Convicted murderer Lauren Dickason’s sentencing is marked down for 19 December, with New Zealand’s Justice Cameron Mander – who had ordered a number of pre-sentence reports on her mental health, treatment and where she should be detained – having announced the date last Friday.
Under New Zealand law, the minimum term of imprisonment for murder is a life sentence.
Since her arrest for the killing of her three daughters, the Pretoria expat been detained in a secure psychiatric unit at Hillmorton Hospital. She is under 24/7 monitoring, heavily medicated and receiving ongoing intensive treatment for her mental health.
Mander may order her to remain at the facility until such time as she is deemed healthy enough to be transferred to a women’s prison.
Last month, Dickason was found guilty of murder after strangling and smothering her children on 16 September 2021 shortly after the family arrival in New Zealand.
Eleven of the 12 jury members found her guilty after a five-week trial, in which her defence pleaded insanity and infanticide, reports News24.
Multiple experts have testified to Dickason’s mental health at the time of the murders, with some pointing to the stress of immigration as playing a role in her mental state.
Under New Zealand law, the minimum term of imprisonment for murder is a life sentence.
News24 article – Dickason trial: Sentencing date set for December (Restricted access)
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