Carte Blanche: Ashley Oosthuizen Locked Up In Thailand. Will Her Ex Hand Himself In?

A month ago, Ashley Oosthuizen from George, South Africa, turned 23…. celebrating her birthday for the second year running in a Thai prison, for a crime she allegedly had nothing to do with. According to people who worked with her, she was given a life sentence after being made to sign her name on a delivery package that didn’t belong to her. This Sunday Carte Blanche finds out more.

Presenter Masa Kekana says: “Ashley Oosthuizen’s story is a reminder of the other side of the fairytale of moving abroad for a gap year or more. It brings great adventure, experience, and exposure to the world. But spur-of-the-moment decisions made in that time can affect you for a lifetime.”

You can watch Carte Blanche on Sunday 3 April in South Africa on DStv Now or stream it overseas on Showmax International in most countries from 5 April if you’re abroad.

Love and Lock-Up

Ashley Oosthuizen was a 21-year-old on the adventure of a lifetime. Tristan Nettles was the self-proclaimed, womanising drug dealer coining it on the dark web in Thailand – a country notoriously tough on drug smuggling. Their toxic love affair exposed young Ashley to a police raid where she was caught in possession of a drugs package addressed to Tristan’s business partner.

In a very long confession online, published on 15 February, Nettles said Ashley was innocent for a “crime that I and others committed”. He called on the world to share her story so that she can be freed before she meets with an unfortunate “accident” in Thai custody.

Nettles admits: “I myself am a former international drug trafficker and medical school student with a long criminal record stretching back to an assault with a deadly weapons charge that I received back when I was only 11 years old.”

He says Ashley was 19 when he met her, at a Halloween party on Koh Samui. He was 32 (and claims he had already bedded over 200 women). She was a kindergarten teacher and he a high school teacher at a leading international school. He says he made most of his money however from selling drugs to expats, but never told Ashley what he was doing.

“I never told a nineteen year old girl what I was doing. I never talked to Ashley about any of my business dealings… Ashley only ever asked me twice about drugs and I told her not to worry about it both times and that it was not her concern.”

#AshleyOosthuizen is facing a minimum of 50 years in a Thailand prison for international drug trafficking. @MasaKekana asks Ashley's lawyer, Lizelle Martins, if she knew her boyfriend Tristan Nettles was a drug dealer. More on #CarteBlanche this Sunday 7pm on #MNet101. pic.twitter.com/NGGAUAwZtx

— Carte Blanche (@carteblanchetv) April 2, 2022

When Ashley couldn’t find work because of not having a four-year degree, she became manager of Nettles’ new restaurant, Hot in the Biscuit. While Nettles was in the US visiting family (and by now living in Ukraine) he sent a package to his business partner Dave via the biscuit shop. He claims the police received a tip off from a disgruntled former school colleague, that the biscuit shop was being used to smuggle drugs.

Nettles says the shop was busy the day his 250g package of mdma was delivered and that Ashley was set up. She recognised Dave’s name on the package, and since the delivery man was adamant she signed – she did. She didn’t open the box, and went back to work. Ten minutes later the police arrived, says Nettles.

Nettles, and others online, point fingers at corrupt officials and cover-ups; they allege that Ashley’s first lawyer made errors, and that her family didn’t do enough. But no matter what is or isn’t true, there’s a 23-year-old once bubbly blonde South African – whose friends have posted photos and tributes to the most caring, honest and wonderful friend a person could wish for – whose future may depend on her story capturing the attention of the world.

“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,” says Nettles. Her house was searched and no drugs were found. Nettles says she was forced to sign a document written in Thai, which turned out to be a confession of her guilt.

Ashely now faces at least a further excruciating 48 birthdays in Thailand’s infamous prison system. As Oosthuizen’s legal team submits a pardon plea to His Majesty King Rama X, Carte Blanche asks Nettles whether he has any remorse. And will he hand himself over to authorities for international drug trafficking? (Producer: Tarryn Crossman | Presenter: Masa Kekana)

Facebook page ‘A voice for Ashley Oosthuizen’ says the royal pardon “could take years as well, so keep on sharing her story and giving her a voice! ?”

https://youtu.be/OXYOPbwoI0g

Watch Carte Blanche if you’re overseas | Watch in SA on DStv Now

Also on Carte Blanche this Sunday, 3 April

War’s Bitter Harvest

Live from Ukraine… Carte Blanche counts the human and economic cost of Russia’s invasion which will enter its sixth week next week. Despite promises of peace, Russian air and ground attacks remain unrelenting despite Ukraine’s commitment not to join NATO. Meanwhile, the African Development Bank has issued a warning of a large-scale food crisis as natural gas, wheat, and fertiliser prices skyrocket. (Producer & Presenter: Anina Peens)

“We agonised over sending someone to Ukraine: why this war and not others? What access are we likely to get? Is it worth the risk? Do South Africans care? Some questions were easier to answer than others. But, having despatched a producer and cameraman to the region, our challenge now is to tell a compelling and relevant story. And, without losing sight of the immediate human cost, examining the catastrophic impact on global food and fuel pricing should bring home this war’s many unexpected consequences,” says John Webb, Executive Producer.

https://youtu.be/glZcqa9rs3Y

Watch the show overseas | Watch in SA on DStv Now

The Reckoning

Justice can be difficult to come by for the adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse. But one woman’s quest to reckon with the past has revealed more victims and, together, they are facing off against the 80-year-old man they say molested them. In 2018, the Constitutional Court ruled these crimes can be prosecuted, no matter how long ago the abuse took place. Now, some remarkable adults are demanding a price for a childhood tainted by suffering. In collaboration with Primedia’s 567 Cape Talk, Carte Blanche meets three courageous women out for justice decades after suffering the abuse. (Producer: Ntokozo Sindane | Presenter: Claire Mawisa)

https://youtu.be/28T_j0VDMIs

Watch the show overseas | Watch in SA on DStv Now

Endurance Emerges

It’s the moment historians and explorers have worked toward for decades. With long-awaited favourable conditions, divers could penetrate the frigid depths usually covered in ice to get a glimpse of the ship’s name – ENDURANCE. Carte Blanche brings this remarkable story including underwater footage never-before-seen in South Africa of the discovery of this long searched-for wreck. It’s considered one of the greatest ships to ever sail. On the centenary of Antarctic explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton’s death, we meet the South Africans who contributed to this spellbinding find. (Carol Albertyn-Christie | Presenter: Bongani Bingwa)

Watch the show overseas | Watch in SA on DStv Now

https://youtu.be/9wAf0idDijo

If you’re in SA – you can watch Carte Blanche on DStv Now.

If you’re overseas – you can watch #CarteBlanche from Tuesdays, and thousands of other popular local South African shows & movies by subscribing to Showmax International now. You can try it FREE for 14 days. 

Carte Blanche is on M-Net & M-Net HD [101], 3 April 2022  at 19:00 & & again on M-Net Plus 1 [901] at 20:00

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