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Double child killer Colin Pitchfork is to be allowed out alone from prison.

Pitchfork, who raped and murdered Leicestershire schoolgirls Lynda Mann and Dawn Ashworth in 1983 and 1986, will be able to take unsupervised day trips in the ‘near future’.

The decision has been confirmed to the girls’ families in a letter from the Ministry of Justice.

Lynda’s sister, Rebecca Eastwood, said she and her family were horrified by the news.

Pitchfork raped and murdered Lynda, 15, in Narborough in 1983.

Three years later, he murdered Dawn Ashworth, also 15, in a similarly brutal fashion.

He was jailed in 1988 following the largest manhunt Leicestershire Police has ever mounted.

In June this year, the girls’ families were told Pitchfork had been allowed out of prison under escort.

However, they have now been told that he has been cleared to progress to the next stage – leaving custody on his own.

Temporary day release is part of the process of assessing whether a long term prisoner is ready for eventual full-time release.

Rebecca said the family was unwavering in its belief that Pitchfork – who is not yet 60 – remains a potential danger to the public.

The exact circumstances of any day release, including the dates and locations, have not been made available to the families.

They do not know in which prison he is being held.

However, Pitchfork is not allowed anywhere in Leicestershire or to knowingly approach any of the girls’ relatives.

Rebecca said: “It’s only a couple of months since we were told that he was being allowed out under the escort of a guard.

“The news he is to be allowed out without an escort has come as a real shock to us. It all seems to be moving so quickly.

“If it carries on like this, it’s only going to be a matter of months before he’s allowed out on his own for weeks at a time.

“When he is out on his own he will be able to speak to people and they will have no idea who he is and what he has done.

“He is not allowed in Leicestershire or to approach any of us.

“But we don’t know what he looks like now or even what part of the country he is in.

“He’s still in his 50s. He still has a lot of time ahead of him and we still think he is a danger to the public.”

Pitchfork was deemed suitable to be moved to an open prison last year following an assessment by probation officers and other specialists.

He is said to have made exceptional progress and is reportedly a model prisoner.

However, more than 20,000 people have signed an online petition, set up by Lynda’s family, to call for his release to be blocked.

A further 7,000 signed a paper version.

(Image: Elizabeth Cook/PA Wire)

The letter to the families states: “The offender is now progressing through the process and is reaching the next significant stage, which will be unescorted day release.

“This has been approved and the series of unescorted releases on temporary licence will be happening in the near future.

“There will be a robust risk management plan in place.”

In June, a Ministry of Justice spokesman told the Leicester Mercury the department could not comment on individual cases.

However, a spokesperson said at the time: “All offenders must meet strict criteria and pass a full risk assessment before being considered for release on temporary licence (ROTL).

“ROTL is considered for offenders towards the end of their sentence, taking into account their individual resettlement needs. It helps build and maintain family ties, which is proven to help re-offending.

“Those who fail to comply with the conditions of a ROTL can be returned to closed prisons where they may have to serve additional time.”

Pitchfork was the first person in the world to be convicted on the basis of DNA evidence pioneered at the University of Leicester by Sir Alec Jeffreys.