Mother Spared Jail For Laying Baby On Train Tracks, Causing Her Death

An Australian mother is spared jail after she placed her three-month-old baby on train tracks and then laid beside her. The train struck them both, but the mother survived.

The incident happened in July 2021. Supreme Court Justice Jane Dixon told the court at Thursday's sentencing that the mother acted in a state of severe depression and believed she was “extremely unlikely” to re-offend, The Guardian reported.

Before her sentencing, 32-year-old Melissa Arbuckle appeared in court Tuesday after pleading guilty last year to one count of infanticide, according to The Age.

The court was told how Arbuckle went for a walk with her daughter, Lily, in a pram on July 11. At the time, she made online searches for train speeds and timetables and even checked whether a train could derail if it collided with a rock or a cow. Arbuckle then met with her family before once again going out for a stroll with her daughter toward Upwey station.

Crown prosecutor Robyn Harper told the court Tuesday that Arbuckle texted her husband before the collision and said she took Lily for a walk because the infant was “losing it after a feed," according to news.com.au.

The court heard that Arbuckle held her daughter to her chest and used her baby’s arm to wave at a passing train. Another train came chugging down the tracks within minutes, and Arbuckle placed her baby on the tracks before trying to lie down next to her. The train struck the mother and baby, despite the driver activating the emergency brakes.

Lily died shortly after being rushed to the hospital from traumatic injuries while Arbuckle survived.

The mother’s lawyer, Megan Tittensor, told the court that Arbuckle had a “significantly disturbed mind” at the time of the incident and wanted to end her own life with her daughter.

Arbuckle was described as being “really down” in the weeks before the incident and also worried about having rocked her daughter’s bassinet too vigorously on one occasion. She even spoke to a friend about Lily possibly having shaken baby syndrome and obsessively examined Lily for signs and symptoms.

“She had a perfectionist personality and need for control … she wanted to be the perfect mother,” Tittensor added.

Arbuckle, who expressed having suicidal thoughts before Lily's death, was diagnosed with severe postpartum depression and postpartum psychosis the day after the collision.

Lily’s father and aunt read victim impact statements in the court.

“...She deserved so much more. I loved Lily more than life itself,” the child’s father told the court while her aunt said: “Rest in peace, Lily Arbuckle, I’m so sorry I couldn’t save you.”

At Thursday's sentencing, Dixon did not dole out a prison sentence and ordered Arbuckle to continue treatment and supervision for three years, The West Australian reported.

If you have thoughts of suicide, confidential help is available for free at the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Call 1-800-273-8255. The line is available 24 hours, every day.