California governor says he won’t contest parole ruling of Manson follower Leslie Van Houten

The Charles Manson follower could be free in about two weeks, after spending more than 50 years in prison for two murders

Charles Manson follower Leslie Van Houten could be freed in about two weeks after California governor Gavin Newsom announced he will not ask the state supreme court to reverse her parole. The move paves the way for Van Houten's release after spending more than 50 years in a southern California prison for two murders in 1969.

The governor's office said an appeal against a parole ruling by a California appeals court was unlikely - the court only accepts reviews in about 3% of cases petitioned - to succeed and that Newsom was disappointed. The governor had previously rejected parole for Van Houten but on 30 May an appellate court overturned that decision.