- Triple murderer Lauren Dickason has been sentenced to serve 18 years in Hillmorton Hospital with no minimum term of imprisonment.
- The South African doctor was convicted in 2023 of murdering her three young daughters after a five-week trial.
- She made no reaction in court when sentence was delivered but later issued a statement saying she “failed” her three daughters.
- Emotional victim impact statements were delivered in court and Dickason reacted with emotion to some.
- The Crown told the court a starting point of 24-25 years non-parole was appropriate, with a 30% discount for mental illness.
- Dickason’s lawyer argued a mental health unit was the appropriate place for her.
The South African doctor convicted of murdering her three young daughters has been sentenced to serve 18 years in a mental health unit in Hillmorton Hospital.
Lauren Anne Dickason, 41, was found guilty of murdering Liane, 6, and 2-year-old twins Maya and Karla at their Timaru home in September 2020.
Shortly after the sentence was handed down Dickason issued a statement saying she had “failed” her daughters.
“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.”
After considering all of the material and legal points, Justice Cameron Mander ruled a life imprisonment with a minimum non-parole period of 17 years or more would be manifestly unjust.
He did not sentence her to life in prison, rather, three determinate sentences of 18 years, to be served concurrently.
He did not set a minimum term of imprisonment, therefore Dickason is eligible for parole after a third of her sentence, six years, has been served.
He ordered Dickason to be detained at a mental health facility for compulsory treatment, rather than prison. She will remain at the facility until she reaches a point she is mentally well enough to be transferred to prison.
When sentenced, Dickason remained silent and did not react. Her mother wept.
Justice Mander began the sentencing by outlining how Dickason killed her three daughters and acknowledged Dickason’s diagnosis with a major depressive disorder in her teens.
He spoke about the reoccurrances of her depression over the years – before and after Liane and then the twins were born.
She was then seeing a psychiatrist regularly for post-natal depression and Justice Mander said it was clear Dickason’s mental state was “in decline” in the months leading up to the triple murder.
She experienced “intrusive ideations” of harming her children during that time.
Justice Mander said since the trial he had been provided with three expert reports about Dickason’s current mental state.
They said there was “recognition of the impact of the offending on others” and that she had expressed “remorse and regret” for killing the little girls.
Several said the woman remained mentally disordered.
“Sentencing a parent for the murder of three children is unprecedented in New Zealand... the children were vulnerable because of their age, but they were entirely dependent upon you as the mother who they look to for care and protection.
”They would have viewed you as an unconditional source of safety and love... The ending represents a fundamental breach of trust.”
Justice Mander acknowledged the grace and stoicism with which Dickason’s husband and their girls’ father Graham had conducted himself throughout the ordeal.
“I also acknowledge the unfathomable loss for both sides of the family.”
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Lauren Dickason has been sentenced to 18 years, with no minimum period of non-parole, for the September 2021 murders of her three young daughters in Timaru.
The South African doctor was convicted in 2023 after a five-week trial.
Justice Cameron Mander said a life sentence for Dickason – given all of the facts and circumstances – would be manifestly unjust.
'I failed them': Dickason released a statement through her lawyers following her sentencing.
Earlier, victim impact statements were read to the court, including shattered husband and father Graham, who spoke of his heartbreak: "We will think of them every day."
Lauren Dickason, who was found guilty of murdering her three daughters, will be detained at a mental health facility for compulsory treatment, rather than prison.
She will be held at Hillmorton Hospital's secure mental health facility in Christchurch until she reaches a point where she is mentally well enough to be transferred to prison.
The Regional Forensic Mental Health Service provides specialist care for people who, as a result of mental illness, have seriously offended, or are assessed as high risk for serious offending.
Dickason has been under 24-hour supervision since she was charged with the murders in 2021, due to her risk of self-harm.
At the unit, she is medicated and seen by the relevant mental health specialists when and where needed. Dickason is allowed regular contact with her family and it is understood she receives a number of letters from supporters.
