Jasmine Thomas and Katie Perinovic: Disturbing similarities between two cases that shocked Australia
A mother who burned her children after taking them for a final meal at McDonald’s has struggled to cope during Victoria’s strict Covid-19 lockdowns.
Jasmine Thomas, 37, died along with her two daughters, Carolyn, three, and Evlyn, six, after deliberately setting their car on fire at the side of the Western Port Highway in Cranbourne West on March 24, 2022.
The registered nurse showed no signs of mental illness until Victorians were plunged into lockdown by Premier Daniel Andrews’ government last 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 coronial inquiry into her murderous actions found that Jasmine’s husband, James Swan Palakamannil, was so concerned that his wife would harm the children that he issued an intervention order against her.
Six months before the atrocity, in September, he reported to police that Jasmine had become aggressive and caused damage to property, including clothing and kitchen appliances.
Both of their young children were present at the time.
Melburnians had been in lockdown since August 5 during the 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 that it was considered a “great shame” in their community to have mental health problems.
In January of that year, Katica ‘Katie’ Perinovic, 42, killed her children Claire, seven, Anna, five, and Matthew, three, one by one before killing herself at their home in Tullamarine, northwest of M.elbourne.
Like Jasmine, she too showed no signs of mental health issues until she was incarcerated.
Both women had sought help from health workers but were limited to video calls with doctors due to restrictions on movement.
Until the Victorians were mired in what would become the longest period in history, Katie had been a successful physiotherapist.
Carolyn, three, and Evlyn, six, enjoyed one last McDonald’s meal before their mother burned them alive
On Tuesday, Victoria’s Coroners Court ruled that Ms Thomas had deliberately covered her car (pictured) with petrol and set it on fire while she and her two girls were inside.
It was revealed on Tuesday that an intervention order issued by Jasmine’s concerned husband in November 2021 meant she could no longer have contact with her children or return to the family home in Lyndhurst, southeast of Melbourne.
Jasmine spent weeks in her car and on couches until the order was changed in February, allowing her to return home on the condition she did not commit further family violence.
The coroner found 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 further treatment, which had to be done via a ‘telehealth appointment’.
She denied having suicidal thoughts and complained of being stressed due to work and family pressures.
Jasmine was supposed to make an appointment with the psychologist in January, but that did not happen.
Victorian coroner John Cain made no findings about the way Jasmine’s mental health issues were handled 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 other identified issues,” he said Tuesday.
“The investigation has not provided any explanation or understanding of the precise events or circumstances that led Jasmine to kill herself and her two children.
“Given the circumstances, I can only conclude that Jasmine suffered a psychosis and that in this psychotic state she killed both her children and herself.”
Father Tomislav Perinovic (left), the children and Katie Perinovic in happier times
Tomislav Perinovic and Katie Perinovic. Mr Perinovic is devastated by the tragedy
Victorians shattered by the murder of the Perinovic children flocked together to leave flowers and gifts outside their Tullamarine home
The Perinovic family tragedy
Victorian coroner Audrey Jamieson made similar findings in the Perinovic case, despite concerns raised by husband Tomislav Perinovic at her inquest.
‘There was a huge negative impact during the Covid lockdown on our family and especially on Katie. We have not been able to see our family and friends for so many months, like others in Victoria,” a disgruntled Mr Perinovic told her in November 2022.
Trapped within the four walls of her home in Tullamarine, Perinovic labeled the lockdown as the event that drove his wife mad.
“Katie had stopped working in March 2020 while simultaneously caring for her three children and trying to homeschool Claire,” Perinovic said.
‘It was incredibly stressful and tough for both of us, especially Katie.’
Victorians spent a whopping 262 days in hard lockdown between March that year and the end of 2021.
Mr Perinovic told the coroner that by the time Mr Andrews relaxed restrictions the damage appeared to have been done.
‘As restrictions eased, Katie started to withdraw from friends, saying ‘we can’t meet up’. “She kept reading media articles and listening to the news over and over again,” he said.
‘She started to feel worried and anxious. Every day we took turns walking, to get fresh air and exercise. Just to get out of the house.”
Former Victorian Premier Dan Andrews was very proud of his six lockdowns
Going to the beach was illegal during Victoria’s lockdowns (photo in St Kilda in 2021)
The sad end of Jasmine Palakamannil
On the day Jasmine killed her children, she had been lethargic and seemed unable to get out of bed.
Her husband planned to take the children out when he came home from work that evening and found them on the phone.
When Jasmine got out of bed, she invited the kids to McDonald’s for dinner.
Along the way, she stopped at a nearby gas station, where she picked up a 10-liter jerry can and filled it with gasoline.
Ghostly CCTV footage captured at the McDonald’s drive-through showed Jasmine handing out meals to her children, who were strapped into the backseat.
Parked outside the Cranbourne West fast food restaurant, the children spent 30 minutes eating their last meal before the car was seen driving away.
Nine minutes later, witnesses reported the car was on fire on the Western Port Highway between Wedge Road and Breasley Road.
Forensic experts believe Jasmine poured most of the gasoline on herself before setting it on fire.
They concluded that all three had died from fire and that no other injuries were found on their bodies.
Mr Palakamannil told the coroner of his despair at losing his entire family in the way he did.
“My late wife, Jasmine, did the best she could. “I wish she would have… gotten help,” he said.
“She had trouble connecting and interacting with people and making friends. When she could no longer… she took my most valuable possessions.’
His comments echoed those made by Mr Perinovic in 2022.
‘[Katie] was a wonderful mother and a very good physiotherapist,” he told the coroner at the time.
“She helped and treated many patients throughout her career and it is a huge shame that she did not receive the same level of care she deserved in her time of greatest need.”
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