On Monday, an Australian woman Kathleen Folbigg who had been imprisoned for 20 years in connection with the deaths of her four children was granted a pardon and released. This decision came after new scientific evidence emerged, supporting her long-standing claim that the children died of natural causes.
Kathleen Folbigg, aged 55, received an unconditional pardon
Kathleen Folbigg, aged 55, received an unconditional pardon from New South Wales Gov. Margaret Beazley and was freed from a prison located in the city of Grafton.
New South Wales Attorney General Michael Daley, addressing the media, stated that he had recommended Folbigg’s pardon based on preliminary findings from a second inquiry conducted by former state chief justice Tom Bathurst. Bathurst had been reviewing Folbigg’s 2003 convictions for the manslaughter of her son Caleb, the infliction of grievous bodily harm on her son Patrick, and the murder of her children Patrick, Sarah, and Laura.
In a memo sent to Daley last week, Bathurst expressed his opinion, stating, “I have come to the conclusion that there exists reasonable doubt regarding Ms. Folbigg’s guilt in relation to each of these crimes.” Bathurst cited medical and genetic evidence, as well as the conduct of the trial, as factors contributing to his decision. His final report may recommend overturning Folbigg’s convictions.
A previous inquiry, which concluded in 2019, had determined that there was no reasonable doubt regarding Folbigg’s guilt. The second inquiry was initiated following a petition in 2021, supported by 90 scientists and medical professionals, who argued that new scientific evidence “strongly suggests that the Folbigg children died of natural causes.”
They asserted that “the entire duration of Kathleen Folbigg’s imprisonment is the result of a miscarriage of justice.”