GEORGE NEWS - Life imprisonment in a foreign jail for a crime she, her boyfriend, her family and friends claim she did not commit. This is the story of Ashley Oosthuizen (22), a young, ambitious girl from George who, like many others, simply wanted to explore the world.
With high expectations and the world at her feet, Oosthuizen, a former learner at Outeniqua High School, jetted off to Thailand in March 2018 shortly after she matriculated.
But what started off as an adventure, soon turned into a seemingly never-ending nightmare for her and her family.
At the age of 19, Oosthuizen worked as a teacher on the island Koh Samui where she met a 32-year-old American teacher who was employed at another school on the island. He soon became her boyfriend.
Little did she know that the man she was involved with, allegedly came with a very dark past and a history of serious crime.
According to a statement sent to George Herald via Facebook by a person claiming to be the boyfriend (name withheld by George Herald), but using the Facebook name Triss Nepps, he admits to being a former international drug trafficker with a long criminal record stretching back to a charge of assault with a deadly weapon when he was only 11 years old.
Horror Halloween
He says he met Oosthuizen at a Halloween party on the island. "I was a high-school science teacher at one of the leading international schools there but I made more than most of my money from selling party drugs to the expats," he said in the statement.
"Everything I do is for Ashley. Had I come sooner, no one would listen. Now that I have websites, a business, a book, and more - now Ashley can no longer be ignored. Ashley's only crime was being my girlfriend.
The rest is all my fault and the fault of others who continue to try and bury the truth. I became infatuated with Ashley for a while and developed quite a fondness towards her. It was intoxicating being around someone so inexperienced and green behind the gills," he says.
Asked why, if he wants to help and cares so much, he does not go back and tell the authorities that he is the guilty party and not Ashley,
Nepps responded, "Because accepting a life sentence for importing harmless mdma for consenting adults after governments just forcibly vaccinated millins (sic) against their will with experimental cocktails would be bowing to tyrants. I do not bow to tyrants, I kill them.
"Why dont you ask Koh Samui police why they are keeping an innocent woman locked up regardless you cumb (sic) bitch?"
Nepps has since left Thailand and is believed to be somewhere in the US after a stint in the Ukraine.
Hot deals
He says after Oosthuizen was laid off by her school, he offered her a position as manager at a restaurant called Hot in the Biscuit where she also designed the branding for the business. And this is where her dreams of living a happy life in Thailand were soon shattered.
Oosthuizen was reportedly arrested on 8 October 2020 after she accepted a package from a delivery man on behalf of someone else. Nepps says that unbeknown to her, the package contained 250g of MDMA (Ecstacy).
Within 10 minutes the police arrived and arrested her. Oosthuizen was initially handed down the death penalty, but after an appeal, the sentence was changed to life imprisonment (25 years).
"At no point did Ashley ever know that I was having drugs sent to her little biscuit shop. At no point did she ever know I was an international dark web drug dealer," Nepps said in his statement.
She has been in jail since, with her only hope of freedom hinging on her next appeal, which might only happen within the next year. Meanwhile she has been moved to another prison in the south of Thailand and the last time her mother was able to communicate with her, was in December 2021.
Faith keeps them going
Oosthuizen's mother, Lynn Blignaut, is doing everything in her power to have her daughter released and brought back to South Africa, but says it's only her faith that keeps her going.
"Ashley has always had a strong relationship with Jesus. Unfortunately, like many of us, she has backslidden for a little while. Since she has been in prison she has rededicated her life to Jesus and has won many souls for God's Kingdom. This is all that counts - you need to make the decision to follow Christ - repent of your sins and give your life to Him. We were placed on earth not for ourselves, but for God's glory. I do what I can from my side and God is doing the rest, so in the end it will be for His glory only. He makes a way where there seems to be no way. Without Him I am nothing and can do nothing.
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"Ashley is in excellent health because He sustains her in all ways and provides for her. We would not have been able to stand so strong every day if it wasn't for mercy and grace from God. We can now only wait for her next appeal."
It would however appear that the South African embassy in Thailand does not show much interest. A media inquiry has been sent to the embassy and the Court of Justice in Thailand, but no response had been received at the time of going to print.
Calls for justice
Calls for justice have since been renewed for Oosthuizen. In a video posted on Facebook by one of her friends, Hashiem Jappie, he asks the George community to stand up for Oosthuizen and fight the injustice she is facing. "We really need to stand up for our people.
The authorities, who are supposed to stand up and have a voice for us, are nowhere to be seen or heard. We need to get this story out to the world - it's our last hope of help. She needs the whole country to stand up for her," he said.
A WhatsApp group called "Free Ashley" has also been created and the hashtag #freeashley is being widely shared by her friends on social media.
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