Twenty years after being in jail on the the allegation that she killed her four children Kathleen Folbigg’s convictions have been officially quashed.
In 2003, Ms. Folbigg was convicted for murdering three of her children, and for manslaughter in the death of her fourth between 1989 and 1999 in New South Wales, Australia.
She was pardoned in June after evidence proving her innocence came to light – but has now had the convictions officially expunged by the state.
Her lawyer now says she is preparing to claim “substantial” compensation.
Folbigg maintained her innocence and said the children had died of natural causes over a decade, from 1989 to 1999.
In 2019, an initial inquiry into the case reaffirmed her guilt, but in 2022, a second inquiry found new evidence suggesting two of the children had a genetic mutation that may have caused their deaths.
Folbigg was released from prison in June this year after being pardoned.
“I am grateful that updated science and genetics has given me answers as to how my children died,” an emotional Folbigg told reporters outside a criminal appeals court in Sydney.
“However, even in 1999, we had legal answers to prove my innocence. They were ignored. And dismissed,” she said.
“The system preferred to blame me rather than accept that sometimes, children can and do die suddenly, unexpectedly, and heartbreakingly.”
Credits: Sky News
