Dickason children were 'strangled' in New Zealand - report

The daughters of a SA couple who relocated to New Zealand - found dead in their new home by their father - were allegedly strangled.

Lauren Dickason, a medical practitioner accused of murdering her twins aged two and their six-year-old sister, appeared in court on Saturday.  

Local media reported that Timaru district court judge Dominic Dravitzki remanded her to a secure forensic mental health unit until October 5.

A former colleague of their father Graham, who has just started working as an orthopaedic surgeon at Timaru Hospital, and a source in New Zealand told Rapport it was suspected the children may have been strangled with cable ties.

Jade Whaley, the family's neighbour, told Rapport she and her husband were watching television and heard two screams followed by a man crying hysterically. “Is this really happening,” he kept asking. 

Dressed in a grey hoodie and black pants, the 40-year-old doctor from Pretoria stood in the dock with her head bent and eyes on the floor for most of the proceedings.

She was charged with the murder of twins Karla and Maya, 2, and their six-year-old sister, Liane.

While she stood in the dock, flowers and soft toys piled up at the address where the girls died, reported Stuff news agency. 

A woman who worked with the couple at Pretoria East Hospital told the publication they were “a perfect normal family”.

“He is what you would call a genuine nice guy ... she was more of an introvert; quiet, but very humble, It wasn't strange that she didn't speak much, it was just her nature,” she said. 

The children were found dead at home on Thursday night.

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