A woman who killed her elderly mother by mixing “green dream” drugs into her soup will not serve time behind bars.
Barbara Eckersley, 69, was found guilty of the 2018 manslaughter of 92-year-old Mary White by a jury in April.
Barbara Eckersley has avoided a prison sentence for the manslaughter of her 92-year-old mother.
Supreme Court Justice Robert Beech-Jones on Thursday sentenced her to a community corrections order, saying she was suffering from a severe depressive disorder when she killed her mother.
The court heard Dr White, an acclaimed scientist, had been suffering from dementia and had a number of strokes in the years before her death.
She was admitted to a Southern Highlands nursing home in July 2017 and as her condition continued to deteriorate, her family agreed Dr White would be transferred to an aged care facility at Coffs Harbour near another one of her daughters.
About 5pm on August 4, 2018, a few days before Dr White was due to be transferred, Eckersley arrived at the nursing home and spoon-fed her mother soup.
She admitted that she poured a quantity of the “green dream” drug mixture into the food, the court heard.
The drugs are known as barbiturates and are commonly used to euthanise animals. Eckersley obtained them through her volunteer work with injured animals, the court heard.
Dr White died about four hours after being given the drugs, the court heard.
Giving evidence at her trial, Eckersley recalled crushing up a packet of temazepam tablets at home and giving them to her mother the day before feeding her the “green dream”.
During the trial, Eckersley denied intending to kill her mother by giving her the drugs, only wanting to ease her suffering.
She said the night before giving her the “green dream” she felt “out‑of‑body, disconnected and confused”.
“What do I do if she’s miserable tonight?” Eckersley recalled thinking.
Justice Beech-Jones found that while she did intend to kill her mother her moral culpability for the act was low.
He said she was not fully aware of the consequences of her actions due to her depression.
“My assessment is that ... Mrs Eckersley has been haunted by her involvement in her mother’s death. I accept she is remorseful,” he said.
The judge said Eckersley’s intention to kill her mother was formed just before committing the act, it occurred in a context where her facilities were substantially impaired and it was done “for love and a result of despair.
“I have sought to recognise the harm done by her actions to her mother and the community so far as the protection of the vulnerable is concerned,” Justice Beech-Jones said.
“However, in the end result, to compound the sad end to Mary White’s remarkable life by imprisoning a daughter who cared for her, and loved her, would simply not be just.”
Justice Beech-Jones did not believe Eckersley lied when she gave evidence that she did not intend to kill her mother. Rather, she had convinced herself she had not.
He said the trial had been an ordeal for Eckersley, who found public examination of her mental state excruciating.
“There is no doubt that Mrs Eckersley gave much of herself to looking after her mother’s interests yet she found herself publicly on trial for killing her,” he said.
He sentenced Eckersley to a two year community corrections order, requiring she undergo mental health treatment.
Daniella White is a reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald.
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2021-05-20 06:11:44Z
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