Moodley told the board that there was nobody else involved in Leigh Matthews’s abduction and murder.
Donovan Moodley, who abducted and killed university student Leigh Matthews in 2004 in Johannesburg, could be released on parole.
This comes after Moodley appeared before the Correctional Supervision and Parole Board on Monday.
Parole
The Parole Board recommended Moodley’s release on parole.
Moodley has appeared before the Parole Board several times over the past 20 years but has not been successful in being granted an early release from prison.
He was convicted of the 21-year-old Matthews’ abduction and murder and has been serving a life sentence since 2005.
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Freedom
While Moodley’s case still needs to be considered by the National Council for Correctional Services (NCCS) and, ultimately, Correctional Services Minister Pieter Groenewald, he is a step closer to getting out of jail.
Moodley’s lawyer, Advocate Mohammed Yusuf Razak, told The Citizen they were advised of the decision by the Parole Board on Monday afternoon.
“He went and presented himself before the Parole Board, and the CMC (case management committee) file was presented to them, which was all his good behaviour, bad behaviour, psychologist reports, social worker reports; they were placed together before the Parole Board and took into account all these achievements.
“He’s completed his LLB, LLM, all those coupled together, the Parole Board decided to give a recommendation to the minister that he’s a suitable candidate for parole,” Razak said.
Matthews family not happy
Razak said the Matthews family is not happy with the correctional supervision and Parole Board following the recommendation for Moodley to be released.
“They are aggrieved because they wanted to see the entire file. Remember, as a matter of right, they’re not entitled to the psychologist’s report, psychiatrist’s report, or social worker’s report in the CMC file; they are entitled to make impact statements.
“They must tell the board how they feel, how it affected them, financially, emotionally, physically, whatever the case may be,” Razak said.
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CMC file
Razak added that the Matthews family wanted the CMC file on Moodley, but were not granted access.
“So as a result of that, they declined to participate in the victim-offender dialogue. They didn’t want to engage with him, and it’s a function of the Parole Board, so they declined to participate in this.”
A prison CMC file is a case file compiled and managed by a Case Management Committee, which is a body within correctional services responsible for assessing sentenced offenders’ needs, risks, and progress, particularly in the context of parole and reintegration into the community.
Matthews family
Attorney Tania Koen, who represents the Matthews parents, Rob and Sharon, told The Citizen they are disappointed with the decision
“The Matthews family is surprised and disappointed at the Parole Board’s recommendation. They do not believe that the Parole Board considered Moodley’s entire profile and failed to take into consideration their representations at the hearing.”
Sympathy
Razak said they sympathise with the Matthews family.
“Naturally, no mother or father wants to see the person that’s committed murder against their daughter to be released. So we understand that they don’t want him to be released.
“But South African law says that if you commit an offence, you go to jail. The purpose of jail is not to punish you, it is to rehabilitate you. So at some point, the Parole Board says you are not punished, you are rehabilitated. The family still believes maybe it’s too early, or they still want more, which we can understand,” Razak said.
ALSO READ: Leigh Matthews’ killer Donovan Moodley denied parole
No accomplices
Razak added that Moodley stated that nobody else was involved in Matthews’ abduction and murder.
“So during the parole hearing, part of the hearing is that you’re supposed to take the Parole Board and the family into your confidence. You’re supposed to tell them exactly how the crime was committed. He told them today that he was the one alone.
“He fired the shot, left the body, and moved the body. He told them that it was done on his own. They (family) are unhappy with that narrative. They want him to say, maybe there were more people. We can’t change the fact. See, this is what he says. There’s no other way. He was the only person who actually pulled the trigger.
“Maybe they want to get more closure, which we also understand. But as far as his version is concerned, he was the only one who committed the offence,” Razak said.
Abduction and murder
Moodley admitted to abducting the Sandton-based Bond University student and holding her hostage while demanding ransom money from her family.
Matthews’ father, Rob, paid R50 000 for her safe return, but Moodley shot her three times and placed her body in an open field in Walkerville, south of Johannesburg.
Moodley, after pleading guilty, was sentenced to life imprisonment for murder, 15 years for kidnapping, and 10 years for extortion.
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