WARNING: Distressing content
A Victorian mum was suffering from a “significantly disturbed mind” when she laid her little girl on train tracks before she was struck and killed in July 2020.
Melissa Arbuckle, 32, appeared in Victoria’s Supreme Court on Tuesday after pleading guilty to one count of infanticide.
Crown prosecutor Robyn Harper told the court that on the day of the tragic incident Arbuckle had said goodbye to her sister and mother after they came to visit her three-month-old daughter, Lily.
Shortly after, Arbuckle texted her husband to say their daughter was “losing it after a feed” and decided to take her for a walk, Ms Harper told the court.
Moments into their stroll, Arbuckle started searching the internet for information on trains, including speed, timetables and train derailments.
She was walking near the tracks at Upwey in Melbourne’s east when a train driver spotted Arbuckle holding Lily close to her chest. Arbuckle used her little girl’s hand to wave at the train, Ms Harper said.
Police allege minutes later a train driver heading towards Belgrave station spotted Arbuckle moving towards the tracks in a “suspicious” way and activated the emergency brakes.
Arbuckle placed Lily on the tracks and was trying to lay down herself when the train hit them both, the courxjmtzywt was told.
In a heartbreaking detail, the train driver told police he “closed his eyes” when he knew a collision was imminent.
Passers-by rushed to the scene and found the pair lying on the tracks. When emergency services arrived, Arbuckle was trying to self-harm, Ms Harper said.
Lily was rushed to hospital but died a short time later from traumatic head injuries.
Arbuckle’s lawyer Megan Tittensor told the court that her client had a “significantly disturbed mind” and had intended to take her own life too.
In the weeks before the tragedy, the young mum had been “really down” and believed she injured her baby because she rocked Lily’s bassinet too vigorously, according to the summary read in court.
She had told a friend that she feared Lily might have shaken baby syndrome and became obsessed with checking for any signs and symptoms.
“She had a fixed delusional belief she had harmed her child and they were both broken,” Ms Tittensor said.
“She had a perfectionist personality and need for control … she wanted to be the perfect mother.”
Arbuckle had also shared that she was suffering from suicidal thoughts and was hearing voices.
“She had come to believe dying was her only option. She would hear voices telling her she was a bad mother,” Ms Tittensor said.
Defence also submitted that Arbuckle did not plan to have any more children in the future out of fear she would once again slip into psychosis and had strong prospects for rehabilitation.
A heartbreaking victim impact statement was read in court on Tuesday from Arbuckle’s estranged husband and Lily’s father, who asked to remain anonymous.
He described going into shock the moment police knocked on his door to tell him what had happened.
“It is hard to describe just how painful that was. My dear little girl was gone,” he said.
“She deserved so much more. I was stuck with this feeling of helplessness.”
He said he gave Lily a final kiss on the forehead as she lay motionless in hospital.
The man driving the train that struck the pair also submitted a tragic statement that said the moment changed his life forever.
“Every night I would dream of death,” he said.
The day after the train crash Arbuckle was diagnosed with severe major post-partum depression and post-partum psychosis.
Infanticide applies to women who kill their children, if they are under the age of two, in instances where the mother has mental health issues related to childbirth.
Arbuckle will remain on bail and will be sentenced at a later date.
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