Latest news with #serial killer
RNZ News
2 days ago
- RNZ News
Kathleen Folbigg speaks out against 'insulting' $2 million compensation payment
By Courtney Barrett Peters, ABC Kathleen Folbigg was "shocked" with the NSW government's $2 million compensation offer over her wrongful imprisonment. Photo: Handout / courtesy of Kathleen Folbigg / AFP Australian woman Kathleen Folbigg has vowed to keep on fighting, describing a $2 million ex gratia payment as a "lowball" and "insulting" attempt to compensate her wrongful imprisonment. Once labelled Australia's worst female serial killer, Ms Folbigg was found guilty in 2003 of killing her four young children and spent 20 years behind bars . In 2023, her convictions were quashed when new medical evidence emerged to suggest her children died of natural causes. Last week, the NSW Attorney-General Michael Daley granted her the compensation payout , which has since attracted widespread criticism from legal and scientific experts for being "totally inadequate". Speaking out for the first time, Ms Folbigg said the lack of transparency as to how the state government came to that sum has left her feeling "confused" and "shocked". "Is it set-up money? Or is it just an, 'Okay, we need to get this off our books?'," she said. "It feels like it was a tick the box, let's get this done sort of situation without too much feeling, empathy or understanding going on in the process. "It's pretty much a slap in the face." Ex gratia payments are made at the discretion of the government. Ms Folbigg applied for one in 2024. Ms Folbigg thought her "fighting days" would be over when she received reparations, but instead she felt like it was "go away" money. "We're all exhausted and tired, but it looks like there's one more fight just yet," she said. Having missed what, she called "the best years of her life" in jail, Ms Folbigg had hoped the compensation would help her to be "comfortable for the rest of [her] life," and provide her with some financial security. "Realistically, I've got no option really to be getting [superannuation]. "I'm honest enough to say mental health care is going to be needed for the rest of my life after this, and that is not free." Kathleen Folbigg says she's missed the best years of her life while in jail. Photo: ABC News She addedhow her life-long dream to own a home has been crushed, as well as her wish to repay her pro bono legal team . When asked how much the state government should instead have compensated her, she said she was unable to put a number on it. "How do you put a figure on your life?" she replied. Over two years on from her release, Ms Folbigg feels failed. She claims NSW Premier Chris Minns has refused to sit down with her and her legal team to discuss compensation, and has not offered her an apology. "I've never had a 'Terribly sorry you've gone through this Ms Folbigg and that's a little bit concerning'," she said. On Monday, Mr Minns rejected suggestions the Attorney-General decided on that figure because he "isn't convinced of her innocence ," instead doubling down on his previous comments that $2 million was all the state could afford. "Obviously the Attorney-General would never have pardoned Kathleen Folbigg if there was any question about her innocence in the eyes of the law and that shouldn't be forgotten as part of the government's decisions here," Mr Minns said. The NSW premier doubled down on comments that $2 million was all the state could afford. Photo: ABC News "We don't have $20 million, $30 million, $15 million just lying around - it necessarily has to come from other programs." Despite conceding the sum does not reflect the length of time Ms Folbigg unjustly spent behind bars, Mr Minns reiterated the 58-year-old and her lawyers were free to sue his government if they wished to seek further compensation. "When you've seen large-scale payments from the government … it's usually, in fact as far as I know, only on the back of a settlement reached between the state and the individual as a result of civil litigation. "This wasn't a settlement, it's an ex gratia payment. "I understand there are people who contributed to Kathleen Folbigg's release who were pro bono for her over that period of time, but I need to make a decision on whether the state government has to pay those lawyers, and I can't justify it," he said. Folbigg says she has struggled moving on from the death of her youngest daughter, Laura. Photo: Supplied / ABC Ms Folbigg has always maintained her innocence over the deaths of her children Caleb, Patrick, Sarah and Laura Folbigg. They all died when they were babies or toddlers between 1989 and 1999, in the state's Hunter region. While she managed to grieve their deaths "in a very different manner", Ms Folbigg said she has particularly struggled to move on from her youngest, Laura's passing. "I think enough time has gone past … I don't baulk at talking about them," she said. "They deserve the respect [of] being spoken about. They existed, they lived, they died." Two decades after she was wrongfully convicted, new genetic testing helped cast reasonable doubt over her guilt. Ms Folbigg said that if she's awarded further compensation in the future, she wants to help people with cases like hers, and bring genetic testing to the forefront of evidence. She also wishes to support women who have experienced losing children. - ABC Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
