Australia’s worst female serial killer’s guilt ‘reinforced’
Australia’s worst female serial killer Kathleen Folbigg’s guilt in killing her four babies has been reinforced by an inquiry intended to prove her innocence.
Australia’s worst female serial killer Kathleen Folbigg’s guilt in killing her four babies has been reinforced by an inquiry intended to prove her innocence.
Former Chief Judge of the NSW District Court Reginald Blanch said after reviewing its results he did not have “any reasonable doubt” as to Folbigg’s guilt.
The inquiry began in April following a petition by Folbigg’s legal team fuelled by a years’ long campaign which raised doubt over evidence used to convict her and belief in her innocence.
Kathleen Folbigg was found guilty in 2003 of murdering three of her infant children and of the manslaughter of a fourth child.
Folbigg, who killed children Caleb, Patrick, Sarah and Laura between 1989 and 1999, is serving a minimum 25 year sentence in prison.
Part of the evidence which originally convicted Folbigg were diary entries she had written about her children, which included writing about having done “terrible things”.
In another diary entry Folbigg, whose father murdered her mother when she was a child, wrote, “Obviously I’m my father’s daughter”.
The petition to re-examine Folbigg relied upon the reports of four experts and reputedly “fresh evidence”.
Folbigg gave evidence at the inquiry which heard imputations by Folbigg’s former husband Craig that she had “homicidal rages” or “psychological mood swings” made her smother her babies to death.
Folbigg, 51, told Judge Blanch she believed a supernatural power took three of her four children away.
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In a 500-page report released on Monday night, Judge Blanch rejected evidence for Folbigg.
In a statement, NSW Attorney-General Mark Speakman said he had spoken to Craig Folbigg about Judge Blanch’s findings.
“I acknowledge that the decision to commence an inquiry has further aggravated what already was an unimaginable tragedy,” Mr Speakman said.
“I am sorry for the toll that the inquiry has taken on Mr Folbigg and family members over the last year.
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“I hope that the conclusion of the inquiry, and the report’s findings, might provide comfort in some way to the relatives of Caleb, Patrick, Sarah and Laura, and will dispel community concern regarding Folbigg’s convictions.”
Judge Blanch’s findings means Folbigg remains Australia’s worst female serial killer and will stay in prison.
She will be eligible for parole in 2028.