Grim new details emerge about a struggling mother’s mental health battles before her two boys were stabbed to death in their bed in the Blue Mountains

A mother suspected of killing her two sons before attempting suicide had a history of mental health problems including postnatal depression and anxiety.

Russell and Ben Smith, aged 11 and nine, were found stabbed to death in their family home in the quiet Blue Mountains village of Faulconbridge on Tuesday.

Their mother, Trish Smith, 42, was rushed to hospital with self-inflicted injuries, where she is still recovering. She has not yet been questioned by police.

New details have now emerged about the self-proclaimed “perfectionist”‘s mental health struggles in the years leading up to the tragedy.

In January 2020, Smith was dismissed from her position with the NSW government as a senior land services officer for Greater Sydney after being unable to carry out her duties due to complications from postnatal depression and anxiety.

She launched a two-year legal battle against her employer for unfair dismissal, which she ultimately lost in November 2023.

Smith had claimed she was fired due to “work-related injuries” after experiencing anxiety over discrimination and bullying.

However, the Fair Work Commission ruled that her mental health issues stemmed from her home after the birth of her second child.

According to court documents, Smith had been employed by Land Services since 2005 and had no issues until she returned to work in 2016.

After giving birth to Ben in 2015, she developed postnatal depression and began to experience a shift in her feelings towards work, which had previously been a “big part of my identity”.

In June 2017, she was diagnosed with anxiety. A psychologist noted after a session: “loss of confidence after the end of maternity leave”, “crying since the birth of the children” and “feelings felt since the birth of the youngest”.

The following month, on July 27, Smith filed a workers’ compensation claim for psychological injuries after suffering a panic attack due to a problem at work.

His employer initially rejected his request, before arrangements were later made to pay him retroactive weekly compensation for a period of six months and additional medical expenses.

Two years later, she filed two more applications, in July and November 2019.

In the first, she claimed to suffer from “reactive anxiety” and a “flare-up of her symptoms” after an annual career development meeting with a manager.

Four months later, she filed another complaint after receiving a letter from her employer offering her medical retirement.

Both claims were initially rejected before it was later agreed that she would receive weekly compensation for a period of 10 months as well as medical reimbursements.

She was dismissed two months later and filed an unfair dismissal claim, arguing that she was dismissed because of mental health issues arising from the workplace incidents and that Land Services’ claim that she had an underlying health condition was “contrived” and “unconvincing”.

Smith claimed she was denied procedural fairness because she made complaints about those who handled her dismissal and that her employer failed to carry out a proper “risk assessment” before sending her letters about her dismissal.

However, Land Services argued that Smith was fired because her performance had declined significantly due to her mental health issues – to the point where she was barely at work.

She also became increasingly demanding in terms of managerial support, so much so that, although she only worked two days, she consumed a “significantly disproportionate” amount of her managers’ time compared to other employees.

In its submission, Land Services said Smith had even asked for more managerial support – which, if granted, would mean she was not operating independently to the level required for her role.

Her insistence was such that the July 2019 meeting – which she later complained about – had to be cancelled because it was not progressing, as her only concern was to make “reasonable adjustments” to secure additional support.

Land Services said it was considering making her redundant by December 2018 because it could not provide a safe workplace for managers because it was not equipped to provide the support she needed.

Two managers were so overwhelmed by her needs, court documents say, that they asked other people to manage her.

In its decision, the commission also referred to Smith’s erratic behavior during his trial.

The court noted that she had submitted a lengthy 90-paragraph document to support her case, which was “difficult to follow,” and that she had “underlying anxious personality traits” and “personality vulnerability with obsessiveness, rigidity and perfectionism.”

“I certainly have a bit of perfectionism in my natural personality… perfectionism is probably the reason I got first class honours, because I did things thoroughly,” she told the court under cross-examination.

In its decision, the commission found that her employer’s decision to dismiss her was supported by a “wide range of documentary evidence”.

“She did not perform her work to a satisfactory standard for an employee of her grade and… she was unable to cope with the unexceptional daily demands and stressors of her role,” the commission said.

“Her responses imposed unreasonable and exceptional constraints on her colleagues. The Commission finds that there was no indication that the applicant considered her conduct to be unreasonable, even in retrospect.”

After leaving Land Services, Smith started a farming business from the family home in Faulconbridge, providing “quality local food” and “education and coaching”.

Photos posted on a Facebook page set up for her business show her and the boys planting crops and holding fresh produce.

In February 2020, just a month after being laid off, Smith spoke to a local farming group to promote her new business.

“I thought it was time to introduce myself. My name is Trish, I live in Faulconbridge with my husband and two boys,” the message begins.

“A series of ‘life shocks’ got me thinking about health and the food we eat, and since then I’ve been learning more about myself and how our food is grown.

“I look forward to meeting up again next week to expand my network, learn from others, and collectively plan what we might work on this year.

“See you next Friday.

“Trish.”