Mother Sentenced To 18 Years For Killing Three Daughters

A New Zealand judge on Wednesday sentenced Lauren Dickason to 18 years in prison for the 2021 murder of her three young daughters.

The sentencing took place at Christchurch High Court, where a court official informed AFP that Dickason will start her sentence in a state mental health hospital due to the nature of the triple killings.

Following the sentencing, Lauren Dickason issued a statement to local media, expressing deep remorse.

She acknowledged that she had “failed” both her children and her husband, who has since relocated 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 caused to my children and my family by my actions.”

Justice Cameron Mander sentenced Lauren Dickason without imposing a minimum non-parole period, sparing her from life imprisonment, which is typically the penalty for murder in New Zealand.

In August, Lauren Dickason was found guilty on three counts of murder for smothering her two-year-old twins, Maya and Karla, and her six-year-old daughter, Liane.

The tragic incident occurred in September 2021 at their home in Timaru while her husband was out to dinner with colleagues. He discovered the bodies of their children upon returning home.

The family had relocated from South Africa to New Zealand just weeks prior to the killings.

During last year’s trial, Dickason admitted to killing her daughters but claimed a defense of insanity and infanticide, arguing that the stress of the move had triggered her actions.

Under New Zealand law, infanticide is a defence for a mother who causes the death of her child when, “at the time of the offence, the balance of her mind was disturbed”.

According to local media reports, Dickason’s lawyer contended that a mental health unit was the most suitable place for her.

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