Free Mothers Who Murder by Xanthe Mallett Page B

old, Mrs Platt had stated that Kathleen was hyper-sexualised, a sign now recognised as potentially indicating the child has been sexually abused.
    There seems to be clear evidence from her diaries that Kathleen was suffering psychologically, although she would probably be unaware of how seriously ill she was. Craig certainly didn’t know. This is not surprising, as our understanding of post-natal depression and psychosis was much less developed back in the early 2000s. Kathleen appears to have felt isolated, lacking friends and a support network. Numerous entries before Laura’s birth comment on how stressed Kathleen felt when she had children to care for previously, and how this time she planned to cope by asking for help:
    01/01/1997:
    I am going to call for help this time & not attempt to do everything myself any more.
    We know that if post-natal psychosis is untreated, there is a risk to the life of both the mother and the baby if thesymptoms are severe enough; however, with appropriate help, women suffering from this condition recover fully. Kathleen was never treated and it is one suggestion that Kathleen had been suffering from post-natal depression that developed into post-natal psychosis over time. It’s also recognised that post-natal depression, if not treated before the next child is born, can get worse. So the cycle of the four births, the post-natal depression or psychosis, and the four deaths would have been a terrible psychological strain on an already troubled woman.
    Although Kathleen was almost an adult before she learnt the truth about her parents, it clearly affected her on some level, as one of her entries said: ‘Obviously I am my father’s daughter’. Perhaps this statement indicates why she felt she didn’t bond with her first three children, as evidenced by this diary entry, made shortly after Laura’s birth:
    I’ve realised I actually love her & have bonded with her … Maternal instinct is what they call it. I now know I never had it with the others …
    Again, anyone who has researched post-natal depression and psychosis would not be shocked by the feelings Kathleen expressed, as they are common with these disorders. Either way, as Kathleen was primarily the children’s main carer, it is not at all surprising that their loss would cause her feelings of guilt and depression. Kathleen had kept diaries nearly all her life, most of which she had discarded. But why keep these particular diaries? Some people thought she had simply overlooked them, but that seems extremely unlikely when she must have gone through the bedside drawers when she moved out. Considering thehighly emotional nature of the content, it is hard to believe she simply ‘forgot’ about them. Most people keep diaries just for themselves and I believe that they were initially a source of outpouring for Kathleen, somewhere to express her deepest darkest thoughts. But I also think that she kept these specific diaries and left them behind because she wanted someone, probably Craig, to understand how she felt. There are a couple of entries that I think support my hypothesis, for example:
    17/12/1997:
    Tell you what – don’t think anyone could read this and find out all my secrets. I write like a five-year-old.
    And this:
    16/01/1998:
    One of my problems is I’ve lost me again. I’m just Mrs Craig Folbigg, now I’m just Laura’s mother as well. Where’s Kath gone? A person in her own right, who needs to have writing lessons but probably better if I don’t then no one, not even me, will be able to read this when I’m gone.
    I think the other, more emotional entries are aimed at telling Craig how she feels, but these two demonstrate that she is conscious that some day someone may read them. This applies especially to the quote from mid-January 1998, as we know that by August 1998 Kathleen and Craig’s relationship had deteriorated to the point where she was telling him Laura was the only thing keeping them together.
    THE