Joseph Dunstan
The 50-year-old, who has pleaded not guilty to three charges of murder and one of attempted murder, admitted several times she had used lies and exaggeration in the past. 2h ago 2 hours ago Fri 6 Jun 2025 at 9:22pm
Erin Patterson didn't tell a "single person" that she may have accidentally added foraged mushrooms to a lunch that eventually killed three of her relatives, her murder trial has heard. 20h ago 20 hours ago Fri 6 Jun 2025 at 3:22am
The prosecution will continue their cross-examination of Erin Patterson, who has been accused of killing three relatives by serving them a meal that contained death cap mushrooms. Follow the trial as it happened 12h ago 12 hours ago Fri 6 Jun 2025 at 11:17am
Health issues "planted" and mushrooms weighed to determine fatal doses. Here's how accused triple-murderer Erin Patterson responded to a number of accusations the prosecutions put forward during cross-examination. 23h ago 23 hours ago Fri 6 Jun 2025 at 12:16am
Accused triple-murderer Erin Patterson has denied telling guests at her fatal lunch that she had cancer, despite evidence to the contrary given earlier in the trial by the sole surviving guest. Yesterday at 7:19am Thu 5 Jun 2025 at 7:19am
Accused killer Erin Patterson faces more questions on the witness stand at her triple-murder trial. She's accused of killing three relatives by serving them a meal that contained death cap mushrooms. Follow the trial live. Yesterday at 7:22am Thu 5 Jun 2025 at 7:22am
Erin Patterson has detailed to a jury how foraged mushrooms may have ended up in a beef Wellington dish that killed three relatives and made another seriously ill. Wed 4 Jun Wed 4 Jun Wed 4 Jun 2025 at 7:19pm
Erin Patterson tells her triple-murder trial she first began foraging wild mushrooms during Victoria's COVID lockdowns, years before hosting her in-laws for a fatal meal. Tue 3 Jun Tue 3 Jun Tue 3 Jun 2025 at 8:37am
Erin Patterson is giving evidence for a second day in her triple-murder trial. She's accused of murdering three relatives by serving them a meal that contained death cap mushrooms. Look back at how Tuesday's hearing unfolded in our live blog. Wed 4 Jun Wed 4 Jun Wed 4 Jun 2025 at 12:48am
Accused triple-murderer Erin Patterson is called to give evidence in her trial, where she stands accused of deliberately poisoning her in-laws with a meal containing death cap mushrooms. Mon 2 Jun Mon 2 Jun Mon 2 Jun 2025 at 9:04am
Erin Patterson's triple murder trial continues in Morwell. She's charged with three counts of murder over the deaths of three relatives who died from after eating a meal she prepared containing death cap mushrooms. Mon 2 Jun Mon 2 Jun Mon 2 Jun 2025 at 11:35pm
A SIM card in one of accused triple murderer Erin Patterson's mobile phones was being swapped over while homicide detectives were searching her home a week after she hosted a deadly mushroom lunch, a jury has been told. Wed 28 May Wed 28 May Wed 28 May 2025 at 5:30am
A week after hosting her in-laws for a deadly mushroom lunch, Erin Patterson told police officers she was still trying to understand what had gone fatally wrong, a murder trial jury has heard. Tue 27 May Tue 27 May Tue 27 May 2025 at 7:33am
Erin Patterson has pleaded not guilty to murdering her estranged husband's parents and his aunt by feeding them poisonous death cap mushrooms in July 2023. Follow the evidence as it happened. Tue 27 May Tue 27 May Tue 27 May 2025 at 10:36am
An investigator looking into a deadly 2023 lunch told the court that details in Ms Patterson's account of events changed over the course of several conversations. Mon 26 May Mon 26 May Mon 26 May 2025 at 7:44am
Erin Patterson's triple murder trial continues from Morwell. She is charged with murdering three relatives who ate a meal she prepared which contained death cap mushrooms. Follow the trial live. Mon 26 May Mon 26 May Mon 26 May 2025 at 7:51am
Erin Patterson is accused of murdering three relatives by serving them a beef Wellington that contained death cap mushrooms. Look back at how the day in court unfolded. Fri 9 May Fri 9 May Fri 9 May 2025 at 4:32am