The court heard today that in prison Dickason would not have access to the same level of care for her "complex" needs.
Lauren Dickason has released a statement this afternoon through her lawyers following her sentencing in the High Court at Christchurch.
"I loved Liané, Maya and Karla with all my heart. I failed them, I failed Graham, and I failed our families. 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.
“No apology will ever be enough, and words will seem hollow to many. 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.
“I continue to undergo treatment for severe mental illness, and I owe it to everyone and myself to get mentally healthier. I will do whatever it takes, although I know that will never change the past.”
She said that, along with her family, she wants people to know about the risks, warning signs and “extreme impacts” of post-partum depression.
“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,” Dickason said.
“We would like to thank the many people from around the world who have shown support to us. Your care and grace have provided us with warmth in our darkest despair.”
South African doctor and mother Lauren Dickason has been sentenced to 18 years, with no minimum period of non-parole, for the September 2021 murders of her three young daughters in Timaru.
Justice Cameron Mander said a life sentence for Dickason – given all of the facts and circumstances – would be manifestly unjust.
He did not sentence her to life in prison – rather, three determinate sentences of 18 years, to be served concurrently.
The judge also did not set a minimum term of imprisonment.
He ordered Dickason to be detained at a mental health facility for compulsory treatment, rather than prison. She will remain at the facility until she reaches a point where she is mentally well enough to be transferred to prison.
When sentenced, Dickason remained silent and did not react. Her family were also quiet and calm.
Dickason’s mother was seen weeping and hugged by members of the public who she met during the trial last year.
Justice Cameron Mander has now started his sentencing remarks.
Justice Cameron Mander is now beginning the formal sentencing.
He is reading the summary of the offending, outlining briefly how Dickason killed her three children.
Sitting in the dock, Dickason is sitting listening, calmly. She is holding a packet of tissues.
Her parents and other family are listening from the public gallery in the courtroom.
Justice Mander acknowledged Dickason was diagnosed with a major depressive disorder in her teens and had been battling that ever since.
He spoke about her fertility journey and reoccurrences of her depression over the years - before and after Liane and then the twins were born.
She was then seeing a psychiatrist regularly for post-natal depression.
In 2019, Dickason and her husband made the decision to move to New Zealand.
Justice Mander said it was clear Dickason's mental state was "in decline" in the months leading up to the triple murder.
She experienced "intrusive ideations" of harming her children during that time.
Justice Mander said the details of that time and Dickason's personal health issues were "exhaustively traversed" at trial.
He gave only a brief retelling of the information, turning then to speak about the murders.
Justice Mander recapped what the five experts told the jury during Dickason's trial about her mental state in relation to the deaths of the children.
Experts for the Crown conceded she was mentally unwell but not to the degree that she should not be held criminally responsible.
Defence experts said Dickason was so unwell she should be found guilty only of infanticide - or the jury should return a verdict of insanity.
Justice Mander said since the trial he had been provided with three further expert reports about Dickason's current mental state.
They said there was "recognition of the impact of the offending on others" and that she had expressed "remorse and regret" for killing the little girls.
One report said Dickason was experiencing ongoing distress but not to the level she could be diagnosed with PTSD. Her condition was the result of a reaction to the trial and outcome.
Several said the woman remained mentally disordered, the result of her major depressive condition.
The judge spoke about the little girls' personalities and character, Dickason smiling as he spoke.
He also described the impact on Dickason's family.
The judge acknowledged it would have been difficult for Dickason to hear the statements read in court. And he made mention of the letter she wrote him where she expressed her remorse and sorrow at the heartache and harm she had caused.
Justice Mander said under the law he had to hand down a sentence of life in prison - unless doing so would be manifestly unjust to Dickason.
“It is difficult to truly comprehend the devastating effect and grief caused not only by (the girls’) deaths - but from the circumstances in which their lives were taken," the judge told the court.
