The Star: July 20, 2023
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<strong>The</strong> <strong>Star</strong> Thursday <strong>July</strong> <strong>20</strong> <strong>20</strong>23<br />
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•From page 1<br />
She tried to asphyxiate them using<br />
cable ties and when that did not work,<br />
smothered them with blankets then tucked<br />
them into bed with their favourite soft toys<br />
and tried to take her own life.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Crown alleges Dickason murdered<br />
the girls in a calculated and clinical way<br />
because she was angry and frustrated with<br />
them and resented the impact they had on<br />
her marriage.<br />
While she admits she killed the three<br />
children, she has pleaded not guilty by<br />
reason of insanity and infanticide.<br />
In court yesterday defence lawyer Anne<br />
Toohey began cross-examination of the<br />
grieving father, after he gave evidence on<br />
Tuesday where he had outlined her mental<br />
health, her parenting, their fertility struggles<br />
and harrowing journey to have a family<br />
and their decision to emigrate to New<br />
Zealand for a better and safer life.<br />
He is appearing via video link from<br />
South Africa.<br />
Graham Dickason agreed that his wife,<br />
whom he married in May <strong>20</strong>06, was a<br />
“loving wife and a loving mother”.<br />
He said early in the marriage Dickason’s<br />
“primary focus” was to have children.<br />
But when they started trying they had<br />
no luck and turned to fertility specialists<br />
for help.<br />
During that time Dickason – also a doctor<br />
– began to prescribe herself antidepressants.<br />
In South Africa, it is legal and common<br />
for doctors to self-prescribe medication<br />
and she made no secret of what she was<br />
taking within her marriage.<br />
Dickason went through seven rounds of<br />
IVF before she fell pregnant with a daughter,<br />
who was to be named Sarah.<br />
In January <strong>20</strong>13, when she was just 18<br />
weeks pregnant, Dickason suffered serious<br />
health complications and had to give birth<br />
to the baby.<br />
<strong>The</strong> baby had a heartbeat but died soon<br />
after.<br />
<strong>The</strong> couple got to see and hold the little<br />
girl briefly before she was taken away.<br />
<strong>The</strong> death was categorised as a miscarriage<br />
and Dickason was not able to take<br />
her child home, which affected her significantly.<br />
<strong>The</strong> court heard Dickason cried “every<br />
single day for two months”.<br />
<strong>The</strong> couple went through two more<br />
rounds of unsuccessful IVF and then<br />
decided to use a donor egg.<br />
Dickason then became pregnant with<br />
Liané.<br />
Her husband told the court his wife<br />
“never expressed any feeling that the girls<br />
were anything other than hers” and in his<br />
eyes she was the mother.<br />
“It made no difference to us,” he said.<br />
During the pregnancy with Liané,<br />
Dickason was “a nervous wreck”.<br />
After Liané was born Graham Dickason<br />
said his wife was tired and they both took<br />
time to adjust to their new family.<br />
During that time Dickson sought<br />
psychiatric help and was diagnosed<br />
with “major depressive disorder and<br />
postpartum depression” as well as<br />
“underlying anxiety”.<br />
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