Ashley Oosthuizen's battle for freedom: Reduced sentence and hope for a King's Pardon

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.

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