ABC News
2 days ago
- ABC News
Kathleen Folbigg speaks out against 'insulting' $2 million compensation payment
Kathleen Folbigg has vowed to keep on fighting, describing a $2 million ex gratia payment as a "lowball" and "insulting" attempt to compensate her wrongful imprisonment. Once labelled Australia's worst female serial killer, Ms Folbigg was found guilty in 2003 of killing her four young children and spent 20 years behind bars. In 2023, her convictions were quashed when new medical evidence emerged to suggest her children died of natural causes. Last week, the NSW Attorney-General Michael Daley granted her the compensation payout, which has since attracted widespread criticism from legal and scientific experts for being "totally inadequate". Speaking out for the first time, Ms Folbigg said the lack of transparency as to how the state government came to that sum has left her feeling "confused" and "shocked". "Is it set-up money? Or is it just an, 'Okay, we need to get this off our books?'," she said. "It feels like it was a tick the box, let's get this done sort of situation without too much feeling, empathy or understanding going on in the process. "It's pretty much a slap in the face." Ex gratia payments are made at the discretion of the government. Ms Folbigg applied for one in 2024. Ms Folbigg thought her "fighting days" would be over when she received reparations, but instead she felt like it was "go away" money. "We're all exhausted and tired, but it looks like there's one more fight just yet," she said. Having missed what, she called "the best years of her life" in jail, Ms Folbigg had hoped the compensation would help her to be "comfortable for the rest of [her] life," and provide her with some financial security. "Realistically, I've got no option really to be getting [superannuation]. "I'm honest enough to say mental health care is going to be needed for the rest of my life after this, and that is not free." She addedhow her life-long dream to own a home has been crushed, as well as her wish to repay her pro bono legal team. When asked how much the state government should instead have compensated her, she said she was unable to put a number on it. Over two years on from her release, Ms Folbigg feels failed. She claims NSW Premier Chris Minns has refused to sit down with her and her legal team to discuss compensation, and has not offered her an apology. "I've never had a 'Terribly sorry you've gone through this Ms Folbigg and that's a little bit concerning'," she said. On Monday, Mr Minns rejected suggestions the Attorney-General decided on that figure because he "isn't convinced of her innocence," instead doubling down on his previous comments that $2 million was all the state could afford. "Obviously the Attorney-General would never have pardoned Kathleen Folbigg if there was any question about her innocence in the eyes of the law and that shouldn't be forgotten as part of the government's decisions here," Mr Minns said. "We don't have $20 million, $30 million, $15 million just lying around — it necessarily has to come from other programs." Despite conceding the sum does not reflect the length of time Ms Folbigg unjustly spent behind bars, Mr Minns reiterated the 58-year-old and her lawyers were free to sue his government if they wished to seek further compensation. "When you've seen large-scale payments from the government … it's usually, in fact as far as I know, only on the back of a settlement reached between the state and the individual as a result of civil litigation. "This wasn't a settlement, it's an ex gratia payment. "I understand there are people who contributed to Kathleen Folbigg's release who were pro bono for her over that period of time, but I need to make a decision on whether the state government has to pay those lawyers, and I can't justify it," he said. Ms Folbigg has always maintained her innocence over the deaths of her children Caleb, Patrick, Sarah and Laura Folbigg. They all died when they were babies or toddlers between 1989 and 1999, in the state's Hunter region. While she managed to grieve their deaths "in a very different manner", Ms Folbigg said she has particularly struggled to move on from her youngest, Laura's passing. "I think enough time has gone past … I don't baulk at talking about them," she said. "They deserve the respect [of] being spoken about. They existed, they lived, they died." Two decades after she was wrongfully convicted, new genetic testing helped cast reasonable doubt over her guilt. Ms Folbigg said that if she's awarded further compensation in the future, she wants to help people with cases like hers, and bring genetic testing to the forefront of evidence. She also wishes to support women who have experienced losing children.
