Australian woman found innocent after spending 20 years in jail over deaths of her four children

Once branded "Australia's worst female serial killer" Kathleen Folbigg, who has spent 20 years in jail for murdering her four children, has been pardoned. As per BBC, the woman was pardoned after new evidence suggested that she in fact did not kill her infant children.

Folbigg was convicted by a jury for the deaths of Caleb, Patrick, Sarah, and Laura over a period of ten years.

However, a recent investigation revealed that scientists believe the children may have died from natural causes.

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Miscarriage of justice

This case has been widely regarded as a grave miscarriage of justice in Australia.Throughout the ordeal, Folbigg has consistently maintained her innocence.

In 2003, the mother of four was sentenced to 25 years in prison for the murders of three children and the manslaughter of her first son, Caleb.

The children, ranging in age from 19 days to 19 months, died suddenly between 1989 and 1999. Prosecutors at the time alleged that she had suffocated them.

Previous appeals

On 24 October 2003, Folbigg was sentenced to forty years' imprisonment with a non-parole period of thirty years.

An appeal in 2005 reduced her sentence to thirty years imprisonment with a non-parole period of twenty-five years.

However, the appeal and a 2019 inquiry did not find sufficient grounds to question her guilt and heavily relied on circumstantial evidence from her original trial.

The new evidence

This pardon follows a long-standing campaign advocating for the woman's release, which was sparked by a team of immunologists discovering a genetic mutation shared by her daughters that could cause sudden cardiac death.

The recent inquiry, led by a retired judge and former state chief justice Tom Bathurst, prompted prosecutors to acknowledge that advances in genetic research on gene mutations had altered their understanding of the children's deaths.

Additionally, evidence surfaced indicating that her sons possessed a different genetic mutation associated with sudden-onset epilepsy in mice.

On Monday, the New South Wales Attorney General, Michael Daley, announced that Bathurst had concluded that there was reasonable doubt about Folbigg's guilt in each case.

As per Guardian, Bathurst told the attorney general that he had reached "a firm view that there was reasonable doubt as to the guilt of Ms Folbigg for each of the offences for which she was originally tried".

Consequently, the governor of New South Wales signed a full pardon, ordering Folbigg's immediate release from prison.

However, the pardon does not erase Folbigg's convictions. Her supporters on Monday reportedly began calling for "very, very significant" compensation for her.

A decision about Folbigg's convictions would be made by the Court of Criminal Appeal if Bathurst decides to refer the case to them.

(With inputs from agencies)

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