Kathleen Folbigg Discusses Past Prison Relationship

Kathleen Folbigg, who was released from prison in June 2023 after serving 20 years for the deaths of her four children, has revealed details of an 18-month romantic relationship she had with a female inmate. The relationship concluded when Folbigg learned her partner had been convicted of child sexual abuse offenses.

Folbigg, who was pardoned following an inquiry that found reasonable doubt about her guilt due to new scientific evidence, married childhood friend Bob Muir on August 29. Amidst speculation, she addressed her prison relationships, stating that such connections would have differed had she not been incarcerated.

"You can only know people by what they choose to reveal to you," Folbigg told news.com.au, explaining that her choices were influenced by her isolated circumstances and the "fundamental human need for warmth, companionship, and emotional safety."

She described her relationship with the inmate, who was serving a two-and-a-half-year sentence, as close. Folbigg also assisted her partner in finding accommodation to aid in securing parole. However, upon discovering the true nature of her partner's convictions, Folbigg ended the relationship.

Folbigg spent two decades behind bars after being convicted in 2003 of three counts of murder and one of manslaughter related to the deaths of her children Patrick, Sarah, Laura, and Caleb between 1989 and 1999. She has consistently maintained her innocence.

A landmark Special Commission of Inquiry into her convictions was announced in 2018. New evidence presented during the inquiry, including findings related to a rare genetic condition, raised reasonable doubt about the cause of death for some of her children. Experts suggested a genetic variation could have been a cause for Sarah and Laura's deaths, myocarditis for Laura, and a neurogenetic disorder for Patrick. These findings also undermined the tendency reasoning used to convict Folbigg of Caleb's manslaughter.

In June 2023, Folbigg was pardoned and subsequently released, with her convictions formally quashed in December of that year. She recently received a $2 million compensation payment from the NSW government, an amount she described as "a slap in the face."

Now focusing on her life beyond prison, Folbigg expressed a desire to move past commentary on her time incarcerated. Her wedding to Bob Muir, which took place at Newcastle's Fort Scratchley Function Centre, marks a new chapter, with the couple planning an overseas honeymoon next year.