Irish Times
02-08-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Times
Author Joseph Birchall: ‘Crime fiction can bring us something we don't often see in reality - justice'
Tell me about your debut novel In Plain Sight . It's a crime thriller based in Dublin with a couple of twists along the way. Darcy Doyle is a rookie in the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation, and she's paired up with the once brilliant and now weather-beaten Mick Kelly. There's a serial killer on the Dublin streets, but meanwhile, as they try to catch the killer, Darcy's own secretive past is catching up with her. At the book's core are two very different characters - the keen but green Darcy Doyle and the somewhat jaded and cynical Mick Kelly. Why do you think they work as a duo? They don't realise it at first, but they both need each other. Darcy has experienced childhood trauma, but she can't show any vulnerability in her work as a detective. This is detrimental to her personal relationships. Her job is her prop. Mick's crutch is the drink. In the 1990s you came close to having a feature film made with David Anspaugh, who directed Gene Hackman in Hoosiers. Tell us a little about the story and how the experience ultimately stalled your writing? My wife found my 20-year-old screenplay in a box in the attic (I know that sounds made up!). It was a coming-of-age film called Stuck on Orange about four lads in Dublin who risk everything to improve their lives. I suppose, looking back, being so close to such big success when I lived in California, which ultimately got shelved, turned me away from writing for quite some time. Thankfully, after finding the script, my wife encouraged me back to putting pen to paper once again. To fail, fail again and fail better. If your book were to be adapted for film, who would play Darcy and Mick? Dream casting would be Saoirse Ronan and Colin Farrell - minus the penguin suit. READ MORE You spent years working on a kibbutz. Have you considered writing about that experience? What do you make of Israel/Palestine today? My heart is broken for the people of the region, particularly the children of Gaza who are experiencing generational trauma. An Israeli friend's brother is still being held hostage today. It makes me realise how lucky we are to have had peace on our island for the last three decades. If anything, that still gives me hope. Your family has been living in Tallaght in Dublin for more than 100 years, and the city and its more marginalised are central to the novel. Did you draw on your own experience in writing the book? I had a very fortunate upbringing in Tallaght with two hardworking parents and a loving and supportive family and community, so fortunately, I haven't had any of the kinds of experiences that befalls Darcy. Reading books by investigative journalists such as Paul Williams, Nicola Tallant, Paul Reynolds and Pat Marry helped me gain vital procedural knowledge of the crime world. Irish crime titles seem to be enjoying phenomenal popularity. Why do you think that is? What drew you to the genre? We see so much inequality and transgression in everyday life that crime fiction, and indeed other genres, can bring us something we don't often see in reality - justice. The crime is solved, redemption is meted out and the killer is rightly punished. You left Ireland in the 1990s and lived in France, Israel and California before returning home. How has Ireland changed? We're a more confident people than we once were, more self-aware, and we take pride in who we are, but I think we've managed to retain our unique blend of social righteousness and having the craic. You are the co-founder and director of . Is there a link between entrepreneurship and creativity? You most definitely need to be creative when building a business and not be averse to taking risks. There's more cognitive liberty when writing, though, but the financial rewards are not as good! Well, not yet - maybe if the movie comes off! Which projects are you working on? Reported Missing, book two of the Darcy Doyle series is with the editor and is due to appear in 2026, and book three is about to go off to Poolbeg Press for their initial… let's call it 'appraisal'. Have you ever made a literary pilgrimage? I once went to London in my early 20s to visit 221b Baker Street, fictional home of Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson. I still have the photo! What is the best writing advice you have heard? Read Stephen King 's book – On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft . Who do you admire the most? My wife. (I know, I know!) You are supreme ruler for a day. Which law do you pass or abolish? That all children become the number one priority for every government – their education and their wellbeing. Which current book, film and podcast would you recommend? Colm Tóibín – Long Island (if you've already read Brooklyn ) Mission Impossible – The Final Reckoning The Rich Roll Podcast The most remarkable place you have visited? Jerusalem. Your most treasured possession? My Dad's radio. What is the most beautiful book that you own? A first edition of The Borstal Boy. The best and worst things about where you live? The best things are the location, the community, nearby family, and the view of the Dublin Mountains. The worst is like everywhere in Dublin: traffic. What is your favourite quotation? Motivation follows action. Always. Who is your favourite fictional character? Too many, but Lisbeth Salander popped into my head first. A book to make me laugh? Catch-22 by Joseph Heller. A book that might move me to tears? The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini.
