logo
episode-header-image
Jul 2021
57m 49s

Deborah James; Colin Pitchfork Parole an...

Bbc Radio 4
About this episode

Deborah James is a the host of the BBC's You, Me And The Big C podcast, a campaigner, writer and mother of two. As @bowelbabe she blogs about living with stage 4 bowel cancer since Christmas 2016. After trialling experimental drugs she was told she had ‘no sign of active disease’, not once but twice. She joins Emma to discuss her recent experience of liver failure followed by sepsis, how she attended Wimbledon only 12 hours after leaving hospital, her mission to protect cancer care, and why she is rewriting her next book, How to Live When You Could Be Dead.

Yesterday the Government's challenge to a Parole Board decision to release Colin Pitchfork was rejected - paving the way for the double child killer to be freed in the next few weeks. Pitchfork has served 33 years in prison after being jailed for raping and murdering 15-year-olds Lynda Mann and Dawn Ashworth in the 1980s. A judge-led independent review rejected a bid by ministers to halt his release. Philip Musson, the uncle of Dawn Ashworth tells Emma how disappointed the family are by the decision. David Wilson Emeritus Professor of criminology at Birmingham City University and former prison governor, is concerned that Pitchfork has “gamed” the rehabilitation system. Belinda Winder, a Professor of Forensic Psychology at Nottingham Trent University, whose primary field is sexual offending explains how carefully parole boards come to their decisions and the importance of reintegration into the community.

Have you ever been in love with an object? Yes, that's right. Not a person: a thing, or maybe a building? There's a new French film out called Jumbo, and it's about a young woman who falls in love with a fairground attraction. Zoe Wittock is the director.

A number of high profile gruesome cases of women dying after their partners claimed “rough sex gone wrong” as a defence led to a change in the law earlier this year. The Domestic Abuse Act states that even if consensual, the infliction of serious harm, or worse will lead to prosecution. The veteran labour MP Harriet Harman was instrumental in getting the law changed but she says it’s not always working in practice and she joins Emma Barnett to explain why she’s calling for the Director of Prosecutions Max Hill to review two cases of particular concern.

Up next
Today
Southport inquiry, Cam, DCI Helen Tebbit
The Southport inquiry - the first phase of which took place in Liverpool this week - heard statements from the families of four girls who survived despite being seriously injured during the attacks on 29 July last year. The public inquiry heard testimony from one of the girls' mo ... Show More
52m 58s
Yesterday
Christine McGuiness, Dianaworld, Marcia Grant inquest, Weight loss ads
The TV presenter and autism advocacy campaigner, Christine McGuinness, is mother of three autistic children, and she received an autism diagnosis herself as an adult. She is highlighting new research from Barrett Redrow which found that half of parents of children with disabiliti ... Show More
57m 8s
Jul 8
Caroline Eshghi, Fats Timbo, Malaria drug for babies
In the 1970s and 80s, Caroline Eshghi was a young girl living in Bristol, Somerset, and Wiltshire. From the moment she was born until she ran away at the age of 15, Caroline was beaten, burned and starved by her mother. In May this year, Melanie Burmingham was jailed for 20 month ... Show More
57m 20s
Recommended Episodes
Oct 2023
Inside a sexual assault referral centre
The issue of sexual assault hasn’t been far from the headlines in recent weeks - but what kind of help is available for people who have been through it? James visits Saint Mary’s Sexual Assault Referral Centre in Manchester where he meets the people who offer invaluable medical a ... Show More
28m 33s
Apr 2024
SCHOOL SHOOTER PARENTS PRISON-DODGE GASLIGHT COURT
As James and Jennifer Crumbley awaited sentencing for their conviction for involuntary manslaughter, both sought to avoid jail. Their son Ethan Crumbley is serving life in prison for the school rampage where four were killed and seven others were injured. The gun used was given t ... Show More
41m 45s
Dec 2023
Pia Sinha, Director Prison Reform Trust
Pia Sinha is the Director of the Prison Reform Trust and a former prison governor. She was awarded the St Martin’s Award for Prison Governance for her role in turning around HMP Liverpool, which was widely described as Britain’s worst jail in 2018, following a highly critical rep ... Show More
35m 21s
Mar 2021
Women Have Had Enough... Again!
The following episode contains discussions of sexual assault, alleged murder, rape, and suicidal ideation. If this raises any issues for you please reach out to Lifeline on 13 11 14 Will we (women and young girls) ever be able to walk home at night without holding onto our keys r ... Show More
42m 15s
Dec 2021
Teen Football Player Viciously Attack by Teammates Over Relationship With Girl
16-year-old Cole Hagan ends up hospitalized with two skull fractures and a broken clavicle after being lured into a fight. During a weekend party, Hagan was told by two football teammates that his truck had been damaged. As he went outside to see the destruction, he was assaulted ... Show More
36m 16s
Dec 2021
S10 E10: [Mia] Violated
This week survivor Mia shares her story.Mia spent years hiding her sexuality because of religious shame. Even though she was married to man out of “obedience” to church teachings, he knew she was gay and they were able to have a good friendship. Mia thought she had met a kind, be ... Show More
32m 45s
Jan 2023
The Ethics of True Crime with Yvette Gentile, Disclosing A Death By Suicide and Confrontation
tw: suicide, light transphobia, racist language in context of time period, sexual assault, incest, violent crime Transcription: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1VcJAHssERzj7wlLLp3GUgLch4YBR1YZ0t0WF5kvR5yc/edit?usp=sharing Gabe (still going by Gaby in this episode) is a week ou ... Show More
1h 27m
May 2023
Dylan Farrow on Surviving Sexual Abuse
Dylan Farrow, daughter of legendary actress Mia Farrow and filmmaker Woody Allen shares how she survived decades of suffering after being allegedly sexually assaulted by her famous father and offers a rare glimpse into her painful healing process. Watch and Subscribe to our YouTu ... Show More
1h 15m
Aug 2019
S3E4: Beautiful Victim or Killer Wife? Mystery and Murder: Analysis By Dr. Phil
Amber Hilberling was charged with second-degree murder in the March 2013 death of her husband, Josh Hilberling, despite her insistence that she acted in self-defense when, during an argument, she pushed him and he fell to his death out a window of their high rise apartment in Tul ... Show More
49m 40s