The Hindu : International / Globescan : Mass murderer turns a new leaf

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Oct 31, 2004

International

International - Globescan

Mass murderer turns a new leaf

Johannesburg: South Africa's most prolific mass murderer was released on parole on Friday after serving 12 years in jail for a shooting spree that made him an apartheid folk hero. Louis van Schoor is believed to have shot 101 black people, killing 39 of them, including children, while working as a security guard in the port city of East London. Praised by warders as a model prisoner, Van Schoor walked free on Friday thanks to a sentence reduction for all convicts issued by Nelson Mandela when he was President. The 53-year-old — relaxed and cheerful — spoke to reporters outside the prison gates. He declared himself ``happy that the time has come to join society again'', and said he hoped the public would forget his past and judge him on his future. When prompted, he expressed sorrow to the relatives of his victims. Survivors testified that he captured and killed burglars before calling the police. When there were no thieves, he would drag pedestrians from the street into the premises and shoot them. Under apartheid, Van Schoor was protected by police officers and magistrates who commended his "efficiency" and overlooked the fact that all his victims were black or coloured and that not one carried a gun.

- Guardian Newspapers Limited 2004

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