Latest news with #RoyalPardon
IOL News
14-05-2025
- IOL News
Ashley Oosthuizen's battle for freedom: Reduced sentence and hope for a King's Pardon
Ashley Oosthuizen, left, with her mother, Lynn Blignaut. Image: Supplied A King's Pardon may be the gift that Ashley Oosthuizen and her mother, Lynn Blignaut, have been praying for her after her prison sentence in Thailand was reduced by 20 years, from 33.4 years to 13.4 years. And if granted, she may only need to spend another two years inside the Thai prison. Oosthuizen was found guilty of drug related charges after her arrest in 2020, when she allegedly accepted a package containing MDMA while working at a restaurant. Blignaut had completed a legal petition together with an appeal to the Supreme Court in Thailand, which was submitted in 2022 and 2023. The verdict handed down on March 27, stated that Oosthuizen's sentence was reduced by 20 years following an initial charge of 'international drug smuggler' that was changed to "possession." She has already served 4.7 years. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Oosthuizen is now awaiting her final documents to confirm her new sentence, which can take up to 7 months. She is also hoping to be part of the King's Pardon. Speaking to the Cape Argus, Blignaut explained the procedure: 'If the documents arrive by June, she will be part of the King's Pardon. If not, she has to wait for the next one, either on Mother's Day, August 12, or July 2026. The Royal Pardon does not mean that she will be set free immediately, it means that there will be a sentence reduction. That being said, nothing is impossible. No one knows who will be included, no one knows how many years will be given off to reduce sentences at the given time, it will be released in the media. There are 6 levels and one needs to be at a certain level. If her documents arrive by June, she'll be able to see on which level she is." Blignaut said Oosthuizen also received a fine of ฿666 666.66 (around R367 000). 'This means in this case, if she misbehaves, when she comes to the end of her sentence, she can pay this money to receive the last year off, if she doesn't have the money, she has to stay. 'It seems at this point, Ashley thinks that the fine will be taken away and she'll receive 1.8 years off, should she qualify for the RP (Royal Pardon) in July. 'We will only know when the time comes. 'It might be that in the end, she will only stay another 1-2 years with the RP each year. 'But in the end, this might be the final verdict from the judges, but we know that the living God has the final say in everything. We keep on trusting Him for yet another miracle in His divine timing." In January, Blignaut told the Cape Argus of how she managed to hug her daughter for the first time since 2019. Blignaut bravely sold her business linked to caregiving placement and medical disability aid supplies and moved to Thailand. At the time of Oosthuizen's arrest, the Department of International Relations and Cooperation's said the SA Embassy as well as the Consular had provided assistance to the family. Cape Argus
Daily Mirror
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mirror
Christine Keeler shared a cell with Labour minister's gran after Profumo scandal
Seymour Platt says he is hopefully a Labour government could pave the way for a Royal Pardon that would clear his mum of her 1963 perjury conviction - especially after she shared a cell with a minister's grandmother The defiant son of Profumo scandal icon Christine Keeler has spent nearly 10 years fighting to prove his mother's jail sentence was a desperate bid to discredit her. Seymour Platt now hopes the Labour Party could finally help clear her name – particularly as she shared a cell with Health Minister Wes Streeting's grandmother. Seymour said: 'I try not to be political but I'm bloody delighted that it's a Labour Party and not the Tory Party, to be blunt. I'd love Labour to look at this with fresh eyes and be humane to correct an inhumane decision.' In 2022 Mr Streeting told how his grandfather William Crowley was an armed robber who was 'in and out of prison' most of his life and had known the Krays. He said Crowley 'took down' his grandmother Elizabeth 'Libby' Crowley, who was jailed for possession of a stolen radio and sent to HMP Holloway. She shared a cell with Christine and they became friends, sharing the belief they were both victims of the men in their lives. On BBC podcast Political Thinking with Nick Robinson, Mr Streeting branded Libby's conviction a 'real injustice'. He said: 'The tragedy of that makes me really angry, even now.' Referring to his grandmother's friendship with Christine, Mr Streeting added: 'Talk about chalk and cheese, you had this working-class East Ender in my nan Libby and then you had Christine Keeler of high society. But I remember my nan talking about Christine Keeler and feeling very strongly that she had been a victim of injustice and what had happened to her had been wrong. They stayed in contact for many years after she left prison.' Christine was just 21 when she was jailed for perjury in 1963. She had been attacked by stalker Aloysius 'Lucky' Gordon in April that year. But he successfully appealed after it was found she had told jurors two witnesses were not there. Her family argue there was no doubt the assault took place and that Christine lived in fear of Gordon. She had also allegedly been put under pressure by the witnesses. But they have so far been unable to overturn the conviction. Earlier this year justice watchdogs rejected an application to send her case to the Court of Appeal. The Criminal Cases Review Commission accepted she could not have 'secured a fair trial, particularly in view of the unprecedented level of prejudicial media coverage of her at the time'. But it said: 'In quashing the perjury conviction, the Court of Appeal would have a very limited ability to correct the public record in relation to [her] part in the Profumo affair.' Her family's last hope is to ask the Justice Secretary to recommend a pardon under the royal prerogative of mercy, which is only used in incredibly rare circumstances. Now Seymour has lodged an application for a Royal Pardon, which must be signed off by the King. An application can be considered when all other judicial routes have been exhausted, or new evidence demonstrates no offence was committed or the defendant did not commit the offence. Most importantly, the pardon can be handed down if 'the person was morally and technically innocent of the crime'. Solicitor James Harbridge, who helped compile the application, said: 'It's truly amazing this whole chain of events remain ongoing, even though Lucky Gordon admitted at his own trial that he slapped Christine. The jury took less than 15 minutes to convict him in June 1963, but here we are in May 2025, still seeking justice for the victim and her family.' Dr Felicity Gerry, a human rights barrister who is supporting Seymour, said: 'Every woman you speak to says her conviction was a terrible miscarriage of justice. She was exploited and sent to prison. She was 'slut-shamed' her whole life for the Profumo affair.' The Ministry of Justice said: 'We take miscarriages of justice very seriously and the Justice Secretary considers all applications for pardons.'
