Terri Friesen was convicted of the manslaughter of her daughter after a false confession in 1989. Nearly 30 years later, that conviction was finally quashed this week by the Court of Appeal. Photo / TVNZ
Terri Friesen was convicted of the manslaughter of her daughter after a false confession in 1989. Nearly 30 years later, that conviction was finally quashed this week by the Court of Appeal. Photo / TVNZ
For almost 30 years Terri Friesen has been carrying the conviction - and enormous weight - of a crime she did not commit.
In 1989 she was convicted of killing her newborn daughter.
She never laid a hand on the infant but, terrified of her then-partner, and desperate to keep her other child out of the welfare system, she told police she was responsible.
Despite the baby's father making a full confession and being sent to prison for the offending in 2002, Friesen's conviction remained.
But yesterday the Court of Appeal finally quashed her manslaughter conviction.
Friesen, still reeling from the decision and how it will change her life, spoke to the Herald today.
She had no idea what to expect yesterday.
After her first attempt at appealing the conviction failed, she wasn't holding out a lot of hope when she arrived at the Court of Appeal in Wellington.
Baby Chantelle died in 1989 from non-accidental injuries as a result of being shaken.
A post-mortem examination revealed she had suffered from a brain injury and cracked ribs.
Her mother and father Brownie Walter Broughton were home at the time and when questioned by police, both initially denied any involvement or knowledge.
Friesen said she was interrogated for hours by police, almost all day.
During that time she was told that if neither her or Broughton owned up, her other daughter would be taken into Social Welfare care.
They implied that as a woman - potentially a mother struggling with postnatal depression or similar issue - she would have an easier run with the courts.
"My daughter was only 2, she was all I had left," Friesen said.
"I remember it like it was yesterday ... I was telling the truth and the cops wouldn't listen, they wouldn't accept what I was saying.
"When they said my daughter would go into care ... I just felt that was like sending her straight to hell and I wasn't going to let that happen to her.
"I did it mainly for my daughter."
Friesen was also terrified of Broughton and was, as the Court of Appeal heard, a "battered woman".
She thought confessing was the best thing to do at the time.
"I just felt like I had to sacrifice myself to save my other daughter," she said.
"He was abusive ... I didn't know what love was, I only knew what loyalty was."
Months after Chantelle's death Friesen stood trial.
Broughton pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was sentenced on the basis that he was the principal offender who let his former de-facto partner Friesen "take the fall".
He was jailed - but Friesen still had the manslaughter conviction on her record.
It wasn't until last year when Friesen appeared in a documentary called I Am Innocent that her appeal was mounted.
The help of private investigator Tim McKinnel, above, who had been the driving force behind the Teina Pora case, was sought out after law student Kelly Phillips saw Friesen last year in a documentary called "I Am Innocent". Photo / Duncan Brown
Law student Kelly Phillips took an interest in the case and contacted Friesen to offer to help.
Phillips then sought help from private investigator Tim McKinnel - the driving force behind the Teina Pora case.
Together, they got Friesen before the Court of Appeal, and the rest is now history.
Her life to date has been punctuated by reminders of her false confession.
Every time she applied for a job it stood in her way.
Every time people in Taranaki heard her name, they "knew" she was a killer.
She got in other scrapes with the law and because of her manslaughter conviction, her sentences were much harsher than they would have been otherwise.
It was the same for her kids, they too lived under the shadow of her supposed crime - their surname synonymous with their sister's heinous death.
But now - that's over.
"I feel like a new person, if I'm honest," Friesen said.
"I feel so much lighter, happier, relieved - all of that.
"I feel free. Finally.
"But the twisted thing is it's still so sad because of what this is all about, Chantelle."
Friesen said she had a new lease of life and now, at 50, felt like she could start living.
"I feel like the world is my oyster now.
"My plan is to succeed in society, to be the best positive role model for my kids - they don't have to be ashamed any more, they don;t have to keep things tight, secret.
