pitchfork convinced his colleague to attend the appoinment for Pitchfork and forged a passport with Pitchforks details on and his colleagues photograph. It was’nt untill a while after at a work doo in a pub that this man let slip as to what Pitchfork asked him to do. Subsequently someone went to the police and Pitchfork was arrested and charged with the murders. Colin Pitchfork became the first person in the world to be convicted using DNA evidence.
He was sentenced in 1988 to two terms of life with no chance of parole till at least 20 years. Equating to just 10 years for each girl. He appealed his sentance which was upped to at least 25 years before he could apply for parole. In 1994 this was overturned by then home secretary and Pitchfork was told he would do a minimum of 30 years.
Last year he went to the court of appeal on the grounds that his sentence was a breach of his human rights and is asking that it be reduced back down to 25 years. Pitchforks case was heard wednesday 30th April this year and has been adjourned for a reserved hearing to be set at a later date. His soliciters claim that he is a changed man and has done a lot for the prison community and also for charity. They also claim he is no longer a threat to the public. Just what work he has done in the prison community and what charity work he has done to make him a changed man is being kept secret at his request and an unamed third party.
This man is and will always be a danger to the public. The way he hoodwinked his colleague into taking a forged passport to take a blood test for him shows just what lengths he is prepared to go to to evade doing his full sentence.
In march of this year he hit the headlines because of a piece of artwork he had created was bought by the Royal Festival Hall in London and put on display for 1000’s of visitors to admire.
The hall did not know who had created it and when found out who did removed it from public display. The hall paid £600 for this piece of art and Pitchfork recieved a percentage of this.
This is a man who sniggered constantly through his police interviews and stated “I will get out I am just swapping a big world for a smaller one for the time being”.
If Pitchforks appeal goes his way the sentence will be reduced to 25 years and they have also asked for two years to be taken off for good behaivour and his secret do gooding which would see this monster being released as early as next year. And really he should not be elegiable for release till 2018.