Lauren Dickason a doctor from Pretoria has been charged murders of her twin daughters Maya and Karla, 2, and their older sister Liane, 6 who were found dead in their Timaru home in New Zealand. File Picture
The South African mother who is alleged to have murdered her three children in New Zealand did not suffer from postpartum depression the High Court in Christchurch, heard on Tuesday.
This was revealed by the forensic psychiatrist Dr Erik Monasterio currently on the stand.
Originally from Pretoria, Lauren Dickason, 42, is accused of allegedly murdering six-year-old Liané and two-year-old twins Maya and Karla by strangling them with cable ties in September 2021.
Her husband, orthopaedic surgeon Graham Dickason discovered the bodies.
The family immigrated from South Africa to New Zealand in 2021 and had only been settled into their new home in Timaru, Canterbury for a week before the alleged murders.
Following her arrest, Lauren was sent for a mental evaluation.
According to New Zealand media, Lauren's legal team would base their defence on insanity and infanticide.
Monasterio got involved with the Dickason murder case in September 2021 and first interviewed Lauren in October 2021, Stuff.NZ reported.
Previous reports state Monasterio has spent at least nine hours with Lauren and also interviewed Graham.
During cross-examination by Dickason’s defense counsel, Anne Toohey the doctor revealed the accused did not suffer from postpartum depression.
Toohey asked the former Canterbury Mental Health Services clinical director whether he was aware that women having twins placed them at a higher risk of suffering from postpartum depression.
She further submitted that Monasterio rejected the postpartum depression possibility.
However, Monasterio testified Lauren’s depression could not be diagnosed as postpartum as the diagnosis of depression was established before she gave birth.
Dickason has since denied all charges brought against her.
The trial continues on Wednesday.
robin.francke@inl.co.za
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