Former South African doctor Lauren Dickason was found guilty of murdering her three young daughters in the High Court of Christchurch on 16 August after a month-long trial which left jurors in tears.
On Friday morning, Justice Cameron Mander set her sentencing date for 19 December.
The 42-year-old Dickason, who has been held at Christchurch’s Hillmorton Hospital in a secure psychiatric unit since her arrest, was not required to appear in court.
Lauren Dickason murder trial: Triple tragedy
The headline-grabbing trial centred around the tragic and shocking deaths of three children at the hands of their own mother, almost two years ago to the day.
Dickason admitted to strangling her daughters − Liane, six, and two-year-old twins Maya and Karla − with interconnected cable ties, before smothering them to death one by one at their Timaru home in Canterbury on 16 September 2021.
She then tucked them in with their soft toys before attempting to take her own life with a knife and a cocktail of pills.
Her orthopaedic surgeon husband, Graham, discovered his daughters’ bodies when he arrived home from a work dinner.
The Pretoria family immigrated to New Zealand and had just completed their hotel quarantine in Auckland, a week before the horrific killings.
Plea of insanity or infanticide
Dickason, however, pleaded not guilty to three charges of murder with her defence arguing insanity or infanticide due to postpartum depression.
Ultimately, the High Court jury delivered a majority verdict of guilty of murder for each child.
Dickason undergoing psychiatric evaluation
At the time of her conviction, Justice Cameron Mander said it was inappropriate to remand Dickason in prison.
According to NZ Herald, she is currently under 24/7 monitoring, heavily medicated, and receiving ongoing intensive treatment for her mental health at Hillmorton Hospital.
Justice Mander requested expert reports about her mental health and psychiatric care before the sentencing hearing on 19 December.
Life sentence under New Zealand law
At sentencing, Justice Mander will be tasked with setting a minimum term of imprisonment.
The publication explained that under New Zealand law, a life sentence requires an offender to stay behind bars for life unless a parole board deems them safe to live in the community again.
In such cases, the offender is still, however, subject to life-long conditions and rules and can be recalled to prison for any breach of those.
Justice Mander will also decide where Dickason will be detained after sentencing.
He may order her to remain at Hillmorton until she is deemed fit – if ever – to be transferred to a prison facility.
Legal expert weighs in on likely sentence
Shortly after her conviction, New Zealand legal expert Dr James Mehigan told Huisgenoot via a video call that Dickason will most likely receive a life sentence which is an effective 25 years imprisonment.
“Mitigating circumstances, however, might come into play. It would be unusual though for her to serve the full sentence without the consideration of parole.
“The first time this has happened in New Zealand was when Justice Mander handed the Christchurch mosque shooter a life sentence without the possibility of parole,” the expert said.
During the 2019 mass shootings, Brenton Tarrant killed 51 Muslim worshippers in two deadly attacks on two mosques.
“Despite it being an incredibly sad trial, we must not lose sight of the fact that three children were killed. The assessment of Lauren’s mental health will be an important consideration when the length of her sentence is determined.”
Could Dickason launch an appeal?
According to Michegan, there is a strong possibility that Dickason would be considered for parole after serving 17 years of her sentence.
‘There’s always the possibility that her lawyers could file an appeal. They could appeal the conviction or the sentencing. Under New Zealand law, a convicted person is entitled to lodge an appeal at any time.”
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