A South Sudanese refugee who drove her three children into a Melbourne lake has been jailed for 26-and-a-half years over their deaths.
In sentencing Akon Guode and outlining the trauma she faced growing up in her homeland, a Supreme Court judge has described the case as an "all-encompassing tragedy."
Guode will not be eligible for release for at least 20 years -- and then faces deportation.
As she continued sobbing in the dock, Justice Lex Lasry briefly suspended his sentencing address to allow Akon Guode to compose herself.
(Guode sobbing ...)
(Lawyer:) ... can't get an answer at the moment whether she's okay to go on. Would Your Honour be prepared to stand down for a minute?"
(Judge:) "Of course."
(Lawyer:) "Thanks."
The court heard of the chaos and panic of that afternoon two years ago when the 37-year-old Guode deliberately drove her car, with her four children inside, into a Melbourne lake.
Despite the frantic efforts of rescuers, 16-month-old Bol and four-year-old twins Hanger and Madit could not be revived.
Justice Lasry said much remains unexplained.
"Not withstanding the very personal, historical and psychological pressures you were under at the time, which I acknowledge were significant, the real reason for your actions on that day are, in many ways, a tragic mystery and have not been explained by you."
He said what was known was a psychiatrist's evidence that the South Sudanese refugee was suffering post-traumatic stress disorder from her life before coming to Australia in 2005.
The court was told of some of the horror she experienced, including witnessing her first husband's murder and her own violent rape at the hands of militia fighters.
The head of the Federation of South Sudanese Associations in Victoria, Kenyatta Wal, says it is typical of the significant mental-health issues facing those who fled the war-ravaged region.
"It manifests itself in so many different ways. So, yes, there are people who are suffering and going through a lot of challenges. It is a very sad story, indeed. We are trying to do whatever we can to provide that support. And I believe, also, the relatives are very much, indeed, helping and supporting her as well."
But in sentencing Guode to 26 years and six months in jail, Justice Lasry said, despite such issues, she was guilty of a horrendous crime and a catastrophic betrayal of trust.
"This case is an all-encompassing tragedy. It is a tragedy for your family, with three children deceased through your actions. It is a tragedy for you, because you've destroyed the life you had started here in Australia. And it is a tragedy for the community."
It is a community that, Kenyatta Wal says, has rallied behind the family, with Guode not eligible for parole for 20 years and facing deportation upon her release.
"There are a lot of conflicting ... conflicting reactions to this. Some see it as very harsh, the sentence itself. It's affected the entire South Sudanese community, indeed, because, of course, the loss of a child, an innocent child, it's obviously very tragic."
The dead children's father, Joseph Manyang, was in court to hear the sentence, but he left without commenting.
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