WARNING: This story contains graphic and sensitive content.

A photo of Lauren Dickason sent to family in South Africa the day before she killed her three children was “the worst I’d ever seen her” a relative has told the jury at her murder trial.

The defence opened its case today painting a picture of a severely mentally disturbed woman in the depths of postpartum depression.

It followed more than a week of evidence from the Crown, which alleges she murdered the children in a “calculated” way because she was frustrated, angry and resentful of them.

Liané DIckason - who was a week off her 7th birthday - and 2-year-old twins Maya and Karla were found dead in their beds by their father Graham Dickason when he returned home from a work function in September 2021.

The family had only been in New Zealand for a matter of weeks after emigrating from South Africa.

Dickason, 42, admits smothering her children to death, but has pleaded not guilty to the murder charges by reason of insanity or infanticide.

The Dickason family in South Africa. Photo / Supplied

While the Crown acknowledges Dickason suffered from sometimes-serious depression, it maintains she knew what she was doing when she killed the girls.

Last week, Crown Prosecutor Andrew McRae alleged Dickason was an angry and frustrated woman who was “resentful of how the children stood in the way of her relationship with her husband” and killed them “methodically and purposefully, perhaps even clinically”.

This morning the defence opened its case and started calling witnesses.

Dickason’s mother will take stand next to give her recollection of the years and months leaving up to the alleged murders

Close relative - Lauren’s joy ‘never returned’ after loss of first baby

The first witness called by the defence was a close family member of Dickason who has known her for many years.

Her name has been suppressed.

She told the jury that she was still close to the accused, speaking to her every second week and writing to her in between.

She had been a big part of Liane, Maya and Karla’s lives - and supported Dickason and her husband through their gruelling fertility journey.

They underwent 17 rounds of IVF and lost a baby - a daughter named Sarah - when Dickason was just 18 weeks pregnant.

The couple eventually turned to donor eggs to conceive their three daughters.

Lauren Anne Dickason appears in court on the first day of her two-week trial for the murder of her three children.

The relative said she was not aware of Dickason’s mental health issues until after Sarah died.

“I think it had a more significant impact on Lauren’s life than we ever imagined,” she said.

“The loss of Sarah was something she carried with her for the rest of her life… she carried on living with it.

“Her joy levels never returned… The birth of Liane was a highlight but I don’t feel like that initial joy I knew Lauren to have ever returned after the loss of Sarah.”

She recalled Dickason being “very doubtful” during her pregnancies, constantly worried about losing babies and not being able to become a mother.

When Liane was born the whole family was overjoyed. But Dickason struggled from the start.

The relative said the harrowing conception process and a “difficult” pregnancy seemed to deeply impact Dickason.

“She took a big knock… it took its toll… she was crying a lot, she was very down,” she said.

“I think it took her about nine months to settle into motherhood… once they found a rhythm that worked for both of them they settled.

“I definitely think she was happy to have her, as much as it was difficult and the adjustment was hard.

“There was a bit of spark back in Lauren… it felt like a bit of purpose had returned to her life.”

When Dickason fell pregnant again she and Graham invited the whole family to dinner at her parents’ home to announce they were having twins.

“Everyone was given a little white box and inside were two cupcakes,” the relative said.

“They expressed their nervousness that it was twins… but announced their delight they were going to be parents for a second time around.”

After the twins were born the relative said Dickason was struggling again and took her to see a counsellor at her church.

“I definitely thought she was down again… I think she masked it well by being busy, getting things done and keeping order for her family at that time,” she said.

The woman said Dickason “was really struggling” when South Africa was plunged into lockdown during the Covid-19 pandemic.

She feared her young family getting the virus and “avoided contact with most people”.

Police at the scene of the alleged murder. Photo / George Heard

Dickason feared her husband “bringing it home” from the hospital where he worked and her worries were “exasperated” when two of his family members died from Covid.

As the family prepared to move to New Zealand the relative noticed Dickason was not doing well.

“She was speaking less… she had a much more sad demeanour,” she said.

“A big trigger for me, a sign that she was really struggling, I came to her home and she declined me coming in for coffee with her… that was the first for me, a first in our relationship.

“That was when I really knew she was struggling… she couldn’t even speak to me.”

The woman said Dickason lost a lot of weight before leaving South Africa. At first it was healthy - the result of a fitness programme - and she was “glowing”.

But then the woman “started looking like a skeleton”.

On July 31 2021 a family gathering was held to farewell the Dickason family.

The relative said Dickason was “there but not” and “very vacant” and quiet.

“I was very worried,” the relative said.

The day before the girls were killed the woman received a photo in a group chat of Dickason with Liane on her first day of school.

She told the court she was shocked to see an even thinner Dickason, who was “completely drowning” in a tracksuit top that would usually fit.

“It was by far the worst I have ever seen her,” she said.

“She looked grey, she looked like she couldn’t even focus”

The woman said Dickason was a good mother who was always organised and provided everything her children needed and wanted.

The girls were all very different and Dickason was good at “adapting” to make sure each child’s “tank” was filled.

“She was very protective of them… She definitely told them all the time (she loved them) she gave them hugs and kisses,” said the relative.

“There were lots of laughs and giggles… they really enjoyed spending time with her.”

Lauren Dickason during her police interview. Photo / Pool

Defence lawyer Anne Toohey opened the defence case just before 11am.

She said there was no dispute that Dickason killed the children and then tried - using multiple methods - to take her own life.

“Her intention was to go to bed… and to never wake up,” said Toohey.

“The question is why she did that. All three defence experts say her mind was disturbed by reason of her postpartum depression arising from childbirth.

“All of the defence experts agree that there was an altruistic motive… That means that Lauren killed her children out of love.

“In her mind, she was killing them out of love - she was killing herself and she didn’t want to leave the children… she was so sure this was the right thing to do she persisted.”

Toohey said the decision to kill herself and the children was “spontaneous” because Dickason was “in a dark place”.

“She believed life was no longer worth living - for either her or her children,” Toohey said.

“She decided to kill herself and she felt that they were all better off dead.

“Lauren felt inadequate as a mother, she found it hard to cope…”

The trial, before Justice Cameron Mander, continues.