Erin Patterson has denied deliberately poisoning a beef wellington in an attempt to kill four members of Simon Patterson’s family in Victoria, Australia
The daughter of a woman accused of murdering her husband’s parents and an aunt with mushrooms told a court what her mother told her that day.
Erin Patterson, 50, is accused of deliberately poisoning a beef wellington in an attempt to kill four members of Simon Patterson’s family in July, 2023. Her former in-laws, Don Patterson, 70 and Gail Patterson, 70, died in hospital after the meal in Victoria, Australia , as well as Gail’s sister Heather Wilkinson, 66. Ian Wilkinson, a local church minister, survived after receiving a liver transplant in hospital. Mum-of-two Patterson pleaded not guilty to three counts of murder and one count of manslaughter.
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Today the court heard a police interview with Patterson’s daughter, who was then aged nine and cannot be named for legal reasons. She told proceedings Patterson sent her away while the adults ate the meal. She said: “My mum told me she wanted to have a lunch with my grandparents.
“She said she wanted to talk to them about adult stuff, and we were going to go to the movies.
“I can’t remember when she started to feel sick. But I think she started to feel sick the next day,’ the daughter told police. We had some of the leftovers.
“Some of the steak they had. Some of the mashed potatoes and some of the beans.”
The trial began last week at Victoria state Supreme Court. Today, Dr Chris Webster, who worked at Leongatha Hospital where two of Patterson’s guests were admitted, gave evidence – and told the jury of her unusual explanation for their illness.
He said Patterson had walked into his waiting room shortly before Ian and Heather Wilkinson were due to be transferred to another hospital, and that he had explained medics believed they had suffered from death cap mushroom poisoning.
He said he told her she should seek immediate treatment herself due to potential risk of exposure, but she checked out a short time later against medical advice. Dr Webster said: “I was surprised.
“I had just informed her she’d been potentially exposed to a deadly death cap mushroom poisoning and I would have thought being in hospital was the best place to be.” He attempted to call her three times after she left the hospital, before ringing the police.
The court had earlier heard that after eating the meal, all four guests were admitted to hospital the next day with poisoning from death cap mushrooms, also known as amanita phalloides, that were added to the dish.
Patterson has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
The trial continues.