Males accused of violence are typically treated more harshly than their female counterparts

On January 24, 2023, Lindsay Clancy fatally strangled her three children one by one with exercise bands. She then cut her wrists and neck and jumped from a second-story window, sustaining injuries that left her paralysed from the waist down. She claimed she heard an auditory hallucination commanding her to commit the acts and felt unable to resist.

That Clancy suffered mental issues was never in doubt. The main legal question was whether she had mental capacity to be held criminally responsible.

Clancy's defence case drew supporters who attended throughout the trial. The largest showing occurred in late August, when about 300 supporters (nearly all women wearing pink) rallied outside Plymouth Superior Court. Clancy's lawyer said she suffered a rare mental illness, linked to the stress, sleep deprivation and hormonal changes following childbirth. Prosecutors said the former nurse planned the 24 January 2023, killings and contrived to get her husband out of the house to commit her deeds. The trial ended with a judge declaring a mistrial because the jury said it could not reach a unanimous verdict.

Another case involved a newborn boy's body being found inside a garbage bin in Auburn in Sydney's west in September. Whether the baby had been born alive was unknown, but the handling of the corpse was allegedly inappropriate.

Responses from officialdom have been telling.

Detective Acting Superintendent Darren Sly said the "number one priority and concern" is the welfare of the baby's mother. He said the newborn was discovered by a local community member who was putting rubbish inside the bins. "It's very traumatic for that particular lady," Superintendent Sly said . He went further, being quoted as saying, "If there was to be any police action, that is not our priority whatsoever … our only priority at the moment is for the welfare of the mother and that she goes immediately to hospital."

Cumberland Mayor Ola Hamed described the incident as incredibly heartbreaking. "My thoughts are with those affected, particularly the mother and her family at what must be an unimaginably distressing time," Ms Hamed said. She said the community's focus should be on compassion and support for one another, rather than speculation.

More than three weeks later, police said a 24-year-old woman believed to be the infant's mother had been identified. She was taken to hospital for assessment. The woman was later charged with "mother alone conceal birth by disposing body". The charge, which carries a maximum penalty of two years' imprisonment, relates specifically to the disposal of a dead child's body to conceal that a birth has taken place.

What stands out in this case is the public stance of officials in minimising any possible culpability on the part of the mother, and obfuscating the circumstances of the deceased baby and any loss of life involved. I wonder whether, if a man was involved in disposing of the baby's body, would he have been treated as "compassionately" by the police, the mayor, and the media?

Then there is the case of the mother, who allegedly stabbed her three children in the Blue Mountains on 20 September. Detectives reportedly are investigating whether the alleged stabbing attack on the three children was sparked by an argument with her husband. Two children died, while a toddler was seriously injured. The mother suffered allegedly self-inflicted stab wounds.

The father had thought his family (of Kenyan background) were going for a picnic, but he later learned his 42-year-old wife had driven their three children to a quiet street in the Blue Mountains and allegedly stabbed them, before turning the knife on herself. The mother has since been charged over the alleged murders and remains before the courts.

In this instance there have been no obvious public calls either of sympathy for the accused or demonstrations of anger against her. It is not known whether racial considerations played any part in this outcome. The case contrasts with a more common scenario where a father murders his wife and children and then attempts suicide. In such cases the common reaction is expressed public anger and revulsion.