Tablelands mother sentenced after stabbing her two daughters

A mother took a knife she was sharpening and stabbed her two young daughters, who fled for safety, before turning the blade on herself, a Cairns court has heard.

A mother took a knife she was sharpening and stabbed her two young daughters, who fled for safety, before turning the blade on herself, a Cairns court has heard. Photo: File

A mother took a knife she was sharpening and stabbed her two young daughters, who fled for safety, before turning the blade on herself, a Cairns court has heard.

The mother initially faced charges of attempted murder but pleaded guilty to two lesser charges of unlawful wounding.

An assessment in Mental Health Court into whether the mother was of sound mind did not find the stabbing was the result of psychosis or mental illness.

She sat in the dock in a pink suit last week as she was sentenced to four years imprisonment in the Supreme Court for the horrific attack.

The mother was 39 when she stabbed her two daughters, seven and nine years old, in January, 2022.

The court heard she was sharpening a 15cm knife in her kitchen before she moved behind one of her daughters, telling her “I have to do this” and stabbed the young girl in the back.

The mother faced Cairns Supreme Court on Friday as she was sentenced for two counts of unlawful wounding after stabbing her two young daughters.

The girl was left with a 2cm deep wound to her back and ran to a neighbour’s home for safety.

The mother then went to find her other daughter in the bathroom.

She told her daughter “sorry darling I need to do this” as she pushed her to the ground and “came at her with the knife”.

The girl received a 10-15 cm deep stab wound to her abdomen at a “shallow trajectory” just under the skin and 2cm deep stab wound to her chest.

The girl ran to a bedroom where she hid.

The mother then stabbed herself in the chest and breast only 3cm deep and cut her neck causing a shallow cut.

A neighbour came to the home to see the mother on the floor who repeated “I couldn’t do it”.

The children recovered from their injuries but a victim impact statement from their father told the court the psychological impact had been severe.

“They slept every night in my room,” he wrote.

“They have nightmares every night, and I had to remove the knives from my home because they are still scared of them.”

The court heard the mother suffered from epilepsy and personality disorders after she suffered a head injury in a dirt bike accident as a teenager.

Defence counsel Aaron Dunkerton told the court the attack didn’t cause any life-threatening injuries.

Mr Dunkerton argued the mother’s capacity to reason rationally was impaired but she has now had extensive involvement from mental health services.

“Things aren’t as they were back then,” he said.

Mr Dunkerton told the court the mother had told a psychiatric registrar the stabbings were “impulsive” and “she couldn't believe what she had done”.

He said another doctor had claimed she “seemed extremely remorseful for what she had done”.

After the offence the mother continued to have seizures while in custody described as “very severe” and was admitted into a mental health hospital for three months.

“The doctor finds that (the mother) has an organic personality disorder and describes symptoms including increased impulsivity, pathological rage, and emotional dysregulation as well as impaired judgement,” Mr Dunkerton said of the psychiatric report prepared by Doctor Pamela Van De Hoeff.

“The doctor also made some notes about epileptic psychosis characterised by delusional beliefs surrounding her ex-husband.”

Cairns court house. Picture: Brendan Radke

The defence argued it was her mental health and condition that caused her to be unstable and she posed little risk to her children who she is no longer in contact with.

“The injuries were on the lower end of the scale and the offence was not overly premeditated rather it was impulsive,” he said.

Senior Crown prosecutor Nathan Crane told the court the seriousness of the offending could not be forgotten.

He said the mother, despite having no criminal history had a pattern of behaviour before the offence including “volatile and aggressive communications”.

“She still has a desire to see the children, and they are under the care of the father,” Mr Crane said.

Justice Henry said the seriousness of the crime required a punishment greater than probation and it was entirely appropriate for the parole authorities to weigh the risks mentioned when her release is considered.

She was sentenced to four years imprisonment with a parole eligibility from February 26, 2025.

Originally published as Tablelands mother sentenced after stabbing her two daughters