Published2 hours agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingThis video can not be playedTo play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.By Tom HousdenBBC News, SydneyAn Australian woman convicted of killing her four infant children says a decision to pardon her after 20 years is “a victory for science” and “truth”.Kathleen Folbigg was released from prison on Monday after an inquiry upheld new evidence which cast “reasonable doubt” on her convictions.Originally accused of smothering her children, the evidence suggested they died due to rare genetic abnormalities. The 55-year-old said she was “humbled” and “grateful” to be free.”For the past 20 years I have been in prison, I have forever, and will always, think of my children [and] grieve for my children,” she said in a video statement.Ms Folbigg also thanked her friends and supporters, who in recent years waged a campaign for her case to be reviewed.”I would not have survived this whole ordeal without them,” she said.Ms Folbigg was met at the prison gates by long-time friend Tracy Chapman, who said she spent her first day of freedom enjoying simple pleasures.These included a comfortable bed, pizza and garlic bread, and a Kahlua and coke, Ms Chapman told reporters, adding that Ms Folbigg was “in awe” of modern technology such as smartphones.”There’s no hate in Kath’s heart. She just wants to live a life she missed for the last 20 years and move on,” she said. Ms Folbigg would now seek to have her convictions quashed in the Court of Criminal Appeal, lawyer Rhanee Rego said.”If Australia really wants to make some good from a tragic story, they’ll seriously consider reviewing the system of post-conviction review,” she said, adding that it had taken too long for Ms Folbigg’s case to be scrutinized.Ms Folbigg, who always maintained her innocence, made two unsuccessful appeals against her conviction and an earlier inquiry upheld the guilty verdict.But on Monday the New South Wales (NSW) attorney general said Ms Folbigg had been granted the unconditional pardon due to another recent inquiry into her case.That inquiry, led by retired judge Tom Bathurst, heard all four children could have died from natural causes.A team of immunologists found that Ms Folbigg’s daughters, Sarah and Laura, shared a genetic mutation – called CALM2 G114R – that can cause sudden cardiac death.The heart condition, known as calmodulinopathy, is so rare that only 134 known cases have been detected worldwide.Evidence was also uncovered that her sons possessed a different genetic mutation, linked to sudden-onset epilepsy in mice. The inquiry heard Patrick had epileptic seizures in months before his death.It also heard that the diary entries from Ms Folbigg used in her original trial should not have been accepted as admissions of guilt.Her ex-husband, Craig Folbigg, had contacted police after reading diary entries, which prosecutors later argued implied she had harmed the children. He maintains she is guilty, and his lawyer said news of her release had “increased the pain and suffering his client had endured for two decades”.Ms Folbigg could eventually claim a substantial compensation payment from the state if her convictions are overturned.If her appeal succeeds she could take then legal action against the NSW government, or seek a settlement payment from them.More on this storyWhy science could free Australian ‘serial killer’Published11 March 2021

Published1 hour agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, @bindisueirwin / InstagramBy Tom HousdenBBC News, SydneyAustralian conservationist and TV personality Bindi Irwin has revealed she has suffered “insurmountable pain” from endometriosis for a decade.In an Instagram post, Ms Irwin, 24, said she had undergone surgery to alleviate the condition.Endometriosis is caused when tissue similar to the womb’s lining grows in the ovaries and fallopian tubes.Ms Irwin said she felt she needed to share her story now “for other women who need help”.Posting a photo of herself lying in a hospital bed, Ms Irwin said trying to remain positive and hide the pain had “been a very long road.”She had endured “insurmountable fatigue, pain and nausea” over the years.”A doctor told me it was simply something you deal with as a woman and I gave up entirely, trying to function through the pain,” she wrote.She said a friend then helped her decide to undergo surgery- a “scary” decision.”I knew I couldn’t live like I was. Every part of my life was getting torn apart because of the pain,” she said.In the operation, doctors found a cyst filled with menstrual blood and 37 lesions – “some very deep and difficult to remove”, she wrote.”Validation for years of pain is indescribable,” she said.She told her 5.1 million followers she was now recovering from the treatment, and thanked friends, family and medical staff for their support.She added that stigma around endometriosis meant many women were suffering in silence. “Let this be your validation that your pain is real & you deserve help,” she wrote.Endometriosis affects roughly one-in-ten women and girls of reproductive age globally, the World Health Organization (WHO) says. It can cause severe pain during periods, sexual intercourse and bowel movements, as well as pelvic pain, abdominal bloating, nausea and fatigue. It can also affect fertility, and the condition’s impact on quality of life can also lead to anxiety and depression.There is currently no known cure, but treatment can help reduce symptoms. Bindi Irwin rose to fame following in the footsteps of her father, the ‘Crocodile Hunter’ Steve Irwin, an Australian conservationist and TV documentary host. She made her first TV appearance with him as an infant.She married professional wakeboarder Chandler Powell on 25 March 2020 and gave birth to a daughter, Grace Warrior, exactly one year later in 2021. Steve Irwin died aged 44 in 2006 after being stung by a stingray while filming on the Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Queensland. This video can not be playedTo play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.More on this story’Life-changing’ drug offers endometriosis hope9 March 2021