Lauren Dickason murder trial: ‘No evidence’ of insanity, postpartum depression – expert

The depression suffered by Lauren Dickason, the South African mother on trial in New Zealand for the triple murder of her young daughters, does not meet the “threshold for insanity”.

This according to Crown expert Dr Erik Monasterio, who is currently on the stand in the shock murder trial at the High Court in Christchurch.

‘Depression not postpartum’

During cross-examination on Tuesday by Dickason’s defence counsel, Anne Toohey, the forensic psychiatrist told the court that the accused did not suffer from postpartum depression.

According to Stuff.NZ, Monasterio said any depression the 42-year-old Dickason was experiencing at the time of the murders in 2021, already started in her teenage years and was not triggered by any pregnancy.

“I agree she was depressed at the time. I agree it was a significant depression… but it is not connected to childbirth – how could it be? It started before that,” he said.

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Dickason sent for mental evaluation

The former Canterbury Mental Health Services clinical director became involved with the case in October 2021 when Dickason was sent for mental evaluation after her arrest, Stuff.NZ reported.

Previous reports state Monasterio has spent at least nine hours interviewing Dickason.

He also interviewed her orthopaedic surgeon husband, Graham, who discovered the bodies of his daughters.

Timaru triple murders

Dickason is accused of murdering six-year-old Liané and two-year-old twins Maya and Karla by strangling them with interconnected cable ties before smothering them to death in September 2021.

The family immigrated from Pretoria to New Zealand in 2021 and had barely settled into their new home in Timaru, Canterbury, when the alleged murders took place.

‘No evidence’ of insanity

Dickason has not denied the triple murder, but is seeking a verdict of not guilty by reason of insanity or infanticide.

The psychiatric expert, according to NZHerald, also told the court there is no evidence that Dickason was experiencing psychosis or delusions at the time she allegedly murdered her three little girls.

While she was depressed, Monasterio testified that she was not at the “severe end of the scale” and does not meet the threshold for insanity.

Earlier on Tuesday morning, prosecutor Andrew McRae told the jury the Crown experts determined “there is no medical defence here, and that the evidence will firmly point towards murder”.

The trial continues on Wednesday.

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Grim details of little girls’ murders

On Monday 17 July, some disturbing details about the triple murders emerged in court, New Zealand Herald reported.

• Dickason reportedly searched the internet for ways to overdose children.
• She allegedly killed the children after they made her angry by jumping on the sofa.
• She waited for her husband to leave for a work dinner before fetching cable ties from the garage and telling the girls they were “going to make necklaces”.
• When she realised that would not be enough to kill the girls, she smothered Karla, then Liané and finally, Maya, with blankets.
• She reportedly killed Karla first because the child had been “particularly mean” to her in the lead-up to the night of the murders.
• The mother then placed their bodies in their beds, covering them up with bedding.
• Lauren reportedly attempted to take her own life, using a knife and an overdose of drugs.

*This report was compiled using information from New Zealand publications, Stuff NZ and New Zealand Herald