“I need to acknowledge the grace and stoicism with which Mr Dickason has conducted himself throughout this.
"I also acknowledge the unfathomable loss for both sides of the family … I also need to acknowledge the personal range of emotions and feelings that have been expressed to me regarding this terrible loss- and which no doubt will continue."
Justice Mander turned to the legal framework he must apply to sentencing.
“An offender who was convicted of murder must be sentenced to life in prison unless given the circumstances of the offence and the offender, such a sentence would be manifestly unjust where a life sentence is imposed,” he explained.
“The court must impose a minimum period of imprisonment which may not be less than 10 years and must be the minimum.
“The court considers it necessary to hold the offender accountable, the harm caused, to denounce their conduct.
“There were three victims who, as young children, were particularly vulnerable.
The murders were committed with a high level of brutality.
“Sentencing a parent for the murder of three children is unprecedented in New Zealand ... the children were vulnerable because of their age, but they were entirely dependent upon you as the mother who they look to for care and protection.
“They would have viewed you as an unconditional source of safety and love [and] been entirely unsuspected. The ending represents a fundamental breach of trust.
“Your actions extended over some period.”
Justice Mander considered whether Dickason had acted in anger when she killed Liane, Maya and Karla.
“It was accepted by all the mental health experts and you were suffering from a major depression,” he said.
“I am satisfied your actions were the product of your mental disorder … the balance of your mind was disturbed.
“You found yourself in that isolated mind, lost control, and systematically murdered your three children.
“I do not consider you were lashing out or venting your anger at the children … the systematic and methodical way you did that does not support a finding that you were simply an angry mother.
“I do not discount your experience of anger and frustration at the three little girls acting their age earlier that night. But I consider that was likely to have been a further stress or that added to your sense of hopelessness about the situation.”
He continued: “I accept your counsel's submission ... that night, you were suffering from a major depressive disorder marked by a general sense of hopelessness.
“You were in despair at the situation. You found yourself … isolated without family. And … you saw the only way out as being suicide in which the children had to join you in death … the children's deaths as a means of alleviating a source of stress and despair or some combination of both.”
After considering all of the material and legal points, Justice Mander ruled a minimum non-parole period of 17 years or more would be manifestly unjust.
He then turned to whether a life sentence should be handed down or whether that too would be manifestly unjust in Dickason’s circumstances.
The Crown said the link between Dicakson's mental illness and her conduct was insufficient to rule out a life sentence.
Dickason's lawyers submitted that the brutality of the murder did not preclude a finding that a life sentence would be manifestly unjust.
Justice Mander said ordinarily the murder of three children would point away from a life sentence being manifestly unjust - but he had to consider the killer's mental health along with that in this case.
He said he could not separate Dickason's actions from her illness.
The "appalling murders have to be viewed in the context of the cognitive distortion" she was experiencing at the time.
That distortion was not just causative - but "drove it".
Lauren Dickason’s lawyer Kerryn Beaton KC said there had not been a case in New Zealand to date where a parent was convicted of murdering their three children.
The only comparable case was that of Bruce Howse, who was jailed for the murders of his stepdaughters.
Beaton suggested a starting point of 22 years minimum non-parole, with a significant discount for mental health.
She commended the Crown’s suggestion but hoped for a credit of at least 40% to reflect Dickason’s state of mind.
“A sentence of 14 years [minimum non-parole] is appropriate,” she said.
Beaton said Dickason’s “deep remorse” also needed to be considered and revealed the convicted murderer had written a letter to Justice Mander outlining that.
“She remains mentally unwell, she is mentally disordered... but describing her as having a lack of insight into what she did, I suggest, is wrong.”
“I want to start by acknowledging the terrible tragedy,” Beaton began, acknowledging Liane, Karla and Maya.
“It's a terrible loss though also for Lauren Dickason – who loved her children very much.”
