AUSTRALIA'S "worst female serial killer" Kathleen Folbigg has been cleared of murdering her four babies after a bombshell update in her case.
The 55-year-old woman was immediately released from prison today after evidence suggested the real cause of death of her four children.
In 2003, Folbigg was jailed for 25 years after she was convicted of three murder charges and one count of manslaughter.
She has always maintained her innocence but subsequently spent the last 20 years behind bars, which is now being described as one of Australia's greatest miscarriages of justice.
The backflip comes after an inquiry heard that scientists believed the children may have died naturally.
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Headed by retired judge Tom Bathurst, prosecutors accepted that research on gene mutations had changed their understanding of the children's deaths.
Each youngster died suddenly between 1989 and 1999, aged between 19 days and 19 months.
Originally, prosecutors alleged at her trial that Folbigg smothered them to death.
But genetic evidence suggested the children could have suffered from a rare mutation.
At the inquiry, a team of immunologists found Folbigg's daughters shared a genetic mutation called CALM2 G114R - which can cause sudden cardiac death.
The scientists also revealed her sons possessed a different genetic mutation, linked to sudden-onset epilepsy in mice.
Carola Vinuesa, a professor at Australian National University, told the BBC the unusual genetic sequence was likely to be the cause of their deaths.
Carola said: "We did the first test and found a [gene] variant that looked very suspicious... even then in November 2018, we thought this [a] very high likelihood, if found in the children, to be the culprit."
The findings led to the New South Wales' chief legal adviser to conclude there was reasonable doubt that Folbigg was guilt.
And as a result, the NSW governor Margaret Beazley signed a full pardon and ordered her immediate release from prison.
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The unconditional pardon, however, does not quash Folbigg's convictions, it was reported.
It the convictions were later overturned by the Court of Criminal Appeal, Folbigg could potentially sue the government for millions of dollars in compensation.
Folbigg's release was reportedly championed by the Mayor of Newcastle, the region where she grew up.
Nuatali Nelmes told News.com.au the woman was welcome to return to her home in the Hunter.
She said: "We've seen four beautiful babies lost, we've seen a woman’s life, 20 years of her life, her marriage, so many lives affected.
"A number of her supporters all come from Newcastle.
"They have campaigned tirelessly for her innocence and continued, petition after petition, to actually see the case re-examined."
The bombshell update comes almost a year after her bid for freedom was nearly thwarted by her aggrieved ex-husband.
At the time, campaigners believed new scientific evidence could have exonerated her in the deaths of her four children almost 20 years after she was convicted.
But it would reportedly rely on claims the children had genetic abnormalities and may have died from natural causes.
However, her ex-husband Craig Folbigg declined to give DNA evidence that experts said would provide "considerable assistance".
He maintained Kathleen allegedly smothered their two sons and two daughters to death.
And he cited financial struggles as his reason for not giving a sample ahead of a second public enquiry into the case.
Craig was denied funding for legal representation at the enquiry - while convicted killer Kathleen has her lawyers paid for, reports The Australian.
Lawyer Danny Eid said: "This whole inquiry was imposed on him and as the father who lost four children, he is a person who should be properly funded and represented before the inquiry.
"He has been placed in an untenable position that required me to withdraw from acting because he could not secure funding… bearing in mind that he is not a killer and even a killer is provided funding to defend themselves."
Kathleen's childhood pal Tracy Chapman said she was shocked Craig had decided to withhold his DNA.
She said: "It's disappointing, but at the end of the day only Craig knows why.
"He has been told time and time again his DNA would be kept confidential, and it was not going to go on a database. You would think it would be a no-brainer."
The fresh enquiry was ordered after 90 eminent scientists signed a petition calling for her to be pardoned in 2021.
The case
Folbigg's eldest son Caleb died aged just 20 days, Patrick died at eight months, Sarah at ten months, and Laura died aged 18 months.
They were initially put down to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome - but Craig later found incriminating diaries written by his wife.
She wrote about her "dangerous moods" and "losing control like last times", and admitted the "stress made me do terrible things".
She also wondered if she was schizophrenic and said she "deserved" not to have a fourth child when she was struggling to conceive.
"Obviously I am my father's daughter," Kathleen wrote in 1996 - referring to her professional hitman dad who murdered her mother.
She was jailed for 40 years, with a minimum jail term of 30 years which was later reduced to 25 years on appeal.
In 2019 Kathleen made her first public appearance in 16 years during the first public enquiry.
She told the court a supermarket clairvoyant had told her she was surrounded by the "happy" spirits of her four babies.
Kathleen again denied killing the children, saying the diaries were simply a record of her depression.
That enquiry took 11 months and upheld her convictions.
But a fresh one was ordered because it did not fully examine the impact of genetic mutations.
Supporters say there is evidence from an international group of researchers that can explain all four deaths.
A website campaigning on her behalf claimed: "There is no basis in forensic pathology that any of the children were smothered".