Medical staff who examined Ms Patterson in the aftermath of a deadly mushroom meal at her home have given evidence to a murder trial jury. Look back at how Thursday's hearing unfolded in our live blog. Thu 8 May Thu 8 May Thu 8 May 2025 at 7:14am
A Supreme Court murder trial hears Erin Patterson was initially "reluctant" to have her children brought to hospital for medical checks after they allegedly ate leftovers from a lunch contaminated with death cap mushrooms. Look back on how the day's hearing unfolded in our blog. Wed 7 May Wed 7 May Wed 7 May 2025 at 6:55am
Ms Patterson is accused of murdering three relatives by serving them a beef Wellington laced with poisonous death cap mushrooms. Follow the trial in our live blog. Tue 6 May Tue 6 May Tue 6 May 2025 at 6:44am
Erin Patterson's Facebook friends took to the witness box in her murder trial over a lunch served to her in-laws containing death cap mushrooms. Look back at how the hearing unfolded in our live blog. Mon 5 May Mon 5 May Mon 5 May 2025 at 7:04am
Senior Liberal figures say the party must review the way it ran its election campaign, after it was reduced to just a small handful of seats across the Melbourne region. Sat 3 May Sat 3 May Sat 3 May 2025 at 2:28pm
Accused triple-murderer Erin Patterson's estranged husband Simon Patterson appeared for the second day as a witness in her trial. Look back on how it unfolded in our live blog. Fri 2 May Fri 2 May Fri 2 May 2025 at 3:54am
The jury in Erin Patterson's murder trial hears the accused tried to persuade her estranged husband to attend the lunch where four guests ate meals containing death cap mushrooms. Look back on how the hearing unfolded in our live blog. Thu 1 May Thu 1 May Thu 1 May 2025 at 7:23am
Organisers of Melbourne's Invasion Day rally say they have no plans to disrupt the Australian Open, and misinformation suggesting they did has caused "harm and distress".
Thu 23 Jan Thu 23 Jan Thu 23 Jan 2025 at 5:37am
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News.com.au
2 hours ago
- News.com.au
Nationwide rallies call for justice after death of Indigenous man in custody in the Northern Territory
Warning: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised this article contains reference to Indigenous people who have died. Australians across the country have flocked to the streets to demand justice following the death of an Indigenous man in police custody in the Northern Territory. A 24-year-old man was restrained by two police officers at an Alice Springs Coles on May 27. Police said there had been reports of an altercation between the man and a security guard. He stopped breathing while on the ground at the shopping centre, and he died about an hour after he was restrained, the NT News reported. There have been 12 Indigenous deaths in custody this year, while there have been 597 since the establishment of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody in 1987. A string of rallies have been planned across the country following the 24-year-old's death, demanding an investigation independent of the NT Police force, for CCTV and body cam footage to be released to the man's family, and a public apology from NT Police. Crowds gathered outside Town Hall in Sydney's CBD on Saturday night, holding up Indigenous flags. Signs printed with 'Stop black deaths in custody' were also held up among the large crowd. Police could be seen on horseback at the protest. Lawyer George Newhouse, representing the man's family, said he was 'angry there are mothers grieving' in the Northern Territory, according to reports by the ABC. 'I am angry there was a disabled young man calling out for his mother in Coles last week,' Mr Newhouse told the crowd. An organiser of the Sydney rally, Paul Silva, called for justice in a post to Instagram. 'We demand truth. We demand accountability. We demand justice,' Mr Silva posted. Independent senator Lidia Thorpe called for justice for the 24-year-old in a post to X on Friday. 'Justice for Warlpiri Mob, and the Yuendumu community, who are grieving yet another young man's life taken,' Ms Thorpe wrote. 'No one should live in fear of being killed by police and in prisons.'
