Kathleen Folbigg to get payout after wrongly convicted of killing children

News.com.au

11 hours ago

NSW Attorney-General Michael Daley has decided to make an ex-gratia payment of $2 million to Kathleen Folbigg who was locked up for 20 years after being wrongly convicted of killing her children.
The decision follows 'thorough and extensive consideration of the materials and issues raised in Ms Folbigg's application and provided by her legal representatives', a spokeswoman for Mr Daley said.
'The decision has been communicated to Ms Folbigg via her legal representatives,' the statement continued.
'At Ms Folbigg's request, the Attorney-General and Government have agreed to not publicly discuss the details of the decision.
'The Government will not make further comment on this matter.'
Ms Folbigg was 35 years old when she was locked up in 2003, wrongly convicted of killing her four babies.
The children — Caleb, Patrick, Sarah and Laura — died between 1989 and 1999 at ages ranging from 19 days to 18 months.
She was released from prison in June last year after receiving a pardon following an independent inquiry, which heard new scientific evidence that indicated her children may have died from natural causes or a genetic mutation.
Ms Folbigg's solicitor, Rhanee Rego, has since issued a statement describing the $2 million payment as 'profoundly unfair and unjust'.
Experts had predicted a payment to Ms Folbigg upwards of $10 million.
'The sum offered is a moral affront – woefully inadequate and ethically indefensible,' Ms Rego said.
'The system has failed Kathleen Folbigg once again. Kathleen lost her four children; she lost 20 of the best years of her life; and she continues to feel the lasting effects of this ongoing trauma.
'The payment does not reflect the extent of the pain and suffering Kathleen has endured. This should be about the system recognising the significance of what it did to her.'
Ms Rego said an inquiry is urgently needed to understand how the government decided on this figure.
'When Lindy Chamberlain was exonerated in 1994, she received $1.7 million for three years in prison. Kathleen Folbigg spent two decades in prison, yet for her wrongful imprisonment she has been offered $2 million.
'Kathleen Folbigg's fight should be over. After being failed at her conviction and abused in prison, she is now being treated with contempt by the very system that should be making amends.'
Ms Folbigg recently described how while she might not be locked in a cell any more, she still carried the shackles of 20 years of incarceration.
'I'm always watching who's coming through the door, who's behind me. I won't say fear, it's not a fear, just a bit of trepidation,' she said during an exclusive interview in Newcastle, the place she calls home.
'And I wait for someone else to open doors. When you're inside, you don't open doors or you cop it from the guards.
'I hadn't opened a door for 20 years, so yeah, I even find myself hesitating at my own doors at home.'
'Then there is the anxiety that comes with meeting new people.'