Former South African doctor Lauren Dickason, who is awaiting sentencing for the murder of her three daughters in New Zealand two years ago, has thanked her supporters for their “love and support during this difficult time”.
She sent them a handwritten letter in which she also told them she slept with Teddy bears made from her daughters’ clothing, reports News24.
The letter reportedly included a picture of the Teddy bears, embroidered with the children’s names, and was reportedly sent in response to a care package she received from the group on the two-year anniversary of the children’s deaths. The package included a peace lily plant and edible goods from a South African shop in Christchurch.
More than 1 300 supporters signed a petition asking that she be sentenced leniently for the murders.
Under New Zealand law, the minimum term of imprisonment for murder is a life sentence.
Dickason’s sentencing is set down for 19 December.
In August, she was found guilty of murder after she strangled and smothered her daughters Liané, 6, and 2-year-old twins Maya and Karla on 16 September 2021.
Eleven of the 12 jury members found her guilty after a five-week trial in which she pleaded insanity and infanticide.
After her conviction, Justice Cameron Mander ordered a number of pre-sentence reports on her mental health, treatment and where she should be detained.
Mander will also decide where Dickason will be detained. Since her arrest, she has been held in a secure psychiatric unit at Hillmorton Hospital.
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