Moodley wants clarity on his stretch

17 September 2015 - 02:13 By Mandy Wiener

Convicted murderer Donovan Moodley has approached the Johannesburg High Court in a bid to force the prison authorities to clearly define how long he should be in jail and when he would be eligible for parole. The former Bond University student was convicted in 2005 of the kidnapping and murder of fellow student Leigh Matthews.Moodley pleaded guilty, but later recanted, claiming he was not responsible for the murder in an unsuccessful application for a retrial.He is currently serving a life sentence at the Johannesburg Medium B Correctional Centre.In court papers, Moodley argues he should be serving a 20-year life sentence and not a 25-year term.He believes he should be eligible for parole after 13 years and six months, and not after serving his entire life sentence.Legislation regarding sentencing and parole changed on October 1 2004, between the commission of Moodley's crime and the date on which he was sentenced.Moodley said he requested clarity from the Complaints and Requests Register in his unit on March 28 this year.A second request was submitted in May. Moodley says 18 weeks later he is yet to receive a response.The Department of Correctional Services has indicated it will oppose Moodley's bid to force officials to respond to him.Matthews's father, Rob, was not aware of the action, but said he will have his legal team ready to intervene if necessary...

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