The convictions of a lady who was formerly referred to as "Australia's worst mother" for the murder of her four children had already been overturned.
In a decision that was handed down on Thursday, the Supreme Court of New South Wales stated that the evidence that was initially used to put Kathleen Folbigg in jail was "not reliable."
After serving twenty years in prison, the individual, who was 56 years old at the time, was granted a pardon and freedom by the state administration in June. However, Ms. Folbigg stated that evidence of her innocence had been "ignored and disregarded" for decades, despite the fact that she welcomed the most recent news.
She made this statement on Thursday outside of court. "The system preferred to blame me rather than recognise that sometimes children can and do die abruptly and unexpectedly and heartbreakingly," she added.
A number of people have referred to the case of Ms. Folbigg as one of the most significant instances of injustice in Australia.
Her four infant children, Caleb, Patrick, Sarah, and Laura, all passed away unexpectedly between the years 1989 and 1999, with ages ranging from 19 days to 18 months.
The circumstances surrounding their deaths were documented in this document. It was alleged by the prosecution that she had suffocated them during her trial.
The prosecution relied on circumstantial evidence, including Ms. Folbigg's journals, which were never reviewed by psychologists or psychiatrists, in order to portray her as an unstable mother who was prone to fury.
She was found guilty of the murders of Sarah, Patrick, and Laura, as well as the manslaughter of Caleb, and she was sentenced to forty years in prison in the year 2003.
The sentence was later reduced to thirty years on appeal; nonetheless, Ms. Folbigg was unsuccessful in a series of judicial challenges that aimed to reverse her convictions of the crime.
An investigation into her case that was considered to be a milestone came to the conclusion earlier this year that there was reasonable doubt regarding her guilt.
This was due to the fact that scientific studies indicated that her children could have died of natural causes due to extremely unusual gene mutations. Furthermore, Chief Justice Andrew Bell stated that it was the "substantial and broad body" of fresh evidence that contributed to Ms. Folbigg being exonerated of all charges on Thursday.
Although they confirmed that they would now pursue compensation on Ms. Folbigg's behalf, they did not specify how much compensation they would seek.
The case has grabbed the attention of people all around the world and has led to allegations that the legal system in Australia is reluctant to react to advances in scientific knowledge.
Ms. Folbigg expressed her gratitude by stating that she is grateful that modern technology and genetics have provided her with answers as to how her children passed away.
On the other hand, while it was 1999, they had legal solutions to prove that she was innocent.
The prosecution took her statements out of context and used them as evidence against her. She also expressed hope that no one else will ever have to go through what she went through.
