Warning: This story contains evidence from the trial which some readers may find extremely upsetting.
The jury has been played a video of the police interview with Lauren Dickason where she confessed to killing her three children.
In the video, taken the evening after the killings, Lauren said "something just snapped" before she allegedly suffocated her little girls.
Lauren is accused of murdering her little girls - 6-year-old Liané and 2-year-old twins Maya and Karla - at their Timaru home on September 16, 2021.
The children were found dead by their dad Graham Dickason after he returned home from a work function.
Dickason admitted to killing her children by smothering them to death but pleaded not guilty to murder. Her defence is arguing insanity and infanticide - that she did not know what she was doing at the time of the killings.
However, the Crown alleges Lauren is guilty of murder, saying she was aware of her actions before, during and after the crime.
The trial continues for a seventh day at the High Court in Christchurch in front of a jury of eight women and four men. The jury on Tuesday was played a video of the police interrogation of Dickason, filmed the night after she killed her three children.
Lauren pending further psychiatric evaluation when interviewed by police
Detective Michael Kneebone, the officer who interviewed Lauren, was cross-examined by defence lawyer Kerryn Beaton KC after the police interrogation video was shown to the jury.
Beaton questioned the fitness of Lauren to be interviewed by police on September 17.
Det Kneebone said he trusted the medical staff who released her from the hospital that it was okay to interview her.
However, Beaton said Lauren was discharged from the hospital pending further psychiatric evaluation. Det Kneebone replied he thought an assessment had been done.
"We believed that a medical assessment had been done," Det Kneebone told the court.
He said he didn't think Lauren was struggling enough to stop the interview and if he thought she wasn't handling the situation he would stop.
"We wanted to be fair on her… We knew that she had been through a lot so we just wanted to help her," Det Kneebone said.
'No hope for us here'
The police interview conducted at 5:21pm on September 17, the evening after Lauren killed her children, was played to the jury on Tuesday.
In the interview with Det Michael Kneebone, Lauren can be seen sat with a blanket wrapped around her legs. She spoke slowly through tears, taking pauses when it became too overwhelming.
Lauren explained how the family started the application process to come to New Zealand in January 2020, taking a long 20 months to get her husband Graham registered as a doctor.
She said between lockdowns, the children not being at school and family members dying from COVID-19 it was "really stressful times".
The family eventually got their visas, did a medical assessment and arrived in Timaru. However, Lauren told the detective the day of the killings they were asked for more medical information.
"It just got too overwhelming and, with the new visa thing that came through yesterday I just, I see no hope for us here in the future," she said.
'Something snapped'
Lauren told Det Kneebone, on the day she killed her children, they went to play in the park when some girls came and warned them there was a "dodgy boy" taking photos of them and won't leave them alone.
She said that moment felt like they were back in South Africa.
Lauren then told the officer "something just snapped last night".
Through tears she described how the kids were being "wild", jumping on the couches and not listening to her.
"Last night something triggered me," she said.
Lauren told the detective after Graham left that evening to go to a work function the children started with their "normal hijinks".
She went to the garage, saw cable ties and thought "that could possibly work".
She used the cable ties to try and asphyxiate the children, when that didn't work she smothered them.
Lauren explained she killed Karla first.
"The first twin [Karla] was being really, really, really horrible to me lately. She's been biting me and hitting me and scratching me and throwing tantrums 24 hours a day and I just don't know how to manage that," Lauren said.
"That's why I did her first."
Lauren said she killed Liané next, followed by Maya who was sleeping. She then listened for a pulse or heartbeat in the children - there was none - so she next tucked them into bed.
Lauren then attempted suicide.
"I wanted to die," she said.
Lauren said the next thing she remembers is waking up in the hospital.
No 'instantaneous love' with kids
During the police interview, Lauren discussed her struggles with infertility with Det Kneebone.
She said once she had the three children there was "a lot of strain" on the couple and she would only sleep for a couple of hours a day.
She also spoke about the struggles with COVID-19 pandemic lockdown in South Africa which lasted over 500 days and riots in the country.
"[I] can't do those mummy things like go to the shops or grab a coffee with a friend, I don't think my twins have ever been in the shops, to be honest," Lauren said.
However, Lauren agreed that when they arrived in New Zealand it wasn't what they had thought it would be.
"I just think we've made a very bad decision," Lauren said.
Lauren also revealed she never felt an "instantaneous love" with her kids.
She said she had post-partum depression after Liané was born, and then again after the twins.
Lauren was also diagnosed with major depressive disorder in 2015.
But the feelings of hurting her children were new, only starting during the pandemic.
"I don't know where these thoughts started coming from," Lauren said.
The police interview concluded at 6:38pm on September 17.
Defence argues Lauren unfit to give police interview
Before the court will see the video of Lauren's police integration after she killed her children, defence lawyer Kerryn Beaton KC cross-examined the supervising detective of the interview, who has name suppression.
Beaton asked whether she had been advised Lauren was discharged from hospital pending further psychiatric evaluation. The detective said they were not aware of this.
Beaton argued Lauren was unfit at the time to give the interview, saying her urine samples hadn't come back yet and empty pill bottles were found at the house.
Lauren was assessed by an on-call psychiatrist the morning after the police interview who said she had severe depression with possible psychosis and was in "acute shock".
"My point is that the police didn't make any effort themselves that she should be spoken [with]," Beaton told the court.
Pathologist gives evidence
Lauren Dickason sat through a forensic pathologist's evidence in court with her head in her hands as he read the results of the children's autopsy.
Dr Martin Sage continued his evidence on Tuesday morning, however, much of the details of the autopsy are too graphic to publish.
His autopsy report said the three girls died in the early evening of September 16, 2021, and had recently eaten a meal.
They all died in a similar way and had the usual injuries associated with asphyxiation.
On Monday, the jury heard from Dr Sage that there was no evidence of any old or recent injuries unrelated to their deaths.
Lauren did not look up while the evidence was given.
This is a developing story - more to come.
Where to find help and support:
- Shine (domestic violence) - 0508 744 633
- Women's Refuge - 0800 733 843 (0800 REFUGE)
- Need to Talk? - Call or text 1737
- What's Up - 0800 WHATS UP (0800 942 8787)
- Lifeline - 0800 543 354
- Youthline - 0800 376 633, text 234, email talk@youthline.co.nz or online chat
- Samaritans - 0800 726 666
- Depression Helpline - 0800 111 757
- Suicide Crisis Helpline - 0508 828 865 (0508 TAUTOKO)
- Shakti Community Council - 0800 742 584
