UK - Colin Pitchfork, Child Killer May Be Released From Prison

[jimbob5]

I think someone who has raped and murdered two people should definitely be locked up forever. The poor girls will never get another chance at life so why should he? His crimes were monstrous.

So were many & they only served a year or two, I would be far more worried about a sex offender still in his twenties, thirties or forties than a near pensioner. Reality is he was sentenced 15 years before the UK law changed to allow stiffer sentences. The UK has very few whole life tariff convictions & they are reserved for even worse offenders than the likes of him. He has served well over his 1988 sentence & still might not be released anyway. If he does then he will be under licence for life & any breach will see him back in prison.

 

[ChatteringBirds]

You certainly can and should lock up for life - without parole ever - someone who rapes and murders twice. It's not as if there are very many people who do that.
He is one of the most dangerous types of humans. You can't rehabilitate this type of person.

 

[jimbob5]

I don't know if releasing Colin Pitchfork is the right thing to do or not. I'm sure that the parole board will have had information that isn't in the public domain, but even if I had access to that information I don't feel I'm qualified to make that decision.

But I do feel that however else parole decisions are made, it shouldn't be on the basis of emotive statements like Alberto Costa's that 'Even though some 30 years have passed this isn't the sort of crime that one can ever forget.' That's true, of course, but imo not relevant to whether or not the public is now safe with this man walking free. As an MP, he is understandably reflecting the anxieties of his constituents, many of whom will remember and have been affected by the case, but none of that tells us anything about the qualities of this prisoner now.

I do feel strongly that prisoners, even murderers and rapists sometimes, can be rehabilitated - although not all of them obviously, and much more research is needed to understand which, and how. Whether any of that is something the UK prison system is doing effectively at the moment is also an important conversation to be having. But if it were to be possible, this is the outcome I believe we should be aiming for as often as we can.

Indeed, the Bulger killing is a great example. Both young murderers released on licence & the one who was deemed the leader in the killing has kept his nose clean for 20 years, the other has been in trouble consistently. Some people can be rehabilitated & some cannot. Prison isn't a great place for rehabilitation as the idea is focused on punishment-but that doesn't do anything helpful for the inevitable time when people get released, thankfully some prisons are more forward thinking & will get people courses & doing useful things. I would urge people to think how different they are now to how they were in 1988.

 

[29 Acacia Road]

So were many & they only served a year or two, I would be far more worried about a sex offender still in his twenties, thirties or forties than a near pensioner. Reality is he was sentenced 15 years before the UK law changed to allow stiffer sentences. The UK has very few whole life tariff convictions & they are reserved for even worse offenders than the likes of him. He has served well over his 1988 sentence & still might not be released anyway. If he does then he will be under licence for life & any breach will see him back in prison.

A man in his sixties can easily be a considerable threat to women and girls, he's not near death's door. I do think some murderers can be rehabilitated, however if it is sexually motivated and more than one victim then I would have very grave concerns.

 

[jimbob5]

You certainly can and should lock up for life - without parole ever - someone who rapes and murders twice. It's not as if there are very many people who do that.
He is one of the most dangerous types of humans. You can't rehabilitate this type of person.

Yes you can & society has rehabilitated countless murderers & rapists. Think about it if you are bought up in a household full of violence, racism, bad attitudes to women/mother getting beaten up etc, then you go to school & learn more of it there-chances are you are going to grow up to be full of it yourself, abuse alcohol, drugs, mix with the wrong sorts & get involved in crime. Take somebody out of that environment, teach them differently & yes, many people will change. We have zero idea what 33 years behind bars has done to this guy, what courses he has taken etc.

 

[jimbob5]

A man in his sixties can easily be a considerable threat to women and girls, he's not near death's door. I do think some murderers can be rehabilitated, however if it is sexually motivated and more than one victim then I would have very grave concerns.

He can be, but is is far less likely & less dangerous than a young, fit man full of testosterone will be. He also is on the radar & will have to agree to many licence conditions & be monitored.

 

[29 Acacia Road]

He can be, but is is far less likely & less dangerous than a young, fit man full of testosterone will be. He also is on the radar & will have to agree to many licence conditions & be monitored.

I really hope you're right in this case, but I do have a horrible feeling that this particular offender will seriously re-offend within 5 years of release.

 

[jimbob5]

I really hope you're right in this case, but I do have a horrible feeling that this particular offender will seriously re-offend within 5 years of release.

