She always maintained her innocence. But it was only after 20 years in prison that a mother in Australia was acquitted.
Sydney – Kathleen Folbigg was convicted in 2003 of the murder of three children and the manslaughter of a fourth child. A court in Sydney (Australia) overturned the murder sentence on Thursday. New scientific evidence had cast strong doubts about their guilt.
“Australia’s worst serial killer” was wrongfully imprisoned for 20 years
Folbigg, who was considered “Australia's worst serial killer” for many years, was previously pardoned and released from prison in June after 20 years in prison.
“For almost a quarter of a century I faced disbelief and hostility,” Folbigg said after her acquittal. “I am grateful that new science and genetics have given me answers about how my children died.”
Prosecutors accused her of suffocating her four small children between 1989 and 1999. The youngest child died at 19 days old and the eldest was 18 months old.
Guilty verdict was based on diary entries
In the absence of forensic evidence, prosecutors argued at the time that it was extremely unlikely that four children had died suddenly and without explanation. She also referred to her mother's diary entries, which, according to the public prosecutor's office, could be understood as admissions of guilt.
However, new scientific findings in recent years have suggested that the children died as a result of rare genetic defects and birth defects. Among other things, the Australian Academy of Sciences advocated for Folbigg. The woman in her mid-50s was pardoned and released from prison in June after a thorough review of the case.
The 2003 verdict has now been officially overturned. Folbigg's lawyer Rhanee Rego subsequently said that her client was now entitled to “significant” damages.
In the so-called “bathtub murder,” even the public prosecutor’s office called for an acquittal in the retrial in summer 2023. Manfred Genditzki was wrongly imprisoned for 13 years. (ml/afp)
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