'Our daughter's killer should never be allowed out'

On Tuesday a fresh parole hearing will be held at the prison where Darren Pilkington is being held as he makes his latest bid for liberty.

The 34-year-old tasted several months of freedom after serving a decade in jail for Carly Fairhurst’s manslaughter in early 2006.

But then he breached his parole last summer and was locked up again, foresaking his erstwhile right to be kept in a lower security institution.

However, Pilkington is still entitled to regular reviews of his position. And this continues to cause heartache for the Hindley couple still mourning their 19-year-old’s loss.

Trevor said: “We are beginning to lose count of the number of witness impact statements we have had to write expressing how this crime and this man continues to devastate our lives.

“We may alter it slightly this time to say also that the very writing of these statements is very distressing, constantly having to bring the focus back onto those terrible events and what that man did.

“We won’t be going to the hearing. Sheila now suffers from seizures which are brought on by stress and upsets so that would be the last thing we need.

“It’s all cloaked in secrecy though and, as I’ve said, weighed towards the prisoner. As you may know after the recent announcement that the serial rapist John Warboys was going to be released, we are not entitled to know the reasons why parole is granted or refused.

“We aren’t even allowed to know which prison he’s in although, perversely, had we said we wanted to go to the hearing, they would have had to have told us.

“As far as we are concerned, he should never be let out. He has killed twice now, he got into trouble several years ago when he disappeared from his cell one night and then he breached parole once he had been freed. When the judge sent him down he said it was the most damning psychiatric report he had ever read.

“It is clear to us that this man can not be rehabilitated.

“The hearing is due to take place on Tuesday but we probably won’t hear anything for several weeks.”

Pilkington, who had previously served time along with his brother Andrew for the manslaughter of Hindley man Paul Akister, left Carly fatally injured at the bottom of the stairs of a house they had been minding for a friend.

The pair were in an abusive relationship and the Fairhursts have spent much of their time since campaigning against domestic violence and raising money for Victim Support, work for which they received MBEs last year.

Sheila has also been invited to a special Wigan Warriors’ ladies’ day next month recognising local “inspirational women”.