Always a risk sadly-but the reality is the jails are overcrowded & you cannot lock up every sex offender or killer for the rest of their life. This is the best we can hope for-somebody who has missed out on decades where they would have been a huge threat to young women, to where it is now greatly reduced due to age/physical condition & he will be supervised & have to meet conditions for the rest of his days. Also it is a lot tougher now for people to do these things & get away with it-due to mobile phones that record & CCTV being everywhere catching people & car number plates & any DNA he were to leave would put him right back inside.

 

[TootsieFootsie]

Colin Pitchfork now: Who is Colin Pitchfork? How old is the convicted murderer who raped and killed two schoolgirls?

After it was announced earlier this month that the child killer who was the first murderer ever to be convicted using DNA evidence in Britain can be released on parole, Justice Secretary Robert Buckland is to call on the Parole Board to reconsider.

 

[JuicyLucy]

Colin Pitchfork now: Who is Colin Pitchfork? How old is the convicted murderer who raped and killed two schoolgirls?

After it was announced earlier this month that the child killer who was the first murderer ever to be convicted using DNA evidence in Britain can be released on parole, Justice Secretary Robert Buckland is to call on the Parole Board to reconsider.

The Parole Board must wonder what on earth the point is of their skills and experience.

 

[ChatteringBirds]

Parole Boards don't always make the right call. MOO, and I'm being as nice as possible.

 

[JuicyLucy]

Parole Boards don't always make the right call. MOO, and I'm being as nice as possible.

Sure, agreed, and thank you for your niceness. But the idea that random members of the public, and politicians wanting their votes, are somehow better equipped to make the right call, based on only the information that is in the public domain, is massively disrespectful to both the reality and the concept of expertise, imo.

 

[ChatteringBirds]

Sure, agreed, and thank you for your niceness. But the idea that random members of the public, and politicians wanting their votes, are somehow better equipped to make the right call, based on only the information that is in the public domain, is massively disrespectful to both the reality and the concept of expertise, imo.

I don't believe it's only about expertise, though. Who knows what other pressures they may be under? In both directions - both deciding to grant the parole or in some cases not?
In the interest of public safety, I don't believe calling on them to reconsider is "massively" disrespectful.
JMO.

 

[Scotchcorner]

I don’t remember these cases but was still quite young. I watched a program on SKYcrime last night about them. Very interesting with the first use of DNA. It crossed my mind at the end of the program if he’d be released. I sometimes think the US can be harsh with sentences but it’s inconceivable a double child rapist and killer would be released. I believe in rehabilitation and punishment. These crimes deserve punishment and that’s it.

 

[jimbob5]

A double child killer who became the first murderer to be convicted using DNA evidence will be released, after the Parole Board rejected a government challenge against its ruling.

Colin Pitchfork has served 33 years in prison after being jailed for raping and murdering 15-year-olds Lynda Mann and Dawn Ashworth in the 1980s.

 

[Sarahlou]

Outrageous. Wrong decision imo.

 

[jimbob5]

Outrageous. Wrong decision imo.

Only time will tell, he has been in an open prison & getting unsupervised day releases for years now

 

[29 Acacia Road]

Outrageous. Wrong decision imo.

I have to agree in this case. By in large the UK probation service do very good work in the UK under difficult circumstances/funding, not helped recently by Government cutbacks and operational decisions, but this one doesn't sit right with me.

You only have to look at their recent mistake regarding John Worboys, who was still offending at the age Pitchfork will be.

If it was a murder of a victim he knew, that he had a genuine or perceived reason for his feelings of wanting to harm them, or it was for financial gain, then I can see how such a person can be rehabilitated.

But this was two stranger murders and rapes, that indicts a sexual deviant mind and I'd be surprised if those urges have left him in his sixties.

 

[jimbob5]

I have to agree in this case. By in large the UK probation service do very good work in the UK under difficult circumstances/funding, not helped recently by Government cutbacks and operational decisions, but this one doesn't sit right with me.

You only have to look at their recent mistake regarding John Worboys, who was still offending at the age Pitchfork will be.

If it was a murder of a victim he knew, that he had a genuine or perceived reason for his feelings of wanting to harm them, or it was for financial gain, then I can see how such a person can be rehabilitated.

But this was two stranger murders and rapes, that indicts a sexual deviant mind and I'd be surprised if those urges have left him in his sixties.

No he wasn't. Worboys was offending in 2008 at the age of 50, not 61. He is only 64 now & has been in prison well over a decade.

 

[29 Acacia Road]

No he wasn't. Worboys was offending in 2008 at the age of 50, not 61. He is only 64 now & has been in prison well over a decade.

My apologies, the point still stands that a 61 year old double stranger murderer and rapist is still a significant risk to women and young girls.