Mother who murdered her three daughters sentenced in New Zealand

A mother who killed her three daughters with pillows while suffering post-natal depression has shared an emotional message at her sentencing.

A mother who killed three of her daughters has made an emotional speech in court as she was sentenced to 18 years in a mental health facility.

Lauren Dickason, 41, murdered her two-year-old twin daughters, Maya and Karla, and their six-year-old sister Lianè just weeks after moving to New Zealand from South Africa in 2021 to start a new life with husband Graham.

She was found guilty last August of killing her children by smothering them with pillows at the family’s new home in Timaru, New Zealand in 2021.

After placing them in their beds, Ms Dickason tried to take her own life.

She admitted to killing the girls but pleaded not guilty to murder, citing post-partum depression and mental disturbance as her defence.

However at a five-week trial she was found guilty of murder.

The judge ruled that Ms Dickason will spend 18 years detained in a mental health facility, with no minimum term of imprisonment.

Justice Cameron Mander explained that a life imprisonment with a minimum parole period of 17 years or more would be too unjust.

Judge Mander also ruled that Ms Dickason would be detained in a mental health facility for compulsory treatment until she is mentally well enough to be transferred to prison.

Through her counsel, Ms Dickason took responsibility for the deaths and apologised for the pain she had caused her husband.

“I loved Liané, Maya, and Karla with all my heart. No apology will ever be enough, and words will seem hollow to many,” she said.

“I want people to know our girls brought me so much joy and were the centre of my world. I am horrified by my actions, and the pain, distress, and trauma I have caused everyone who loved them. Like many others, I miss them every single day.”

Lauren Dickason, a 41-year-old mother, has been sentenced to 18 years in prison for the murder of her three young daughters.

Maya, Karla and their six-year-old sister Lianè were killed in 2021.

“We urge other families to look for and act on unhealthy signs. We urge women experiencing the symptoms of post-partum depression to tell the ones they love. This pain and heartbreak cannot happen to any other families.”

Judge Mander said that Ms Dickason had struggled with poor mental health for most of her life and had been diagnosed with a major depressive disorder in her teens.

Her mental state worsened following the births of her daughters, leading her to seek psychiatric treatment for post-natal depression.

In the months leading up to the murders, Ms Dickason began experiencing intrusive thoughts of harming her children, Judge Mander said.

She had also posted about “beautiful” daughters on Facebook just months before being charged with their murders.

The children’s grandparents, who live in South Africa, said the whole extended family was “in a state of shock” over the deaths of their grandchildren.

“The extended families are in a state of shock as we try to understand what happened. We ask for your prayers and support during this very difficult time. We would also request privacy as we battle to come to terms with what has happened,” they said at the time.