GIST:" Wrongly convicted mother Kathleen Folbigg says genetic testing should be made more readily available to avoid other people experiencing a similar fate.
Ms Folbigg served more than 20 years in prison after being convicted of killing her four children, before she was released and acquitted in 2023 after an inquiry heard there was reasonable doubt about her guilt based on new scientific evidence.
The children, Caleb, Patrick, Sarah and Laura, died between 1989 and 1999 at ages ranging from 19 days to 18 months.
Experts said during the inquiry a rare genetic variation was a "reasonably possible cause" of the deaths of Sarah and Laura.
Speaking at the Universities Australia Solutions Summit in Canberra, Ms Folbigg said greate"Genetic science did play quite a large role in having me released, and one of my dreams .... would be standard genetic testing before a situation like mine was to arise again, that genetic testing is done before you cock the hammer of a gun and fire," she told the summit on Tuesday.
"It was certainly a rocky road to try to get people to listen."
Ms Folbigg said genetic testing had rapidly developed in the two decades since she was tried and convicted and that it could provide other benefits to future parents.
She said law enforcement should also have greater access to the scientific tools.
"I'd like to think that investigators in the first place, instead of just automatically going 'whoever the primary carer is, it's their fault', to expand their investigative tools that are available and make genetic testing one of their tools would be better," Ms Folbigg said.
While Ms Folbigg is seeking compensation for her wrongful conviction, her lawyer Rhanee Rego said there were still delays in receiving any form of payment.
"We're relying on the goodwill of NSW politicians at the moment, and I can tell you, there's been virtually no goodwill up until this point," she told the summit.
"They still haven't given us, they won't give us a timeframe."
Ms Folbigg said compensation from the state government would allow her to have closure from the wrongful imprisonment.
"Everything will have been answered. Everything will have been done, as much as can be done," she said."
The entire story can be read at:
Folbigg urges genetic testing expansion after acquittal
Andrew Brown
24 February 2025·2-min read
Wrongly convicted mother Kathleen Folbigg says genetic testing should be made more readily available to avoid other people experiencing a similar fate.
Ms Folbigg served more than 20 years in prison after being convicted of killing her four children, before she was released and acquitted in 2023 after an inquiry heard there was reasonable doubt about her guilt based on new scientific evidence.
The children, Caleb, Patrick, Sarah and Laura, died between 1989 and 1999 at ages ranging from 19 days to 18 months.
Experts said during the inquiry a rare genetic variation was a "reasonably possible cause" of the deaths of Sarah and Laura.
Speaking at the Universities Australia Solutions Summit in Canberra, Ms Folbigg said greater access to genetic testing was needed.
"Genetic science did play quite a large role in having me released, and one of my dreams .... would be standard genetic testing before a situation like mine was to arise again, that genetic testing is done before you cock the hammer of a gun and fire," she told the summit on Tuesday.
"It was certainly a rocky road to try to get people to listen."
Ms Folbigg said genetic testing had rapidly developed in the two decades since she was tried and convicted and that it could provide other benefits to future parents.
She said law enforcement should also have greater access to the scientific tools.
"I'd like to think that investigators in the first place, instead of just automatically going 'whoever the primary carer is, it's their fault', to expand their investigative tools that are available and make genetic testing one of their tools would be better," Ms Folbigg said.
While Ms Folbigg is seeking compensation for her wrongful conviction, her lawyer Rhanee Rego said there were still delays in receiving any form of payment.
"We're relying on the goodwill of NSW politicians at the moment, and I can tell you, there's been virtually no goodwill up until this point," she told the summit.
"They still haven't given us, they won't give us a timeframe."
Ms Folbigg said compensation from the state government would allow her to have closure from the wrongful imprisonment.
"Everything will have been answered. Everything will have been done, as much as can be done," she said."
The entire story can be read at:
https://au.news.yahoo.com/folbigg-urges-genetic-testing-expansion-044403003.htmlhttps://authory.com/HaroldLevy
Harold Levy: Publisher: The Charles Smith Blog.
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PUBLISHER'S NOTE: I am monitoring this case/issue/resource. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog for reports on developments. The Toronto Star, my previous employer for more than twenty incredible years, has put considerable effort into exposing the harm caused by Dr. Charles Smith and his protectors - and into pushing for reform of Ontario's forensic pediatric pathology system. The Star has a "topic" section which focuses on recent stories related to Dr. Charles Smith. It can be found at: http://www.thestar.com/topic/charlessmith. Information on "The Charles Smith Blog Award"- and its nomination process - can be found at: http://smithforensic.blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-smith-blog-award-nominations.html Please send any comments or information on other cases and issues of interest to the readers of this blog to: hlevy15@gmail.com. Harold Levy: Publisher: The Charles Smith Blog.
SEE BREAKDOWN OF SOME OF THE ON-GOING INTERNATIONAL CASES (OUTSIDE OF THE CONTINENTAL USA) THAT I AM FOLLOWING ON THIS BLOG, AT THE LINK BELOW: HL:
https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/120008354894645705/4704913685758792985
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FINAL WORD: (Applicable to all of our wrongful conviction cases): "Whenever there is a wrongful conviction, it exposes errors in our criminal legal system, and we hope that this case — and lessons from it — can prevent future injustices."
Lawyer Radha Natarajan:
Executive Director: New England Innocence Project;
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FINAL, FINAL WORD: "Since its inception, the Innocence Project has pushed the criminal legal system to confront and correct the laws and policies that cause and contribute to wrongful convictions. They never shied away from the hard cases — the ones involving eyewitness identifications, confessions, and bite marks. Instead, in the course of presenting scientific evidence of innocence, they've exposed the unreliability of evidence that was, for centuries, deemed untouchable." So true!
Christina Swarns: Executive Director: The Innocence Project;
