How friendship and science set Kathleen Folbigg free | ABC Conversations

Kathleen Folbigg was locked up in prison for decades, wrongly convicted of the deaths of her four children. For years, her childhood friend Tracy was the only person who believed in her innocence. Now they are both telling the story of their herculean fight to overturn Kathleen's conviction. (CW: loss of children, descriptions of life in prison)

In 2003, Kathleen Folbigg was locked up in jail for decades, wrongly convicted of the deaths of her four children.

One of the only people who believed in her innocence was her childhood friend Tracy.

Together, they fought for her freedom for years before science and the law caught up with the case.

Kathleen was pardoned and exonerated in 2023.

Now Kathleen and Tracy have written down their story of their 20-year battle for justice, and they are telling their story together for the first time.

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This episode of Conversations was produced by Nicola Harrison and presented by Sarah Kanowski. The Executive Producer was Nicola Harrison.

It explores crime, punishment, criminal conviction, wrongful conviction, a fight for justice, criminal pardon, exoneration, science, DNA, Meadows Law, life in prison, daily life behind bars, flaws in the justice system, internalised misogyny in the law, unsympathetic mothers, never giving up, rallying around scientists and philanthropists, science catching up to a criminal case, the use of DNA to free someone, how a wrongful conviction can be overturned, powerful women, impressive women, tenacity, guts, new beginnings, hope for the future, how to survive the loss of a child, grief after the death of a child, grief after the death of children, post traumatic growth, PTSD, having to be strong, activism, Newcastle, Muswellbrook, famous criminal cases, women who are disliked, how to overcome trauma, moving on, death threats, social media hate, online pile-ons, online cruelty, moving on after trauma, healing after trauma, reinvention, midlife reinvention, new chapter, starting a new chapter of life.

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