Following 20 years in prison for the “terrible ordeal” of killing her four young children, an Australian mother was pardoned and released on Monday.
Wrongly Accused For Manslaughter
When Kathleen Folbigg was found guilty in 2003 of killing three of her children and manslaughter, a fourth, she was labelled “Australia’s worst female serial killer”.
The children, who died between the ages of nine weeks and three years, were claimed by the prosecution to have been suffocated, but Folbigg has stubbornly maintained that each death was brought on by natural reasons.
Numerous researchers from Australia and overseas joined a petition in 2021, asking for Folbigg’s release, citing new forensic findings that revealed the mysterious deaths may have been related to congenital anomalies or rare genetic mutations.
Folbigg was pardoned, according to New South Wales Attorney-General Michael Daley, after an investigation that was started in May 2022 revealed “reasonable doubt” about the convictions.
He told reporters: “This has been a terrible ordeal for everyone involved, and I hope that our actions today put some resolution to this 20-year matter”.
On Monday morning, Folbigg, 55, was released from a jail in Grafton, in the state of New South Wales, where she had been incarcerated for at least 25 years.
The Verdict
“We’ve received confirmation that Ms Folbigg has walked free this morning and that she is in the sunlight, she’s now free from prison,” said supporter Sue Higginson, a Greens politician.
“It is a massive relief for all of those who have stood by Ms Folbigg.”
In the absence of firm forensic evidence, prosecutors had argued that it was extremely unlikely four children would suddenly die without explanation.
But retired judge Tom Bathurst, who led the inquiry, said subsequent investigations uncovered medical conditions that could account for three of the deaths.
The four children died between 1989 and 1999.
Bathurst said Sarah and Laura Folbigg possessed a rare genetic mutation, while Patrick Folbigg may have had an “underlying neurogenic condition”.
Given these factors, Bathurst found the death of Caleb Folbigg was also no longer suspicious.
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He said he was unable to accept that “Folbigg was anything but a caring mother for her children”.
Folbigg’s friend Peter Yates said he was “absolutely delighted”.
“What we’re particularly pleased about is that he’s given Kathleen a full pardon,” he told national broadcaster ABC.
“That means that she’s free to live her life as a normal citizen and that makes a big difference to her.”
While the pardon lifts Folbigg’s prison sentence, Yates noted she would need to apply separately through the court system to have the convictions overturned, a process that could take “two or three years”.
The Australian Academy of Science, which helped to spark the inquiry, said it was “relieved” to see justice for Folbigg.
