Latest news with #RhaneeRego
The Australian
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Australian
Premier Chris Minns defends $2m payment to Kathleen Folbigg
Premier Chris Minns has defended a $2m payment to Kathleen Folbigg who was wrongfully jailed for 20 years over the deaths of her children, saying the money could not be not pulled from a 'magic pot.' The NSW Government faced backlash over the payment, with Ms Folbigg's lawyer Rhanee Rego calling it 'woefully inadequate and ethically indefensible'. Mr Minns said it was the most amount of money the government could allocate without pulling it from other important programs. 'It's not my money, I don't pull it out of my back pocket, it's the taxpayers of NSW money and it doesn't come from a magic pot,' he said. Kathleen Folbigg spent 20 years behind bars after she was found guilty of causing the deaths of her four children, but was freed in 2003 after new scientific evidence found there was reasonable doubt her children could have died from natural causes or a genetic mutation. Ms Folbigg spent two decades in prison after she was found guilty of causing the deaths of her four children, Patrick (eight months), Laura (10 months), Sarah (19 months) and Caleb (19 days) in 2003. While she was initially given a 30-year jail sentence, Ms Folbigg was released in 2023, after new scientific evidence indicated there was reasonable doubt her children could have died due to natural causes or a rare genetic mutation. The premier said the payment made to Ms Folbigg was non conditional, acknowledging larger settlements from other cases had occurred as a result of legal action. He said Ms Folbigg and her lawyer were free to sue the NSW Government, which would be dealt with if they chose to pursue legal action. Premier Chris Minns said Kathleen Folbigg and her lawyers were free to sue the NSW Government over her wrongful imprisonment after she received a $2m non-conditional payment. Photo: NewsWire/ Gaye Gerard 'This is an ex gratia payment, we're not compelled to do it, we're not currently in litigation,' he said. 'If there were further litigation, we don't take the $2m off the table, we accept that this is an ex gratia, non conditional payment to Ms Folbigg. 'There's no (non disclosure agreement) involved and there's no future action that cannot be pursued by Ms Folbigg or her lawyers,' he said. 'But you have to appreciate it's not my money, this is public money we'd have to take from another initiative.' Lawyer Rhanee Rego, Kathleen Folbigg and friend Tracy Chapman, Picture: NewsWire / Christian Gilles Ms Rego told Nine News on Thursday that the system had failed her client 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,' she said. '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 indicated that they would go back to the government for a better payout. 'We will keep fighting because the government should not be able to think that they can provide a figure like this for taking away two decades of someone's life,' she said.
News.com.au
2 days ago
- News.com.au
NSW Premier Chris Minns defends $2m payment to Kathleen Folbigg who was wrongfully jailed for 20 years
Premier Chris Minns has defended a $2m payment to Kathleen Folbigg who was wrongfully jailed for 20 years over the deaths of her children, saying the money could not be not pulled from a 'magic pot.' The NSW Government faced backlash over the payment, with Ms Folbigg's lawyer Rhanee Rego calling it 'woefully inadequate and ethically indefensible'. Mr Minns said it was the most amount of money the government could allocate without pulling it from other important programs. 'It's not my money, I don't pull it out of my back pocket, it's the taxpayers of NSW money and it doesn't come from a magic pot,' he said. Ms Folbigg spent two decades in prison after she was found guilty of causing the deaths of her four children, Patrick (eight months), Laura (10 months), Sarah (19 months) and Caleb (19 days) in 2003. While she was initially given a 30-year jail sentence, Ms Folbigg was released in 2023, after new scientific evidence indicated there was reasonable doubt her children could have died due to natural causes or a rare genetic mutation. The premier said the payment made to Ms Folbigg was non conditional, acknowledging larger settlements from other cases had occurred as a result of legal action. He said Ms Folbigg and her lawyer were free to sue the NSW Government, which would be dealt with if they chose to pursue legal action. 'This is an ex gratia payment, we're not compelled to do it, we're not currently in litigation,' he said. 'If there were further litigation, we don't take the $2m off the table, we accept that this is an ex gratia, non conditional payment to Ms Folbigg. 'There's no (non disclosure agreement) involved and there's no future action that cannot be pursued by Ms Folbigg or her lawyers,' he said. 'But you have to appreciate it's not my money, this is public money we'd have to take from another initiative.' Ms Rego told Nine News on Thursday that the system had failed her client 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,' she said. '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 indicated that they would go back to the government for a better payout. 'We will keep fighting because the government should not be able to think that they can provide a figure like this for taking away two decades of someone's life,' she said.