Beaton said the jury had rejected Dickason’s defence of insanity or infanticide and decided to hold her fully responsible for her actions and killing her children despite her illness.
“She was clearly unwell at the time, but also, she had not recovered from postpartum depression,” she said.
She rejected any suggestion Dickason was angry or violent.
“She was desolate. She was in despair and she was very unwell and she was experiencing, I suggest cognitive impairment,” the lawyer said.
“She was clearly suicidal and she acted... exceptionally out of character.
“What she did was deliberate and prolonged... The children were not battered.”
Lauren Dickason was granted more than $700,000 in government funding for her defence at her high-profile trial.
The bill was expected to increase after she was sentenced and pending any appeal afterwards.
“Legal aid is an important part of New Zealand’s justice system,” Ministry of Justice national service delivery general manager Tracey Baguley told the Herald.
Crown prosecutor Andrew McRae told the court that a starting point of 24 to 25 years minimum non-parole was appropriate in Dickason’s case.
However, he acknowledged her mental illness and accepted a “generous credit” of around 30% would be applied.
He said a life sentence with a minimum term of at least 17 or 18 years was needed – and would not be manifestly unjust.
“The court needs to take into account the circumstances of the offence and the circumstances of the offender,” he said.
“This was very serious offending that warrants consideration of that minimum non-parole period.
“It cannot be doubted that any sentence will be difficult for [Dickason]... it is mitigated somewhat by the location that [she]... will likely spend her sentence.”
McRae said the sentence must denounce Dickason’s offending and deter others from similar offending in future.
“A mother has killed her three young children,” he said.
“The Crown's position is that while the defendant was suffering from a major depressive disorder at the time, it was her anger or frustration of the children's behaviour on the evening of the offending and a need for control that was the actual core, isolated moment,” he said.
“There was a simple loss of control. In short, her depressive disorder resulted essentially in her failure to be able to cope with the behaviour of the children on the night in anger and frustration.”
McRae said there were aggravating factors to the offending, significantly her multiple attempts at killing the girls on the night.
“It was the use of a weapon, use of the cable ties as ligatures... and when that was unsuccessful, she then used blankets to suffocate them.
“Liane was 6 years and 11 months old and Maya and Carla were 2 years and 10 months old. But it's not just their ages that made them vulnerable. It was also, of course, their relationship and dependence on [Dickason].
“And lastly... there was a high level of brutality and callousness involved in the killing.
“In reality, what we're dealing with here is unprecedented.”
Lauren Dickason’s father Malcolm Fawkes’ statement was impassioned.
“Naturally, our whole family was devastated by what happened to the three precious little girls, and to our daughter Lauren to have caused this whole tragic saga,” he said.
“We have forgiven her but are obviously still struggling to understand the maternal mental health issues which caused this tragedy.
“It is extremely technical and complex for us as average people in the street, we are not forensic psychiatrists nor psychologists.
“All we know is a simple statement – nobody in their right mind would have done something like that.”
Fawkes said he and his wife Wendy were “stable, functional and coping” but “rely on triple F quadruple P”.
“Faith, family friends, pastor, psychiatrist, psychologist, and pills,” he said.
“We did not know of the turmoil, continually churning inside a lonely Lauren while she put on a brave face, especially as a medical doctor.
“We did not know she had been diagnosed with major depressive disorder and... we also did not know about the infertility, which required donor eggs.
“We are disappointed that Lauren does not appear to have been correctly diagnosed, treated and managed in South Africa for her mental health problems.
“We are disappointed with the medical fraternity for allowing Lauren to have 17 IVF treatments... even though they could afford it and because she wanted children so badly.”
Fawkes expressed disappointment at the New Zealand Government.
“We are disappointed with the Australian and New Zealand Medical Association,” he said.
“Why did you impose such inhumane MIQ requirements on essential service people and others in general?
“We are disappointed with [Immigration New Zealand]. Why did you insist on Lauren having to submit reports on her mental condition and Karla's cleft lip within a week of arriving?
“Why did you not proactively warn Timaru that a person with mental health challenges was approaching – and set up appropriate care and support systems proactively to help her on arrival?”
Fawkes was angry his daughter had been released from the hospital so soon after the murders, during which she tried to take her own life.
He was angry she was then interviewed by police – which he said was an “interrogation”.
“We are upset with the officials or individuals who released her name and children's names for the whole world to see the very next morning. There should have been name suppression due to the age of the children.”
The children’s names were suppressed by the Coroner for a time – but that order was lifted the day after they died.
The Fawkes were “very upset” that the video of Dickason’s police interview was played at her trial for the jury. It is standard for the prosecution to screen any evidential interviews during the trial.
And the family were “angry with Covid-19 and the global overreaction to it”.
“The loss to us has been huge,” Malcolm Fawkes said.
“It has left a big vacuum in our lives which cannot be filled completely by the other five little grandchildren we have in South Africa.
“However, we know the girls are in a good place.”
He finished his statement by saying: “Women must be encouraged more to come out of hiding when it comes to personal mental health issues.”
“Women must be heard,” he said.
“Lauren was not heard – even when she spoke up.
“We are not saying that Lauren was totally blameless, but she has lost everything and also tried to take her own life in the process. She will possibly and probably lose her husband as well.
“We feel she has already been punished in full by her disease and by herself... we ask you to please have mercy when it comes to sentencing, she has been punished enough already; as has her husband. In our many conversations with her over the past nearly three years Lauren... has expressed remorse, grief, shame, and incredulity over what has happened.
“She has to live with what has happened for the rest of her life.”
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The Crown said the link between Dickason’s mental illness and her conduct was insufficient to rule out a life sentence.
Dickason’s lawyers submitted that the brutality of the murder did not preclude a finding that a life sentence would be manifestly unjust.
Justice Mander said ordinarily the murder of three children would point away from a life sentence being manifestly unjust – but he had to consider the killer’s mental health along with that in this case.
Forgiveness and agony in victim impact statements
Bettie Dickason, the mother of Lauren’s husband Graham, told the court of the neverending pain of losing her three grandchildren.
“In all honesty, I don’t hear the words of vocabulary to accurately describe the pain this has brought upon me and my family,” she said.
”I am a 78-year-old grandmother who once had 10 grandchildren and now have seven – who once trusted someone, took someone into my home and that someone who is now a convicted murderer.
”Some days it feels unbelievable, like I’m living in some horror film that I won’t be able to wake up from.”
Graham Dickason told the court he “lost everything” with the murder of his girls and his life with his wife.
“I have been grieving the loss of my daughters ever since... I have witnessed my family as well as Lauren’s family grieving the loss… never would we have imagined having to deal with a situation like this.”
“I have not only lost my life with my children but my life with my wife Lauren,” he said.
”I have also lost everything with regards to my children growing up... I will not see them turning into beautiful young women, finding their own husbands and starting their own families.
”I’ve had to make peace with this... I have managed to accept my current position in life.
”Lauren Dickason has lost everything I have lost... I made the decision very early on in this tragedy to forgive Lauren. She will have to live with what she did for the rest of her life. Her punishment is already severe.”
Dickason became distressed at parts of the statements, particularly the words of her sisters-in-law.
Graham’s sister Hermien said the loss of the girls turned her family’s lives upside down.
“My heart was ripped from my chest... we still cannot make sense of the murders of Liane, Karla and Maya,” she said.
”They represented life and love and brought sunshine to the family. Since their deaths a dreadful sadness struck our family... we long for them every day. They are gone far too soon.”
Graham’s second sister Elisabeth cut all ties with the woman through her statement.
Elisabeth said not a day goes by where she does not think of Liane, Karla and Maya.
”Mostly good thoughts,” she said. ”But sometimes I think about that night how the innocence was corrupted, how afraid they must have been the disbelief and betrayal they must have felt… We miss them and we miss them forever.”
