A coroner will look into the murders of the three Dickason children, killed by their mother soon after the family immigrated to New Zealand from South Africa.
Lauren Anne Dickason, 43, was found guilty of murdering her daughters Liane, 6, and 2-year-old twins Maya and Karla at their Timaru home in September 2021.
The South African doctor admitted smothering the children but claimed she was so mentally unwell she could not be held criminally responsible for their deaths.
After an exhaustive five-week trial last year, a jury rejected Dickason’s defence of insanity or infanticide and convicted her of murder.
She was sentenced in the High Court at Christchurch on Wednesday.
Justice Cameron Mander handed down a finite sentence of 18 years. He did not impose a life sentence nor did he order her to serve a minimum term of imprisonment before she could seek parole.
He said that imposing a life sentence on the killer would be manifestly unjust - and that it was clear to him her mental illness was a causative factor in the deaths of the little girls.
Justice Mander ordered Dickason be detained at a mental health facility for compulsory treatment, rather than prison. She will remain at the facility until she is mentally well enough to be transferred to prison.
The children’s deaths have also been referred to the Coroner and a further investigation will begin as early as next month.
Dickason has 20 working days to appeal her convictions or sentence.
If she does, the Coroner’s investigation ceases until all appeal court proceedings are complete.
If she does not appeal - the coronial process can begin in July.
Police always inform a coroner when someone dies unexpectedly, violently or in suspicious circumstances.
The coroner is then tasked with ruling when, where, how and why the death happened. They must also establish whether anything can be done differently so that similar deaths can be prevented in future.
In Dickason’s case - the reason why the children were killed has been determined during the criminal process.
The coroner will look at all of the relevant information about the murders and decide whether a full inquest should be held.
The family’s emigration journey, their mandatory stay in managed isolation and the ongoing dealings Dickason was having with Immigration New Zealand around her mental health - and a birth condition Karla had been treated for in South Africa - could all be probed by the coroner.
The function of a coroner is not to apportion blame but to find out if anything could have been done to prevent a death - and make recommendations about changes that could be made to prevent similar situations.
Dickason’s family were scathing of New Zealand authorities this week, criticising various agencies in statements they read in court.
Her father Malcolm Fawkes said:
“Naturally, our whole family was devastated by what happened to the three precious little girls and to our daughter Lauren to have caused this whole tragic saga.
“We have forgiven her but are obviously still struggling to understand the maternal mental health issues which caused this tragedy.
“It is extremely technical and complex for us as average people in the street, we are not forensic psychiatrists nor psychologists. All we know is a simple statement - nobody in their right mind would have done something like that.”
Dickason was diagnosed with a major depressive disorder when she was a teenager.
Her father claimed to have no knowledge of that.
“We did not know of the turmoil, continually churning inside a lonely Lauren while she put on a brave face... We did not know she had been diagnosed with major depressive disorder and... we also did not know about the infertility which required donor eggs.
“We are disappointed that Lauren does not appear to have been correctly diagnosed, treated and managed in South Africa for her mental health problems.
“We are disappointed with the medical fraternity for allowing Lauren to have 17 IVF treatments without psychological counselling - even though they could afford it and because she wanted children so badly.
“We are disappointed with the Australian and New Zealand Medical Association. Why did they take six months to approve Graham’s certification as an orthopedic specialist surgeon instead of the average and promised six weeks?
“We are disappointed with the government here. Why did you impose such inhumane MIQ requirements on essential service people and others in general?
“We are disappointed with the government immigration ministry. Why did you insist on Lauren having to submit reports on her mental condition and Karla’s cleft lip within a week of arriving?
“Why did you not proactively warn Timaru that a person with mental health challenges was approaching and set up appropriate care and support systems proactively to help her on arrival?”
Fawkes said his daughter was “not heard when she spoke up” about the pressure and stress she was under.
Another close family member - whose name is suppressed - also blasted Kiwi authorities.
“What happened that night could not have been at the hands of the Lauren that we know so well,” she said.
“When we got the news (the girls were dead) we thought of every other possible cause of death, a car accident, accidental poisoning, a home invasion, which is not uncommon in South Africa, anything other than Lauren playing a role, because that was not even an option in our minds.
“At times, we are still in disbelief that the girls are gone and that our loving Lauren empathetic in all ways could have done it.
“We regret not realising the significance of Lauren’s depression and that her postpartum depression lasted for years after the girls’ birth... if only we had known, we could have stepped in and supported her, immediately tried to get her the help that she needed and take the children to give her the time to process and work on her mental health.”
The relative said the family were “disappointed and angry” with Dickason’s doctor in South Africa for “not taking proper care of Lauren”.
“We are angry with the New Zealand government for such strict MIQ rules - even for families of five with small children who are used to running around in South African gardens, having ample space to move around and run freely,” she continued.
“We are angry that the New Zealand government insisted on a specialist appointment and letters for Lauren’s mental health and Karla’s cleft lip within a week of them arriving in a new country.
“If a country knew a person was struggling, surely support structures rather than tick boxes should have been put in place?”
She said Dickason’s case was “very unique and complex”.
“We can confidently tell you how much she loved those three girls and that she could not possibly have been in her right mind when the incident occurred,” the court heard.
“She has told us on countless occasions and telephone conversations and emails that she wishes she could go back to that day and that things would be different. She misses the girls more than anyone in this world has already endured so much.”
The Herald revealed yesterday that Dickason could be released on parole as early as 2028.
An offender with a finite sentence and no minimum term becomes eligible for parole after serving one-third of their time.
Dickason’s official parole eligibility date has been recorded as November 6, 2028.
The date is not calculated from the date of her sentence - it also includes time she has spent on remand in custody.
Dickason’s parole date falls just 52 months and one week after sentencing - or four years and four months.
At her first parole hearing in 2028, the board will hear about Dickason’s progress in custody - including her treatment along the way, any improvement to her health, her current prognosis and behaviour.
It will also hear about her plans for release - what she intends to do if granted parole in terms of her daily life and work; where she intends to live, with who and whom; and how she intends to remain offence-free.
Specialist reports will be provided to the board to consider.
They can only release the triple killer if they are satisfied she does not pose a risk to anyone’s safety.
If she cannot convince the board, she will remain either in hospital or prison until her statutory release date - the day her sentence ends, after which she can no longer legally be detained.
Anna Leask is a Christchurch-based reporter who covers national crime and justice. She joined the Herald in 2008 and has worked as a journalist for 18 years with a particular focus on family violence, child abuse, sexual violence, homicides, mental health and youth crime. She writes, hosts and produces the award-winning podcast A Moment In Crime, released monthly on nzherald.co.nz.
Police say they are following lines of inquiry to catch the offender.