The Independent
2 days ago
- The Independent
Woman's lawyer says $2 million compensation offer is ‘profoundly unfair'
Kathleen Folbigg, an Australian woman, has been offered A$2 million (£970,000) in compensation by the New South Wales government after being wrongfully jailed for two decades. Folbigg was convicted in 2003 of murdering three of her children and manslaughter in the death of a fourth, who died between 1989 and 1999. Her convictions were quashed, and she was pardoned and freed in 2023, following an independent inquiry that found new scientific evidence suggesting the children died from natural causes or a genetic mutation. Despite the compensation, Folbigg's lawyer, Rhanee Rego, criticised the payment as 'profoundly unfair and unjust' and 'woefully inadequate', stating the system has failed her client once again. Folbigg, who was once labelled 'the most hated woman in Australia ' by tabloids, had her initial 40-year sentence reduced to 30 years before her eventual exoneration.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
Woman offered $2 million for being wrongfully imprisoned for 20 years
An Australian state has offered A$2 million (£970,000) in compensation to a woman wrongfully jailed for two decades over the deaths of her four young children. Kathleen Folbigg, 58, was convicted in 2003 of murdering three of her children and of manslaughter in the death of the fourth. She was later pardoned, freed and had her convictions quashed in 2023, after an independent inquiry found new scientific evidence that the children could have died from natural causes or a genetic mutation. On Thursday, the state's Attorney General Michael Daley said the New South Wales government had made an ex gratia payment to Folbigg after "extensive consideration" of her compensation claim in July 2024. Such a payment is a voluntary gift that does not arise from a legal obligation. Folbigg's lawyer Rhanee Rego called the payment "profoundly unfair and unjust" as it did not reflect the extent of pain and suffering endured by her client. "The sum offered is a moral affront – woefully inadequate and ethically indefensible," Rego said. "The system has failed Kathleen Folbigg once again." She called for an inquiry into how the figure was decided. Folbigg lost not only her children, but 20 of the best years of her life, and continued to feel lasting effects from the trauma, Rego said. The children, aged between 19 days and 18 months, died over a 10-year period from 1989 to 1999. Folbigg was convicted in 2003 based on the prosecution's case that she had smothered each of them, despite a lack of physical supporting evidence. Her sentence of 40 years was later reduced to 30, with a 25-year period of non-parole on appeal. At the time, tabloids had labelled her "the most hated woman in Australia", and a "monstrous mother", among other epithets. A judicial inquiry in 2019 found the evidence reinforced Folbigg's guilt. But a second inquiry led by former chief justice Thomas Bathurst revisited her convictions in 2022 and concluded there was reasonable doubt about her guilt.
The Independent
3 days ago
- The Independent
Woman offered $2 million for being wrongfully imprisoned for 20 years
An Australian state has offered A$2 million (£970,000) in compensation to a woman wrongfully jailed for two decades over the deaths of her four young children. Kathleen Folbigg, 58, was convicted in 2003 of murdering three of her children and of manslaughter in the death of the fourth. She was later pardoned, freed and had her convictions quashed in 2023, after an independent inquiry found new scientific evidence that the children could have died from natural causes or a genetic mutation. On Thursday, the state's Attorney General Michael Daley said the New South Wales government had made an ex gratia payment to Folbigg after "extensive consideration" of her compensation claim in July 2024. Such a payment is a voluntary gift that does not arise from a legal obligation. Folbigg's lawyer Rhanee Rego called the payment "profoundly unfair and unjust" as it did not reflect the extent of pain and suffering endured by her client. "The sum offered is a moral affront – woefully inadequate and ethically indefensible," Rego said. "The system has failed Kathleen Folbigg once again." She called for an inquiry into how the figure was decided. Folbigg lost not only her children, but 20 of the best years of her life, and continued to feel lasting effects from the trauma, Rego said. The children, aged between 19 days and 18 months, died over a 10-year period from 1989 to 1999. Folbigg was convicted in 2003 based on the prosecution's case that she had smothered each of them, despite a lack of physical supporting evidence. Her sentence of 40 years was later reduced to 30, with a 25-year period of non-parole on appeal. At the time, tabloids had labelled her "the most hated woman in Australia", and a "monstrous mother", among other epithets. A judicial inquiry in 2019 found the evidence reinforced Folbigg's guilt. But a second inquiry led by former chief justice Thomas Bathurst revisited her convictions in 2022 and concluded there was reasonable doubt about her guilt.
