Blue Mountains woman who killed two sons found not criminally responsible
A Blue Mountains woman who stabbed her two sons to death has been found not criminally responsible for their murders. The woman will now be detained in a location to be determined by the Mental Health Review Tribunal.
A woman from the Blue Mountains who stabbed her two sons to death has been found not criminally responsible for their murders.
The two boys, aged nine and 11, were found by their father in the family home. The NSW Supreme Court heard that the woman had entered pleas of not guilty to charges of murder on the basis of mental health impairment.
Court Findings
Justice Richard Cavanagh told the court: "Having received the further evidence and having considered all of the other evidence relied upon by the parties, I am satisfied that a special verdict of act proven but not criminally responsible should be entered," he said.
"The expert psychiatric evidence is overwhelmingly to the effect that the accused did not know that her actions in killing her children were wrong, even though she knew the nature and quality of the acts that she was undertaking," he said.
Psychiatric Evidence
Justice Cavanagh read aloud the details of expert evidence from three psychiatric doctors who interviewed the accused several times individually via audio-visual link (AVL). The doctors concluded there was a "degree of similarity, if not unanimity, in their evidence".
"They considered that at the time of the acts the accused was suffering from such a severe case of major depression that her thought processes were psychotic," he said.
"They also considered that the accused was nihilistic in her thinking and wasn't able to reason other than her children would be better off dead in such a bad world," Justice Cavanagh added.
Next Steps
The woman will now be detained in a location to be determined by the Mental Health Review Tribunal.
"The tribunal will review and supervise the accused, as well as ensure that she is provided with appropriate care and treatment," Justice Cavanagh said.
"The accused may not be released until the tribunal is satisfied that the safety of the accused or any member of the public will not be seriously endangered by the accused's release," he added.
Justice Cavanagh acknowledged the case as particularly tragic.