Ford would-be assassin paroled

THE Charles Manson follower convicted of attempting to assassinate US president Gerald Ford will be released from a Texas prison later this month after serving more than 30 years behind bars.

Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme was a 26-year-old disciple of the cult murderer Manson when she aimed a semi-automatic .45-calibre pistol at Ford in September 1975 in Sacramento, California.

But secret service agents grabbed her and Ford was unhurt.

Fromme, now 60, is due to be released on parole from the Federal Medical Centre Carswell in Fort Worth on August 16, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons and the court-appointed lawyer who represented her at trial.