Parole Board Releases Cancer-Stricken Prisoner Early

Vicki Letele is serving a three-year sentence in a New Zealand prison for fraud, but after being diagnosed with cancer the Parole Board has opted to release her immediately.

Letele has served eight months of her three-year sentence at the Wiri prison. She has terminal stomach cancer and has been regularly undergoing chemotherapy. It's unclear exactly how much longer Letele has, but the Parole Board decided to her live out her remaining days with her family, cutting her sentence short by just over two years.

Though Letele doesn't have to serve the remainder of her sentence behind bars, her early release come with some stipulations. She must live at a designated address and is forbidden from giving financial advice or acting as a financial manager of any kind.

While the decision to release Letele may seem unusual, it's actually within the bounds of the law under section 41 of the Parole Act 2002, which allows for an early release on compassionate grounds.

"The Parole Board appreciates the pain and hurt the family is facing, and has made the release decision on compassionate grounds based on all the known information around her medical condition," the Parole Board said.

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The Letele family is ecstatic to have her home with them, and Letele is "totally euphoric" over the Parole Board's ruling.

[ H/T NZ Herald ]