July trial date for Lauren Dickason, accused of killing her three children

Lauren Dickason, a former Pretoria GP who is accused of killing her three daughters shortly after emigrating to New Zealand, will stand trial in July.

Dickason, who is being held in custody at a psychiatric unit, briefly appeared at the high court in Christchurch on June 1, New Zealand media reported — the first time she has been seen in public since her arrest.

Her legal team intends to call three experts at trial who support a defence of temporary insanity, while the prosecution intends to call an expert who holds a contrary opinion, according to the New Zealand Herald and the NRZ news outlet.

Dickason allegedly killed six-year-old Liané and two-year-old twins Maya and Karla in Timaru on September 16 2021, a week after arriving in the town where her orthopaedic surgeon husband Graham had secured a new job. They had spent the previous two weeks in precautionary Covid-19 quarantine on arrival in the country.

South Africans who knew Dickason and his wife, a doctor in the same field of medicine, previously told TimesLIVE they were reeling in shock. Lauren was described as a soft-natured, introverted person who had undergone fertility treatment to fall pregnant. The couple adored their much-wanted children, friends and neighbours said.

Graeme has since returned to live in South Africa. An application for him to give evidence in the trial via audiovisual link was opposed by the defence, New Zealand media said.

The case is set down for two weeks starting on July 17.

TimesLIVE

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