NOTORIOUS double child murderer, Colin Pitchfork, was sentenced to 30 years in 1988 for raping and killing two 15-year-old girls in Leicestershire.

After he was denied parole in 2018, the Parole Board ruled that he can be released, it was revealed on Monday, June 7, 2021.

Pitchfork, now 61, was the first person in the world to be arrested and convicted using DNA evidence. He was jailed for life in 1988 for raping and murdering Lynda Mann and Dawn Ashworth, both 15, in Leicestershire.

After applying for parole in 2017, their killer was pictured preparing for life on the outside and was even spotted shopping in Bristol on day release. Kath Eastwood, the mother of one of his victims, Lynda Mann, said he should never be freed as he would always be a danger to the public.

Kath added: “He shouldn’t even be breathing and should, at least, be locked up forever.’’ Lynda’s father, Jonathan, is stricken with Parkinson’s disease and “luckily too ill” to grasp the situation.

A hearing took place in March 2021 to consider whether he was suitable for release and on June 7, 2021, the decision that the Parole Board ruled Pitchfork was suitable for release, was published.

The killer will have 35 conditions attached to his release including electronic tagging, lie detector tests and he must provide details of any vehicle he owns.

He must also not visit the area where his crimes were committed.

A document detailing the Parole Board 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 decision is provisional for 21 days.