SA mom accused of murdering her children in New Zealand wanted ‘happy ending’ for all

The South African mother, Lauren Dickason (42), who is accused of killing her three young daughters soon after the family emigrated to New Zealand, revealed to a psychologist that she thought killing them and herself “would be a happy ending for everyone”. 

Dickason has admitted smothering her three children – Liane (6) and twins Maya and Karla (2) – with blankets at their temporary home in Timaru, near the hospital where her husband had been employed as an orthopedic surgeon, in September 2021. But she is pleading not guilty by reason of insanity and infanticide.

As the defence team builds its case in the fourth week of the High Court murder trial in New Zealand, factors cited as leading to the tragedy have included Dickason’s response to SA’s strict Covid regulations and lockdown, the unrest and uncertainty in SA (which led to “catastrophic” thinking), the actual move to New Zealand which Dickason described as a “huge mistake”, and Dickason’s depression.

It was revealed in court that Dickason had been put on antidepressant medication in SA, after concerns she could harm or kill her children, but had stopped taking the medication before the move to New Zealand, without speaking to her doctor.

After being diagnosed with a depressive disorder at the age of 15, Dickason reportedly had a history of mental health struggles, including enduring 17 rounds of IVF, a miscarriage and not feeling she could bond initially with her first born.

On the tragic day of the murders, Dickason had apparently been asked to provide more details about her depressive disorder by immigration officials, and allegedly felt there was “no hope” she would be permitted to remain in New Zealand. “I knew psychiatrists in New Zealand would lock me up… I couldn’t hide it,” she said of her mental state.

That evening her husband left for a work dinner just before 7pm. While he was gone she allegedly tried to strangle the children with cable ties, and then smothered them when the cable ties didn’t work. She then tried to kill herself. When her husband returned he found her in the kitchen behaving strangely, and the children all tucked up in bed… but it was too late to save them. 

The prosecuting team claims that Dickason was angry with her children for being disobedient and wild, depriving her of good sleep and quality time with her husband. They say she felt trapped by motherhood, resented her husband’s freedom and that she deliberately chose to kill Karla first “because she was angry at her” (for throwing a tantrum and biting her clothing).

A forensic psychologist, who spent 20 hours in total talking with Dickason, told the court this week that she admitted to having thoughts that shamed and disgusted her about harming the twins when they were 6-months-old (because she wanted a “break from the train station going all day”). On another couple of occasions out of the blue she had similar thoughts about harming all three, including just before leaving SA. She told the psychologist: