Lauren Dickason, a mother who brutally murdered her three young daughters in September 2021, has been sentenced to 18 years in prison with no minimum non-parole period by Justice Cameron Mander.
However, instead of beginning her sentence in prison, she will be placed in a mental health hospital as a patient under the Mental Health (Compulsory Assessment and Treatment) Act. The girl’s father, Graham Dickason, forgave his wife for her actions but expressed her profound impact on his life and future happiness.
Dickason expressed her deep love for her daughters and acknowledged that she had failed them, her husband, and their families. She expressed the deepest remorse for the pain and hurt caused by her actions and acknowledged Lianè, Maya, and Karla as the real victims.
Graham, who was not present in court, read victim impact statements on his behalf, as well as those of his mother and three sisters. He forgave his wife and mentioned that he has come to terms with his current situation.
He forgave Lauren Dickason for her losses and acknowledged that she would have to live with the knowledge of her actions for the rest of her life.
Lauren Dickason’s mother, Bettie Dickason, expressed her indescribable pain and likened her experience to living in a horror movie.
The murder of Lianè, Maya, and Karla by Lauren Dickason left her sisters and brothers, Malcolm and Wendy Fawkes, in shock. Hermien Naude, Elizabeth Botes, and Cecilia Muller all expressed their deep sadness and disappointment at the loss of their daughters.
Malcolm and Wendy Fawkes called for leniency for Lauren, mentioning that she has already suffered great losses, as has her husband. A close family member stated that the person who committed the murders was not the mother, doctor, or woman they knew Lauren to be.
The family expressed their anger at a series of agencies and individuals for failing to detect the severity of her mental health struggles or exacerbating them.
Justice Mander determined that Lauren had breached her daughters’ trust fundamentally due to her vulnerability and dependence. She accepted that, but for her severe mental illness, the murders would not have occurred.
Lauren’s lawyer, Kerryn Beaton, stated her deep remorse for her actions and indicated that she would never recover from the loss they caused. Following her guilty verdicts, she was remanded at Christchurch’s Hillmorton Hospital for several months.
