Wigan double killer's latest parole hearing is delayed by three months

Darren Pilkington, jailed for the separate manslaughters of Hindley residents Paul Akister and Carly Fairhurst and since in and out of prison for licence breaches and jail breaks, had been scheduled to appear before the parole board earlier this month.

But 19-year-old Carly’s parents, instead of being contacted afterwards with a verdict, have now been told that the hearing has been postponed until August 7 after a request was made for further information regarding his case.

The news was met with some satisfaction by Trevor and Sheila Fairhurst who have faced a remorseless series of parole hearings and victim impact statements since Pilkington was just two years into his jail sentence for killing Carly in 2006.

They say that he should be permanently incarcerated but, if the authorities aren’t in a position or prepared to make that happen, they should have him electronically tagged for the rest of his life because he has shown no sign of rehabilitating.

After several licence breaches, the now 40-year-old Pilkington was put back behind bars for the latest time last year after absconding from Kirkham open prison in Lancashire. He was given a six-month custodial term which he has served, but he remains subject to the terms of the indeterminate sentence system (since abolished) under which he was dealt with for causing Carly’s death, which means the parole board can still detain him for much longer if it sees fit.

He was re-arrested several days after his prison disappearance, having been found at an address in Horwich. A man and a woman were arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender at the time but the case against them was later dropped.

Meanwhile the Fairhursts can only hope that their tormentor stays in prison for much longer yet.

Trevor said: “We were elated when they said his hearing had been delayed. It gives us some breathing space and keeps him where he belongs for longer too.

"We continue to say that, at the very least, he should be permanently tagged on release though.”

Usually the parole board takes a couple of weeks to return its verdict but the Faihursts have been told that it will rule on the day of the August 7 hearing in Pilkington’s case.

Carly befriended Pilkington when he was serving time for the 2000 manslaughter of Mr Akister.

Much to her parents’ horror, she began dating him after his release and then didn’t disclose that he had subjected her to domestic abuse.

They would only find this out after her death. In January 2006 Pilkington pushed Carly downstairs during an alteraction at a house in Ince they were minding for a friend and he left her there all night with serious injuries. He eventually rang 999 but spun a story about coming back in the morning to find her.

Eventually his story fell apart and he confessed to the crime, Carly having died from her injuries several days later.

He is one of the few people in British criminal history to be convicted of two unrelated manslaughters.