Lauren Dickson jailed for killing her three daughters

NEW ZEALAND – A judge on sentenced Lauren Dickason today, a South African mother, to 18 years imprisonment for murdering her three young daughters in 2021. Dickason will begin her sentence at a mental health hospital in the custody of the state for the triple killings.

In a statement to local media after her sentencing, Dickason said she had “failed” her children and her husband, who has since moved back to South Africa. “I take responsibility for taking our three beautiful girls from this world,” she said. “I would like to take this opportunity to convey the deepest and most sincere remorse for the extreme pain and hurt cause to my children and my family by my actions.”

Justice Cameron Mander did not impose a minimum non-parole period in sentencing Dickason, who escaped life imprisonment which is the usual penalty for murder in New Zealand. Dickason was found guilty last August on three counts of murder having smothered her two-year-old twins Maya and Karla and first daughter Liane, six.

The killings took place in September 2021 at their home in Timaru while her husband was out to dinner with colleagues. He found the bodies of his children when he returned home. The family had moved to New Zealand from South Africa just weeks before. During last year’s trial, Dickason admitted to killing the girls but pleaded not guilty to murder, arguing she was experiencing post-partum depression and was mentally disturbed at the time of the move.

What is Post-Partum Depression?

Most new moms experience postpartum “baby blues” after childbirth, which commonly include mood swings, crying spells, anxiety and difficulty sleeping. Baby blues usually begin within the first 2 to 3 days after delivery and may last for up to two weeks.

But some new moms experience a more severe, long-lasting form of depression known as postpartum depression. Sometimes it’s called peripartum depression because it can start during pregnancy and continue after childbirth. Rarely, an extreme mood disorder called postpartum psychosis also may develop after childbirth.