Man jailed in first DNA case wins murder appeal

LONDON – The first person in the world to be convicted of murder on the basis of DNA evidence had his jail term slightly cut yesterday after he won an appeal.

Colin Pitchfork, 48, was given a life sentence and told he would spend at least 30 years behind bars after being convicted in 1988 for the murder of two 15-year-old girls in Leicestershire.
He had pleaded guilty to two offences of murder, two of rape, two offences of indecent assault and one of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice.
Three judges in the Court of Appeal in London ruled that the minimum sentence should be now reduced to 28 years after Pitchfork argued that 30 years was ‘manifestly’ excessive, the Press Association reported.
Lord Chief Justice Lord Judge said the appeal was being allowed to a ‘very restricted and limited extent relating to exceptional progress in custody’.
But he added: ‘He cannot be released unless and until the safety of the public is assured.’
Pitchfork raped and murdered Lynda Mann in 1983 and Dawn Ashworth three years later.
After the world’s first mass screening for DNA – where 5 000 men in three villages were asked to volunteer blood or saliva samples – he was eventually caught.
Lord Judge said Pitchfork’s progress since he was first jailed went ‘far beyond general good behaviour and positive response to his custodial sentence, but reflects very creditable assistance to disabled individuals outside the prison system’.
Judge said he had made himself a specialist in the transcription of printed music into Braille.
‘This is an intensely specialised skill and his work is used throughout this country and internationally with the support of the (charity for the blind) RNIB,’ Judge said. – Nampa-Reuters