Convicted SA murderer set to be deported from NZ

Convicted murderer Lauren Dickason has reportedly been served with a deportation order. A News24 report notes that the SA doctor was found guilty of murdering her children, Liané (6) and two-year-old twins Maya and Karla, in New Zealand on 16 September 2021 while her husband was out for dinner with colleagues. The High Court in Christchurch sentenced her to an effective 18 years in a mental health unit in Hillmorton Hospital. According to the New Zealand Herald, Immigration New Zealand on Tuesday confirmed that Dickason had been served with a deportation order. The publication reported that this means Dickason would be released on parole and embark on the earliest possible flight back to SA. New Zealand publication Stuff reported that Dickason could be moved to a prison later. She becomes eligible for parole after six years. News24 understands that Dickason intends to appeal her convictions. During her trial, which lasted five weeks, the jury heard arguments from the state that new stressors in Dickason's life had caused her to become depressed and that her actions on the night of the murders were ‘a reaction to the anger and frustration at her children's misbehaviour’, which caused her to snap. The state said while Dickason was depressed, she acted out of anger and resentment toward the children. During sentencing, Judge Cameron Mander said he believed Dickason's actions were the product of her mental disorder and that she was a loving mother.