Nick Mills reacts to Lauren Dickason found guilty of triple murder

I've always dreaded today.

I've dreaded having to do this story on the show.

It gives me anxiety, stress, sadness and a little bit of anger.

I feel anger because someone in the greater family, must have known how bad of a situation Lauren Dickason was in.

They call mental health the disease without any scars.

Yesterday Lauren Dickason was found guilty of murdering her three young children at their Timaru home.

The jury of eight women and four men reached a majority verdict.

The 42-year-old stood in the dock calmly, as she was convicted of three counts of murder.

She was taken out of the courtroom while justice Cameron Mander discharged the jury.

As the jurors left the court, some broke down weeping.

No one apart from that group of jurors will know what they've been through.

As Justice Mander said, it's been a difficult and gruelling trial.

He said, "you have had to deal with distressing evidence and this has likely taken a toll on you personally and you have made a considerable sacrifice."

Lauren Dickason never denied killing her three children in 2021.

But, she pleaded not guilty claiming she was severely mentally disturbed at the time, and did not know what she was doing was morally wrong, and shouldn't be held criminally responsible.

She faces a life sentence for the murder of each child.

Night after night we've had both TV channels covering the trial.

We've heard the sad underlining stories that kept coming through of immigrants that had moved to New Zealand for a new life, and it ended like this.

A family completely decimated.

The lawyers the jurors will take years to get over this case, if they ever do.

Spare a thought for those on the peripheral of this story.

Jurors, lawyers, specialists, reporters, all so visually very upset.

I can't help but think about the millions and millions of dollars that's gone into this trial.

Surely someone some of that money could have helped save these girls lives.

Do we really do enough to help in the mental health areas in this country?

Clinical Psychologist Dougal Sutherland said there will be parents watching this case unfold, who've had postpartum depression.

And as I've said before and I'll say again, mental health has no scars.

So does society really care enough?

Are you okay?

Yes, I'm fine...

No, I am not okay, is hard to say, and we feel it’s a weakness.

No blood, no scars, but not okay, that is mental illness.

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