Australia: Court acquits mother accused of killing her four children

An Australian court this Thursday annulled the sentences imposed on Kathleen Folbiggwho spent two decades in prison for the murder of her four babies and was pardoned last June after a review of her case determined there was reasonable doubt about her guilt.

“There is reasonable doubt about Ms Folbigg’s guilt, which justifies each of the convictions (on three counts of murder and one of manslaughter) being quashed and the acquittals issued.“, according to the summary of the decision handed down today by the Court of Criminal Appeal of the state of New South Wales.

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The 56-year-old Australian – whose case was reopened in 2021 following an investigation coordinated by a Spanish scientist who linked the deaths to genetic defects – was sentenced in 2003 to 40 years in prison, reduced to 30 years in 2005, for the death of your childrenCaleb, Patricio, Sara It is Laura) between 1989 and 1999, when they were between 19 days and 18 months old.

Kathleen Folbigg (R) and her friend Tracy Chapman (L) arrive at the New South Wales Court of Criminal Appeal in Sydney, Australia, on December 14, 2023. (Photo EFE/EPA/DAN HIMBRECHTS) (DAN HIMBRECHTS/ )

“The time it took to see today’s result cost a lot for many people“, Folbigg said today – once crossed out as”the worst serial killer” in Australia– adding that during all this time he spent in prison “I hoped and prayed that one day I could be here with my name cleared.”.

Today’s decision is based on the findings of the former judge’s review of this case Tom Bathurstwhich concluded that “There is reasonable doubt about Folbigg’s guilt, which is why he asked the Court, in a report submitted last month, to consider acquitting Folbigg or holding a new trial.”.

After examining the report, the Court of Appeal agreed with Bathurst on the data provided by the new scientific evidence and Ms Folbigg’s diary entries, which were used to incriminate her, “were not credible confessions of guilt”, according to the summary of the decision.

“The suffering of an innocent woman can and should be recognized and become an important impetus for improving our justice system“, declared today the lawyer Rhanee Rego in statements to journalists broadcast on the public channel ABC.

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The case was reopened following a letter sent in 2021 to Australian authorities by a hundred scientists – including two Nobel Prize winners – to request Folbigg’s pardon and immediate release.

The trigger for this request were the conclusions reached in 2020 by a team of scientists, coordinated by the Spanish immunologist Carola García de Vinuesa and led by the Danes Michael Toft Overgaardwhich pointed out that the deaths of the Folbigg babies could be due to genetic causes.

Furthermore, the study, by an international team of 27 scientists, found that the children carried rare variants of a gene that kills rodents through epileptic seizures.

Source: Elcomercio