She spoke directly to Dickason, who listened intently.
”It’s time to cut those strings and let Graham go – there is nothing that binds us. I forgive you. But for now it is time for goodbye.”
Graham’s third sister Cecelia said initially she was “very sympathetic towards Lauren”.
”I loved her like my sister and did not want to believe, she could do something like this,” she said.
”But having sat through most of the trial with my sister... I was shocked by the details that emerged about how the girls were murdered.
”It was tough hearing that... I suppose we were all hoping that the girls did not experience any trauma, however the trial made it clear.
”It would be nice to hear Lauren apologise for her actions. I do not feel hatred towards Lauren. I feel a deep disappointment and sadness.”
She hoped that the sentencing would bring some kind of closure to the family, particularly, her “brave” brother.
Dickason’s family then read statements – blasting and blaming the New Zealand government for the tragedy and complaining about the investigation, court process and the way the offender was treated from the night of the murders until now.
“We love her unconditionally and always will,” said a close family member, whose name is suppressed.
”What happened that night could not have been at the hands of the Lauren that we know so well,” she said.
The woman was “disappointed and angry” with Dickason’s doctor in South Africa, for “not taking proper care of Lauren”.
”We are angry with the New Zealand Government for such strict MIQ rules, even for families of five, with small children who are used to running around in South African Gardens, having ample space to move around and run freely.
”We are angry that the New Zealand Government insisted on a specialist appointment and letters for Lauren’s mental health and Karla’s cleft lip within a week of them arriving in a new country.
”If a country knew a person was struggling, surely support structures rather than tick boxes should have been put in place.”
The woman said she had “a newfound understanding for mental health, especially postpartum depression” since the murders.
“We feel the need for more advocates of hope that can break the stigma around mental health and postpartum depression in particular. We feel that too many women are being silenced and not given a voice to express how they are truly feeling... they are still judged and penalised for voicing their emotions.”
She implored Justice Mander to exercise “mercy, grace, empathy an sound judgment” when considering Dickason’s “very unique and complex case”.
Dickason’s father Malcolm Fawkes’ statement expressed disappointment with the New Zealand government.
“Why did you impose such inhumane MIQ requirements on essential service people and others in general?
”We are disappointed with (Immigration New Zealand). Why did you insist on Lauren having to submit reports on her mental condition and Karla’s cleft lip within a week of arriving?
”Why did you not proactively warn Timaru that a person with mental health challenges was approaching - and set up appropriate care and support systems proactively to help her on arrival?
“The loss to us has been huge,” he said.
”It has left a big vacuum in our lives which cannot be filled completely by the other five little grandchild we have in South Africa.
”However, we know the girls are in a good place.”
He finished his statement saying “women must be encouraged more to come out of hiding when it comes to personal mental health issues”.
”Women must be heard. Lauren was not heard – even when she spoke up.”
Dickason was sat in the dock alongside security guards and a mental health support person. All three accompanied her during last year’s trial.
Members of the public filled the courtroom, some who attended Dickason’s five-week trial.
The Dickason family had emigrated from Pretoria, arriving in New Zealand on August 28.
They spent two weeks in managed isolation and then travelled to Timaru, where Dickason’s husband Graham had taken a job as an orthopaedic surgeon.
Dickason admitted killing the girls by smothering them but denied charges of murder.
Dickason had mounted a defence of insanity or infanticide on the basis she was so mentally unwell at the time, that she could not be held fully responsible for her actions.
After a high-profile five-week trial in 2023, a jury found Dickason guilty of three counts of murder.
Anna Leask is a Christchurch-based reporter who covers national crime and justice. She joined the Herald in 2008 and has worked as a journalist for 18 years with a particular focus on family violence, child abuse, sexual violence, homicides, mental health and youth crime. She writes, hosts and produces the award-winning podcast A Moment In Crime, released monthly on nzherald.co.nz.
