Overview
- The board found Pitchfork has limited internal controls and poor understanding of his risky thinking, ruling out both release and transfer to open conditions.
- The review spanned four hearing days on March 28, May 15–16, and October 3, and none of the professional witnesses supported release.
- A 2,000-page dossier prepared by the justice secretary was considered, and the panel said a fresh allegation about his conduct toward a younger prisoner was proven on the balance of probabilities.
- Pitchfork was first released on licence in 2021 but was recalled weeks later after breaching conditions by approaching a lone woman.
- Under parole rules, Pitchfork and the justice secretary have 21 days to seek reconsideration of the decision.