Lauren Dickason, The Doctor Who Murdered Her Three Young Girls

Lauren Anne Dickason, a doctor from Pretoria has been charged with the murder of her three daughters – Liane, a 6 year old girl, and 2 year old twins, Maya and Karla in their home in Timaru, New Zealand.

The 42 year old doctor and her husband Graham Dickason an orthopedic surgeon had recently moved to New Zealand with their three girls from South Africa after Graham landed a job at Timaru hospital. The devastated man walked in to the homicide where he also saw three cable ties strung together in a wardrobe after he returned from a work dinner.

Dickason admitted to the murder of the three girls but has pleaded not guilt on the bases of unstable mental health. The South African doctor had previously been diagnosed with mental disorder, perfectionism and anxiety and has been on anti depressants on and off. She was allegedly said to have been distant with her children, felt they were a disturbance to her marital life and had had a hard time with the recent migration.

The trial which was set for three weeks commenced already and the accused’s husband is to testify as well. He acknowledged that the defendant was suffering from major depressive episodes and did not have a full understanding of what she was doing. The Crown Prosecutor Andrew McRae however argues to the jury that the homicide was precise, calculated and deliberate.

Lauren allegedly attached the cable ties together and tightened them around the children’s necks.

“Realising that the cable ties were insufficient to cause suffocation, the defendant placed a towel over the children’s heads and smothered them.”

She killed Karla, then Liane and Maya.