Lauren Dickason has been sentenced to 18 years in a psychiatric facility in New Zealand for the murder of her three children. (Facebook/Lauren Dickason)
- Convicted murderer Lauren Dickason has posted a message on social media to mark the third anniversary of the death of her children, who she killed in 2021.
- In the post, she said she missed the three girls.
- The post was shared on a social media group of more than 1 900 of her supporters.
To mark the third anniversary of the death of the three daughters she was found guilty of murdering in New Zealand, South African doctor Lauren Dickason released a message on social media in which she said she missed them “every single day”.
Earlier this year, Dickason was sentenced to an effective 18 years of incarceration at a mental health institution after she was found to have strangled and smothered Liané, 6, and 2-year-old twins, Maya and Karla, while her husband was out for dinner with colleagues on 16 September 2021.
According to The Press, Dickason’s message was shared on a social media group of more than 1 900 of her supporters. The post read:
My wonderful little girls. It has been three years since I last held you tight and read you stories, tickled your tummies and kissed you all over. I miss you every single day. Love Mommy.
It included photographs of her and the children.
News24 previously reported that the High Court in Christchurch, New Zealand ruled that Dickason should serve her sentence at a mental health unit in Hillmorton Hospital, where she was held from the time of her arrest in 2021.
During a trial that lasted five weeks, the jury heard arguments from the prosecution that new stressors in Dickason’s life had caused her to become depressed and that her actions on the night of the murders were “a reaction to the anger and frustration at her children’s misbehaviour”.
READ | Child murderer Lauren Dickason wants to appeal convictions
The prosecution argued that while Dickason was depressed, she acted out of anger and resentment towards the children and knew that what she was doing was morally wrong.
However, the defence argued that Dickason had not fully recovered from her postpartum depression. This was exacerbated by the family’s relocation to New Zealand, civil unrest in South Africa, Covid-19 lockdowns and going off her medication, the court heard.