A German backpacker who confessed to strangling a woman during sexual activity is scheduled to be released from prison and deported from Tasmania later this month.
Tobias Pick murdered sex worker Jingai Zhang on Boxing Day in 2020 while engaged in consensual sexual activity with the 49-year-old. He applied pressure to Ms Zhang’s neck in order to enhance sexual stimulation.
Instead of seeking assistance after the incident, Pick stole $2400 from Zhang before fleeing the location.
After pleading guilty to manslaughter and theft, Pick received a five-year prison sentence, with a minimum term of two years and six months.
However, on June 23, he was granted parole and is expected to be freed on July 26.
The Parole Board of Tasmania considered Pick’s expressions of remorse and his productive use of his time in prison during their decision-making process.
Pick actively participated in various educational programs, including mathematics, computer studies, and sewing classes, and consistently displayed good conduct throughout his incarceration.
The board assessed Pick as having a low risk of re-offending and believed that he had strong prospects for rehabilitation and successful reintegration into society in his home country of Germany.
Upon his release, Pick, a qualified boilermaker-welder, is anticipated to pursue a similar line of work in Germany.
