4 days Ago By Marta Pascual Juanola, Erin Pearson
Simon Patterson has arrived at court, wearing a black suit and patterned tie. He will today return to the witness box and resume giving evidence. Here’s a quick recap of what the jury heard last week: Erin Patterson invited her in-laws, Don and Gail Paterson, as well as Heather and Ian Wilkinson, for lunch around July 16, 2023, under the pretence that she had some medical news and needed advice on how to discuss it with her children.
Erin hosted the lunch at her Leongatha home on July 29, 2023. Her guests all fell ill over the following hours and were admitted to hospital. Gail and Heather died on August 4, 2023, and Don died the following day.
Ian was critically unwell but survived. From left: Don Patterson, Gail Patterson and Heather Wilkinson all died after ingesting poisonous mushrooms. Ian Wilkinson (right) survived after weeks in hospital.
Erin Patterson has pleaded not guilty to three charges of murder and one of attempted murder. The jury was told Erin’s estranged husband Simon Patterson was also invited to the lunch, but he cancelled the evening before, saying in a text message he was “too uncomfortable” to attend. Erin served individual beef Wellingtons to her guests on grey plates, but she ate a smaller portion served on a tan-coloured plate.
After the meal, Erin told her guests she had ovarian cancer and sought advice on whether to tell her children. Later, Erin told medical staff she had served leftovers of the beef Wellington, with the mushrooms scraped off to her children. Doctors at the Monash Children’s Hospital assessed the children as being well.
Erin also did not get sick after her meal. Erin Patterson and Simon Patterson. Credit: Jason South Erin’s defence barrister told the jury the accused woman lied to the police about getting rid of a dehydrator and foraging for mushrooms.
The defence says the poisoned lunch was a terrible accident and a tragedy. The jury also heard Simon and Erin were married in 2007 and separated and reconciled on a number of occasions over the following years. They permanently separated in 2015.
The turning point in their relationship, Simon told the court, came in 2022, when his tax return listed him as separated and Erin applied for child support payments. Simon described Erin as being “extremely aggressive” in their discussions about child support payments. The jury was also shown a number of text messages between Erin and Simon, in which Erin said she was upset about not being invited to her mother-in-law Gail’s 70th birthday party.
Erin and Simon later apologised to each other for the texts. Simon Patterson. Credit: Jason South Last week, Crown prosecutor Dr Nanette Rogers, SC, delivered to the jury the prosecution’s opening address, which was followed by a brief response from defence counsel Colin Mandy, SC.
The first witness called to give evidence by the prosecution was Erin Patterson’s estranged husband, Simon Patterson, who was in the witness box on Thursday and Friday. As the case resumes today, Mandy will continue his cross-examination of Simon. That is expected to continue some time after 10.
30am. Good morning and welcome to our live coverage of the trial for accused mushroom lunch killer Erin Patterson. For those who are tuning into our coverage for the first time or might need a refresh, Patterson is accused of murdering her in-laws, Gail and Don Patterson, as well as Gail’s sister Heather Wilkinson by serving them individual beef Wellingtons laced with death cap mushrooms during a lunch in Leongatha on July 29, 2023.
Erin Patterson. Credit: Jason South She is also charged with attempting to murder Heather’s husband, Korumburra Baptist Church pastor Ian Wilkinson, who fell gravely ill after the lunch but recovered after several weeks in hospital. Erin Patterson has pleaded not guilty to three charges of murder and one of attempted murder.
She says the deadly lunch was a terrible accident. Today marks the start of the second week of the Supreme Court trial, which is expected to run for about five to six weeks. The case is being heard at the Latrobe Valley justice precinct in Morwell, since that is the closest court to where the alleged crimes took place.
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