Six months before she allegedly murdered her three daughters, Lauren Dickason was the happiest she'd been in a decade.
This is according to forensic psychiatrist Erik Monasterio, who was giving evidence in Dickason's trial at the Christchurch High Court.
The Dickason family, originally from South Africa emigrated to New Zealand in 2021 and had only been in their new home in Timaru in Canterbury for a week when the tragedy occurred.
Dickason, 42, is accused of allegedly murdering six-year-old Liané and two-year-old twins Maya and Karla by strangling them with cable ties in September 2021.
Following her arrest, Dickason was sent for a mental evaluation.
New Zealand media reported that Dickason's legal team would base their case on insanity and infanticide.
This week, Monasterio revealed that he had first interviewed Dickason in October, one month after the alleged murders.
According to 1News, Monasterio spoke with Dickason three other times, spending at least nine hours with the accused.
The former Canterbury Mental Health Services clinical director told the court that it was important that Dickason was assessed soon after the alleged murders.
According to 1News, Dickason told Monasterio that she had stopped her medication by March 2021 and remained in a positive mood with reduced anxiety, which she had experienced for 12 years.
The clinical expert told the court that Dickason maintained a healthy diet and even lost weight, adding that the accused felt more optimistic about the future, engaged in regular exercise, and no longer felt tearful or overwhelmed.
He added that Dickason's husband, Graham Dickason, also noticed the change.
In the first six months of 2021, Dickason remained upbeat; however, by July, with Covid-19 restrictions and then the riots in South Africa, Dickason's mood plummeted.
Monasterio said Dickason complained of a cloud hanging over her, saying she felt ignored and unappreciated.
1News reported that according to Monasterio's testimony, Dickason said her feelings strengthened as she saw her children playing with Graham, but seemed angry with her.
Monasterio said his last interview with the accused was in April last year, and Dickason said she wanted to change some of what she said to him, which included telling him that some messages she had sent to her friends were sent as a joke.
According to 1News, Monasterio said the accused denied that the messages indicated violent thoughts towards her daughters. She further denied that she was angry with the children, despite having sent such text messages to friends on more than one occasion.
Dickason has denied the charges against her. The case continues on Tuesday.
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