A mother who cremated her children after taking them for a final meal at McDonald’s had struggled to cope with Victoria’s tough Covid-19 lockdowns.
Jasmine Thomas, 37, died along with her two daughters, Carolyn, three, and Evlyn, six, after she deliberately set fire to their car on the side of the Western Port Highway in Cranbourne West on March 24, 2022.
The registered nurse had shown no signs of mental illness until Premier Daniel Andrews’ government plunged Victorians into lockdown the previous year.
Jasmine Thomas and her two children, Carolyn and Evlyn (pictured with Mrs Thomas), died in a car fire in Melbourne’s south-east on March 24, 2022.
A coroner’s inquest into her murderous actions found that Jasmine’s husband, James Swan Palakamannil, had been so concerned about his wife harming the children that he obtained an intervention order against her.
Six months before the atrocity, in September, he reported to police that Jasmine had become aggressive and was causing damage to property, including clothing and appliances.
His two young children were present at the time.
Melburnians had been in lockdown since August 5 in their sixth Covid lockdown, which remained in place until October 21.
Jasmine’s husband reported that she may have had postpartum depression and become paranoid during the Covid-19 pandemic, but in her community it was considered a “great shame” to have mental health problems.
In January of that year, Katica ‘Katie’ Perinovic, 42, murdered her children Claire, seven, Anna, five, and Matthew, three, one by one before taking her own life inside her home in Tullamarine, northwest of M.elbourne.
Like Jasmine, she had also shown no signs of mental health issues until she was locked up.
Both women had sought help from health professionals but were restricted to video calls with doctors due to movement restrictions.
Until the Victorians went into lockdown in what would become the longest period in history, Katie had been a successful physiotherapist.
Carolyn, three, and Evlyn, six, enjoyed one last meal at McDonald’s before their mother cremated them alive.
On Tuesday, the Victorian Coroner’s Court ruled that Ms Thomas intentionally covered her car (pictured) in petrol and set it on fire with herself and her two daughters inside.
On Tuesday, it was revealed that an intervention order issued by Jasmine’s worried husband in November 2021 meant she could not have contact with her children or return to the family home in Lyndhurst, southeast of Melbourne.
Jasmine spent weeks living in her car and on couches until the order was changed in February to allow her to return home on condition that she not commit further family violence.
The coroner found that Jasmine had reported being depressed after Melburnians emerged from their fourth lockdown in June 2021.
In October of that year, she was referred to a psychologist for additional treatment, which had to be done via a “telehealth appointment.”
She denied having suicidal thoughts and complained of being stressed about work and family.
Jasmine was supposed to catch up with the psychologist in January, but she never followed through.
Victorian coroner John Cain made no findings about the way Jasmine’s mental health issues were addressed at the time.
“I am satisfied that the care provided to Jasmine was reasonable and appropriate in light of the history provided by Jasmine and the absence of any other issues identified,” he said on Tuesday.
‘The investigation has not revealed any explanation or understanding of the precise events or circumstances that led Jasmine and her two children to commit suicide.
“Given the circumstances, I can only conclude that Jasmine had an episode of psychosis and while in this psychotic state she killed her children and herself.”
Father Tomislav Perinovic (left), children and Katie Perinovic in happier times
Tomislav Perinovic and Katie Perinovic. Mr Perinovic was devastated by the tragedy.
Victorians were devastated by the murder of the Perinovic children and flocked to leave flowers and gifts outside their home in Tullamarine.
The tragedy of the Perinovic family
Victorian coroner Audrey Jamieson reached similar conclusions in the Perinovic case despite concerns expressed at her inquest by her husband Tomislav Perinovic.
‘There was a huge negative impact during the Covid lockdown on our family and particularly on Katie. “We were not able, like others in Victoria, to see our family and friends for so many months,” a devastated Perinovic told him in November 2022.
Trapped within the four walls of their home in Tullamarine, Perinovic pointed to the confinement as the event that drove his wife to madness.
“Katie had stopped working in March 2020 and was caring for her three children and trying to homeschool Claire at the same time,” Perinovic said.
“It was incredibly stressful and hard on both of us, especially Katie.”
Victorians spent a whopping 262 days under strict lockdown between March of that year and the end of 2021.
Perinovic told the coroner that when Andrews eased the restrictions, the damage appeared to have been done.
‘When restrictions eased, Katie started distancing herself from her friends, saying “we can’t meet up.” “She kept reading media articles and listening to the news over and over again,” she said.
‘She started to feel worried and scared. Every day we alternate going for a walk, getting fresh air and exercising. Just to leave the house.
Former Victorian Premier Dan Andrews was proud of his six bull runs
Going to the beach was illegal during Victoria’s lockdowns (pictured in St Kilda in 2021)
The day Jasmine killed her children, she was lethargic and apparently couldn’t get out of bed.
Her husband had planned to take the children outside when he returned home from work that night and found them playing with a phone.
When Jasmine got out of bed, she invited the kids to have dinner with her at McDonald’s.
On the way, he stopped at a nearby service station, where he grabbed a 10-liter can and filled it with gasoline.
Disturbing CCTV captured from the McDonald’s drive-thru showed Jasmine passing food to her children, who were strapped to the back seats.
Parked outside the Cranbourne West fast food outlet, the children spent 30 minutes eating their last meal before they saw the car drive away.
Nine minutes later, witnesses reported the car was on fire on Western Port Highway between Wedge Road and Breasley Road.
The sad end of Jasmine Palakamannil
Forensic experts believe Jasmine spilled most of the gasoline before setting it on fire.
They concluded that all three died in the fire and no other injuries were found on any of their bodies.
Palakamannil told the coroner of his despair at losing his entire family the way he did.
‘My late wife, Jasmine, did the best she could. “I wish I had… sought help,” she said.
‘He struggled to connect and interact with people and make friends. When she couldn’t take it anymore… in the process she took out my most prized possessions.’
His comments echoed those of Perinovic in 2022.
‘[Katie] “She was a great mother and a very good physiotherapist,” he then told the coroner.
“He helped and treated many patients throughout his career and it is a great shame that he did not receive the same level of care he deserved at a time when he needed it most.”
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