Double child killer Colin Pitchfork has been arrested and recalled to prison, two months after his release.
The predator, 61, was taken to a police station tonight over ‘concerning behaviours’ and a breach of his licence conditions, it is understood.
He was not recalled for committing any further offences, and the step was taken as a preventative measure.
Pitchfork was jailed in 1988 for raping and strangling to death Lynda Mann and Dawn Ashworth, both aged 15, in neighbouring Leicestershire villages.
He was the first person to be convicted of murder using DNA evidence and was jailed for a minimum of 30 years. His term was cut by two years in 2009.
In June the Parole Board decided it was safe to release him from HMP Leyhill, an open prison in Gloucestershire where he was moved three years ago.
He was driven at night to a hostel in the south of England in September, and the Ministry of Justice said he would remain under supervision for the rest of his life.
When he will be re-released will be up to the Parole Board to decide.
A Probation Service spokesperson said: ‘Protecting the public is our number one priority so when offenders breach the conditions of their release and potentially pose an increased risk, we don’t hesitate to return them to custody.’
It is thought Pitchfork could be back behind bars for a number of years, having just had a taste of freedom.
One told The Sun: ‘Pitchfork’s licence conditions were so tough that if he stepped out of line he faced recall.
‘Now he has done just that. His behaviour caused great concern and that was behind it. It’s thought his attitude and fears he was hiding things were also a problem.’
The decision to release Pitchfork prompted a public outcry amid attempts to keep him behind bars.
When those failed, he was subjected to more than 40 licence conditions, which the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) described as some of the strictest ‘ever set’.
Following a hearing in March, the Parole Board ruled that Pitchfork was ‘suitable for release’, despite this being denied in 2016 and 2018.
In June, the then Justice Secretary, Robert Buckland, asked the board, which is independent of the Government, to re-examine the decision under the so-called reconsideration mechanism.
But the Parole Board rejected the Government challenge against its ruling the following month, announcing that the application to reconsider the decision had been refused.
Mr Buckland expressed his disappointment but said he respected the decision.
Typically there are seven standard conditions for offenders leaving prison but Pitchfork had to meet a further 36 requirements.
He is on the sex offenders’ register and had to live at a designated address, be supervised by probation, wear an electronic tag, take part in polygraph – lie detector – tests, and disclose what vehicles he uses and who he spoke to, while also facing particular limits on contact with children.
He was subject to a curfew, had restrictions on using technology, and faced limitations on where he could go.
The Government plans to overhaul the parole system, with the findings of a review expected later this year. It has also sought to change the law so child killers face life behind bars without parole.
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