[imagesource:twitter/news24]

The High Court in Christchurch, New Zealand, has this morning found Lauren Dickason guilty of the murder of her three daughters.

Dickason was accused of murder after strangling and smothering Liané, 6, and 2-year-old twins Maya and Karla on 16 September 2021 while her husband was out for dinner with colleagues.

She pleaded not guilty to the charges and has been steadfast in her claims that post partum depression was the cause of the infanticide.

According to the New Zealand Herald, on the third day of deliberations, the jury of eight women and four men indicated they had a question and returned to court soon after. Judge Cameron Mander was told the group had been unable to reach a unanimous verdict and asked for instruction.

The judge said that he would accept a majority verdict at that stage of deliberations.

A majority verdict is one in which all except one juror agree. It can only happen if the jury states in court that there is no probability reaching a unanimous verdict after at least four hours of deliberation.

Mander summarised the case for each side, saying the prosecution argued that new stressors in Dickason’s life had caused her to be depressed and that her actions on the night of the alleged murders were “a reaction to the anger and frustration at her children’s misbehaviour”, which caused her to snap.

While Dickason was depressed, she acted out of anger and resentment towards the children, the prosecution argued, and she knew 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, events of civil unrest in South Africa, Covid-19 lockdowns and Dickason going off her medication.

The trial lasted five weeks, with the guilty verdict finally bringing to an end one of the most tragic cases involving children.

What a terrible waste of lives, and a horrible experience for the remaining family members to live with.

[source:news24&nzherald]