A beaming Kathleen Folbigg is enjoying her newfound life as a free woman after spending 20 years behind bars over the deaths of her four children.
Ms Follbigg was all smiles as she was spotted out in public for the first time, embracing friends in the historic NSW north coast village of Nana Glen on Saturday, with Sunrise host Natalie Barr also in her entourage.
The Seven Network is rumoured to have paid significantly more than a reported $400,000 to secure the exclusive rights to interview Ms Folbigg.
It appears Barr will be helming the segment, though no camera crews were with the group as they stopped to chat in the village’s main street.
The 55-year-old’s interview will air sometime on 7News Spotlight after the network won an intense bidding war with its rivals including Nine Network.
Nana Glen is a short drive from the Glenreagh property of her best friend Tracy Chapman where she has been staying since her release earlier this month.
Kathleen Folbigg was out and about in the historic NSW north coast town of Nana Glen on Saturday after her release from prison earlier this month
Sunrise host Natalie Barr and talent rep Nick Fordham were part of her entourage on Saturday
She hugged friends out walking their dogs as they met near a cafe in the sleepy historic town
NSW Attorney-General Michael Daley confirmed Ms Folbigg would be released from jail following new scientific evidence that cast a ‘reasonable doubt’ over her case after she was first imprisoned in 2003.
Folbigg was convicted of three counts of murder and one of manslaughter after her babies Patrick, Sarah, Laura and Caleb died in suspicious circumstances between 1989 and 1999.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the case was ‘extraordinary’.
‘This has been an extraordinary case where new evidence has led the Attorney-General of NSW, Michael Daley, to intervene and to pardon Ms Folbigg,’ Mr Albanese told the ABC’s 7.30.
‘She’s been in jail for some 20 years and Michael Daley has chosen to show mercy and to intervene in this case.’
Ms Folbigg was released from a Grafton prison after new scientific evidence led to the NSW attorney-general granting her a pardon
Sunrise host Natalie Barr is seen with Ms Folbigg in Nana Glen – Channel 7 has reportedly paid more than $400,000 to interview the former inmate
The former inmate was convicted of killing her four babies, her convictions remain in place
Ms Folbigg had been sentenced to 30 years in jail and was not eligible for parole until 2028, but had consistently maintained her innocence.
Her convictions have not been quashed. Her prison pardon was granted because of ‘reasonable doubt’ over her children’s death.
The decision came after an inquiry – set up by Supreme Court Justice Tom Bathurst KC – found there was new evidence to suggest the children died from natural causes.
It was revealed soon after her release that Ms Folbigg would sit down with Channel Seven, with reports suggesting the price of the exclusive interview was $400,000.
No camera crews were with the group as they stopped to chat in the village’s main street
She is staying at the property of her friend Tracy Chapman – a short drive from Nana Glen
Ms Folbigg is rumoured to have been paid a lot more than the previously reported figure of $400,000 to tell her story in an exclusive interview with Channel Seven
Ms Folbigg was convicted of the murder of her son Patrick (right), as well as manslaughter of her first child Caleb (left)
Sources close to the negotiation have since told The Age’s CBD column other networks pulled out when Ms Folbigg’s team reportedly set a figure of $1.5million for the interview, security expenses and some archived footage.
A Seven spokesperson declined to comment or give an official figure when contacted by Daily Mail Australia.
Ms Folbigg may also receive a hefty compensation fee from the state government for her time behind bars.
In the wake of the pardon, which does not quash her conviction but frees her from jail, lawyer Rhanee Rego revealed compensation could be on the cards.
‘We haven’t spoken to her about this. She is very much trying to focus on taking one step in front of the other and not rush into things because she has just been waiting to feel the grass on her feet, look at the sky and watch the sunrise for the first time in 20 years,’ Ms Rego said on June 6.
‘Kathleen is still having a cup of tea, acquainting herself to normal life, and we are just getting used to not speaking to her in a prison over an AVL call.
‘We are taking it one step at a time, but in due course, we will certainly be thinking about all options available to her.
‘We won’t be rushing her and pushing her to do anything. She does not need to do until she is ready.’
Ms Folbigg (pictured in 2005) was convicted of three counts of murder and one of manslaughter in 2003 after her babies Patrick, Sarah, Laura and Caleb died in suspicious circumstances between 1989 and 1999
Medical experts say there might have been a genetic mutation which caused the deaths of Sarah (left) and Laura Folbigg (right)
Ms Folbigg’s convictions need to be quashed in the Court of Criminal Appeal before compensation avenues can be discussed.
Figures from as little $1million up to $20 million have already been speculated in the media.
‘She not only lost one child, she has lost four and been in jail for 20 years. The system has failed her at every step,’ Ms Rego said.
‘Instead of trying to understand why her children died, potentially through an inquest… we threw her in jail, locked her up and called her Australia’s worst female serial killer.’
Robyn Blewer, director of the Griffith University Innocence Project, pointed to two recent cases to indicate the extent to which Ms Folbigg could be compensated for her 7,300 days in jail.
West Australian man Scott Austic in May received $1.3million on top of an earlier payment of $250,000 after serving nearly 13 years for the murder of his pregnant secret lover.
He had sought $8.5million after being acquitted in 2020 on appeal.
Both payments were voluntary, while David Eastman was awarded $7million in damages by the ACT Supreme Court in 2019 after his wrongful conviction for the murder of Australian Federal Police assistant commissioner Colin Winchester.
Dr Blewer said the amount Ms Folbigg received could depend on what the government was willing to pay.
‘Twenty years is a substantial amount of time lost,’ she said.
‘It might depend on the good grace of the NSW government.’
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