News.com.au
4 hours ago
- News.com.au
‘They walk among us': Inside Australia's top secret society of ‘real life vampires'
Mobsters. Doctors. Politicians. Musicians. What's the common thread connecting this motley crew? They're all in Australia's secret society of real vampires. Spawned from the goth subculture, this shadowy community – known as a 'vampire court' – now includes Aussies from all sorts of walks of life. Think real vampires are just pale people drinking red cordial? Think again. To many of its followers, the true blood lifestyle is about much more than fashion. It's about survival. And though they might not transform into bats or live forever, they do drink real human blood, wear surgically-enhanced fangs and let loose at vampire balls. These days, their ranks are being quietly pumped by social media and the decline of religion. Just don't ask these creatures of the night to throw light on their very dark way of life. They claim they keep to themselves and aren't dangerous. But critics claim some vampires use this cloak of secrecy to exploit people. So are they really monsters? Medical mysteries? Or just misunderstood? 'I want revenge' For centuries, vampire folklore has compelled us. Tales of bloodsucking beasts can be found in ancient cultures around the world including First Nations people. But in the last few decades, they've been forever fixed in pop culture as a romanticised symbol of finding identity in the world. This romanticism is at the heart of the complex history between real vampires and Sydney local Crystal, who does not wish to share her real name. On one hand, Crystal claims they've drugged her. Drank her blood without consent. Even forced her to drink the blood of others. On the other hand, she remains transfixed by their mythical morbidity. For Crystal, it all began when she was invited to an opulent mansion party in Sydney's affluent suburb of Vaucluse when she was just 18. Crystal, who was drawn to gothic culture at the time, said the house belonged to the father of a friend of a friend who worked as a nurse. Inside the party, she claims to have found herself in imposing company. She was greeted by yakuza and triads – otherwise known as the Japanese and Chinese mafias. 'They were just standing around wearing suits and watching anime movies', Crystal told 'And they weren't shy about what they did'. As it happened, the mafia is not the only bloodthirsty group these men belonged to. Crystal soon learned they were part of the Australian chapter of an international 'vampire court'. Inside, Crystal says she was given a glass of champagne. Soon after drinking it, she claims she sat on a couch and lost consciousness. When she woke up, she alleges she felt lightheaded and her neck and arms were dotted by what she calls 'love bites'. Looking back, she believes she'd been drugged. There were no other signs of assault. 'I didn't know what to think at the time,' she says. Before she left, Crystal was given a dark diagnosis. 'They told me I'd been infected with the virus.' She never reported her experience to the police. Indeed, real vampires would come back to haunt her before long. After moving into a Newcastle monastery to study business, Crystal met members of a local court. While things started safely, one night the group pressured her to drink from a bottle of red. It was human blood mixed with cordial. 'They said, 'it's time to join us',' says Crystal. 'You can't choose to join this society. They choose you.' Feeling powerless, Crystal agreed. But the court came harder than ever. Another night, Crystal woke with puncture wounds on her wrist. Crystal believes the vampires had fed on her while she slept. She kept quiet about the incident because the court had 'powerful people on their side.' 'There are doctors, nurses, business owners and musicians,' she says. 'It's very secretive. From the outside, they live normal lives.' Until now, Crystal kept her experience to herself out of fear she would not be taken seriously. Or worse. But now, she wants to raise awareness. 'I want revenge for how I was treated.' Despite this messy history, Crystal's experience with the court was forever imprinted onto her self-image. She hopes to one day launch a safe-space for people to appreciate vampire culture. Medical mystery Crystal's disturbing account is not unlike a scene in a horror movie, where vampires lunge from the shadows and maul victims' necks before sucking on the flowing wine-like liquid. It's important to note that vampiric crime is rare, and abusers of power are far from unique to the courts. For most members, this community offer a sense of belonging, and some courts are heavily involved with charity causes. Not all 'real vampires' feed on blood. And for those who do, the practice is traditionally safe. So how does it work? What's known as a 'donor' will willingly offer their blood to a vampire. Both take medical tests and other precautions. Complications are rare. Which is fine. But it begs another question: why? Real vampires claim they feel sick and lethargic if they don't feed on human blood. It balances their energy. Some believe this thirst for blood is a sign of a deeper mental health problem. So is it all a big delusion? When vampires follow a code of silence, it's not easy to say. But that secrecy is well founded. They've learned the hard way their lifestyle inspires revulsion. That's why this community stays in the shadows. Most Australian vampires I contacted for this story declined to take part in it. One local fanged figure you need to know is Jason De Marco, otherwise known as Don Jason. Don Jason runs the Sydney Vampires Meetup Group. He's also an electioneering member of the Liberal Party, bringing new meaning to idea of a bloodsucking polly. At least this one is honest. In a YouTube video made by married artists Gillie and Marc Schattner, Jason is seen wearing Edwardian-era clothing, surgically-enhanced fangs, and a wide smile. Among the graves of Waverley cemetery, he says Don Jason first knew what he was aged four. 