A Melbourne mother who was suffering severe postpartum depression when she killed her three-month-old daughter by placing her in front of a train has been spared jail.
Melissa Arbuckle, 32, pleaded guilty to one count of infanticide over her daughter Lily’s death at a train station in Upwey, in Melbourne’s east, on 11 July last year.
Arbuckle had laid beside her daughter on the tracks but survived the accident with fractures and internal bleeding.
She was later diagnosed with postpartum depression and psychosis, including auditory hallucinations. Lily’s father, who has requested not to be named, told the court he loved his daughter more than life itself and had struggled to find light in his life since the incident.
Justice Jane Dixon told the Victorian supreme court she believed it was “extremely unlikely” Arbuckle would re-offend and released her on an adjourned undertaking for three years. This allows her to live unsupervised in the community, but will require future appearances before court to ensure she is compliant.
“The facts of this case plainly reveal extenuating circumstances, and your character and sensible cooperation with treatment and supervision are already in evidence,” Dixon said.
“The fact that the severity of your postpartum depression was overlooked is an unfortunate feature that this case has in common with certain other cases of infanticide.”
Dixon noted Arbuckle’s “bright prospects” for rehabilitation were not challenged by the prosecution.
The court heard Arbuckle’s’s postpartum depression, suicidal ideations and psychosis had subsided after medication and psychiatric community-based treatment. Dixon told the court Arbuckle’s psychologist believed imprisonment would have a “significant and detrimental” impact on her mental health.
Dixon said that when considering an appropriate sentence, she had taken into account the victim impact statements of Lily’s father, her great-aunt and the train driver who activated the emergency brakes and shut his eyes before impact. The driver said the incident had changed his life, with police sirens and baby noises now triggering severe distress.
The court heard this week that Arbuckle, who was on bail awaiting sentencing, had a “significantly disturbed mind” at the time of the incident.
Her defence barrister, Megan Tittensor SC, said the new mother – who had a perfectionist personality – mistakenly believed Lily was suffering from shaken baby syndrome and that it was inevitable she would die. The court heard she had a “fixated delusional belief” she had harmed her child and they were both broken.
Arbuckle, a well respected vet, took her daughter for a walk in a pram before she began searching for train speeds and timetables on her mobile. Just after 5pm she was seen holding her daughter and using her arm to wave at the passing train.
Minutes later, she placed Lily on the train tracks on the Belgrave line and laid down beside her. Lily died after being airlifted to hospital.
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