“Forgive me”: Mother’s note after alleged children’s deaths

A Mother’s Tragic Case and the Question of Mental Impairment

A mother accused of killing her two children has left a note asking for forgiveness, according to court proceedings. The case involves a tragic incident that occurred years ago when the children were found dead in their family home in New South Wales (NSW). The identities of the mother and her children have been withheld for legal reasons.

The mother appeared in the NSW Supreme Court on Tuesday for a hearing to determine whether she should be found not criminally responsible for the deaths due to mental impairment. Both her lawyer and the prosecutor supported this course of action, but the judge raised concerns about the strength of the evidence regarding her mental health.

Justice Richard Cavanagh questioned the extent of the mother’s mental impairment, pointing out inconsistencies in her internet search history, a suicide note, and conflicting psychological reports. He noted that there was no evidence of conditions like schizophrenia, such as delusions or psychotic episodes that would have impaired her ability to reason.

“This is not a case involving schizophrenia, for example, there’s no suggestion of deluded beliefs, there’s no suggestion of psychotic episodes … that so affected the defendant’s thought processes that she wasn’t able to reason,” he said. “It needs to be more than a mental health impairment.”

The mother, who was found with stab wounds alongside her slain children, had written a note that did not align with the findings of psychologists, according to the judge. The note stated, “I couldn’t leave my children alone in such a bad world without my support … I hope you can forgive me.”

Justice Cavanagh acknowledged that the mother suffered from major depression but questioned whether this met the threshold for mental impairment. He pointed out the difference between her belief about her own attempted suicide and whether she believed what she was planning to do was wrong.

“There’s obviously a difference between her belief about her own attempted suicide and whether she believed what she was planning to do … was wrong,” he said.

He also highlighted the woman’s internet searches prior to the alleged murder, which suggested she was “clearly planning the event.”

The mother’s lawyer, Madeleine Avenell SC, argued that her client’s actions might not have reflected an understanding that killing her children was wrong. She stated, “She knows that the action is wrong in the sense that she can say ‘yes it’s wrong to kill my child’, but she didn’t have the ability to exercise … that wrongness.”

The hearing over the mother’s mental health will resume on June 24. Justice Cavanagh’s concerns about the expert material were valid, according to defence solicitor Paul McGirr, who told reporters outside court, “This is a very sensitive matter and it has to be done properly, particularly when you’re dealing with extreme charges.”

The accused murderer, who dialled into court from custody, hung her head low during the proceedings, leaving only a tangle of hair visible.

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