'I was different to other children' Jason said. 'I said I'm going to grow up and be Dracula.' He says he drinks exclusively from the razor-sliced thighs of female donors. They don't just consent to this feeding. They're aroused by it. 'They seem to get an orgasm off it every time,' he claimed. 'People can assume we're insane: why do you have this need to drink blood?' 'The only thing I have to worry about is my innate illness, which was ironically an illness associated with the vampire myth.' 'My vitals can shut down and I look like a corpse. People who had it used to be buried alive.' Marc Schattner said Don Jason suffers from porphyria, a rare blood disorder thought to have inspired early vampire mythology. 'It can cause symptoms like extreme sensitivity to sunlight, skin blisters, and a reddish-purple discolouration,' he says. Jason is an extreme example. Some people just like vampires for a good old-fashioned doof. 'Not merely an event' The dawn of the vampire ball is misty. Sometime during the rise of Europe's medieval masquerade balls, a darker event emerged in honour of the undead. These days, the vampire ball circuit is an international network spanning Romania, the US and Australia. Melbourne's annual Carpe Noctem Vampire Ball was recently held in April. The founder of the event, who asked to remain anonymous, said it's about something bigger than costumes. 'More than just an opportunity to don elaborate attire, the Carpe Noctem Vampire Ball is a celebration of identity and belonging.' After a signature 'bloodbath cocktail' (ingredients undisclosed), the crowd – comprised of goths, role players and the real deal – take part in rituals including a 'sacrifice' that 'lifts the veil between the living and the dead.' Australian vampires Few real-vampires claim to have the magical powers you'll find in Twilight. But if I had to throw money on one of them being superhuman, Andreas Bathory is the one. He dwells on the sprawling grounds of Bran 'Dracula's' Castle in Romania's Transylvania. With these walls, Bathory drinks donated blood. Sometimes sleeps in a coffin. And channels Vlad the Impaler. 'It's not merely an event' Bathory says. 'It's a portal.' Bathory is the leader of the Ordo Dracul, a vampire court based in Transylvania. And he says more and more Aussies are signing up. 'New initiates are joining from Australia. Some of my dearest allies come from Melbourne and the Gold Coast,' he said. 'Australia resonates with the old blood.' Bathory believes these vampires thrive in silence. 'Just because we're not loud, doesn't mean we're not present. In our world we prefer to walk the line of shadows.' 'Realise their full potential' The University of Western Sydney's Dr Adam Possamai charted the rise of real vampires in his book Sociology of Religion for Generations X and Y. He believes it's a 'hyper-real religion' – a modern hybrid of religion, philosophy and popular culture that helps people find their identity in a noisy world. 'The vampire is no longer a monster that needs to be destroyed,' he said. 'It's now a superman-type of character that people aspire to become to realise their full potential. 'As society becomes more consumerist, I expect hyper-real religions like vampires to grow. But it's tricky to quantify.' 'Are they people who identify with the image alone? How far do their practices go? And how long will they keep them up?' Though Australian vampire groups have picked up have thousands of members on social media, the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) said in a statement they don't formally recognise vampires. 'Vampires don't describe a stand-alone group in any of the statistical standard classifications used to disseminate Census data,' a spokesperson said. 'The ABS regularly reviews statistical standard classifications and holds public consultations to ensure standard classifications reflect the Australian community.' Until vampires are socially acknowledged, we'll never know how many of them walk among us or what secrets they hold.
News.com.au
5 hours ago
- News.com.au
Stewards set to resume inquiry into altercation between jockeys Noel Callow and Kyle Wilson-Taylor during Stradbroke week
The stewards inquiry into a physical altercation between two Queensland jockeys is likely to be resumed in Stradbroke Handicap week. Group 1 winner Noel Callow has been sidelined under concussion protocols after being involved in the altercation with fellow Group 1-winning jockey Kyle Wilson-Taylor in a dramatic incident at the midweek Doomben races on May 28. A stewards inquiry kicked off on the day but was unable to take evidence from Callow who had left the course to seek medical attention. Wilson-Taylor insisted he had not been the initial aggressor. Senior steward Geoff Goold confirmed to Racenet that it was the intention to reconvene the stewards' inquiry on Tuesday at Doomben. Meanwhile, young jockey George Rooke was suspended for 14 days for careless riding after an incident in the Group 1 Queensland Oaks at Eagle Farm on Saturday. Rookie, a British-born jockey who has called New Zealand home for several months, was riding Kiwi filly She's A Dealer in the Oaks. She's A Dealer finished fifth behind Oaks winner You Wahng but caused interference to Real Class (Andrew Mallyon) passing the 350m. Meanwhile, Victorian jockey Jamie Mott was suspended for 11 days for careless riding as stewards reconvened an inquiry into an incident in the Group 1 Doomben 10,000 on May 17.
