Australian mushroom murderer allegedly served poisoned pasta to her husband
A jury last month found that Erin Patterson lured her mother-in-law Gail Patterson, father-in-law Donald Patterson and Gail's sister, Heather Wilkinson, to lunch at her home and poisoned them with servings of Beef Wellington that contained death cap mushrooms.
They also found the 50-year-old guilty of the attempted murder of Ian Wilkinson, Heather's husband, who survived the 2023 meal at Erin Patterson's home in Leongatha, a town of about 6,000 people about 84 miles southeast of Melbourne.
Patterson was initially charged with three counts of murder and five counts of attempted murder in 2023, with the four additional counts relating to her estranged husband, Simon Patterson.
Justice Christopher Beale previously ruled the charges should be split into two separate trials, before the prosecution dropped the attempted murder charges relating to Simon Patterson on the eve of the first trial.
That meant details of the alleged attempts on her husband's life in 2021 and 2022 were never heard by the jury.
'After the first time I got sick, I had the idea I got sick from Erin's food,' Simon Patterson told a pretrial hearing in Melbourne in October 2024.
He eventually began keeping a spreadsheet of his illnesses that the court heard all happened after eating his estranged wife's cooking, including a penne bolognese, a chicken curry and a sandwich wrap.
The alleged poisonings left him close to death, and he became so ill he was temporarily paralyzed and had part of his bowel removed, the court heard at the time.
Evidence from a computer seized from Patterson's home showing searches for other kinds of poisons was also excluded from the trial.
Patterson maintained her innocence throughout the case that has gripped Australia, with her defense calling the deaths a 'terrible accident.' She pleaded not guilty to the counts of attempted murder against her husband.
The court will next hear the case on Aug. 25, the first of a two-day plea hearing where victim impact statements will be read.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
9 hours ago
Tourist pleads guilty to killing a man while drunk driving an e-scooter in Australia
WELLINGTON, New Zealand -- An English tourist who hit and killed a man while riding an e-scooter in Australia pleaded guilty on Monday to a charge of dangerous driving causing death while under the influence of alcohol. Alicia Kemp, 25, admitted the charge during a hearing at the Western Australia Magistrate's Court, officials told The Associated Press. Kemp was riding an e-scooter with a passenger on board in the city of Perth on May 31 when she hit a 51-year-old man, Australian news outlets reported. Thanh Phan hit his head on the pavement and later died in a hospital. Kemp and the scooter's passenger received minor injuries. Kemp was visiting Western Australia state from Britain on a working holiday visa, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corp. Investigators estimated she was driving at about the maximum speed of a rental e-scooter, 20 to 25 kph (12 to 16 mph), when she crashed into Phan, the court was told at an earlier hearing. A charge of causing harm to the passenger was dropped when Kemp made the appearance via video link from jail on Monday. She was earlier refused bail. Mike Tudori, Kemp's lawyer, told reporters outside the court that his client was 'nervous and worried" as 'a young foreign national girl' in an Australian jail. 'She's obviously done something stupid at the time,' he said, according to Australian Associated Press. 'She obviously wasn't thinking, level-headed and there's consequences, and she just wants to get on with her life.' Phan's family described him as a 'beloved husband, father of two, brother and dear friend," according to the AAP. Kemp will remain in custody until her next court appearance on Oct. 31, when a sentencing date will be set. The charge carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. Officials in Perth suspended e-scooter rental in the city after Phan's death, which was the fifth involving e-vehicles in the state in 2025. The state's government also launched an inquiry into the vehicles. Melbourne, in Victoria state, was in 2024 the first Australian city to ban e-scooter hire. The move echoed prohibitions in some other cities worldwide, including Paris, France, where a ban was overwhelmingly approved in April 2023.
Business Insider
a day ago
- Business Insider
Niger's military government seizes control of industrial gold mine from Australian operator
Niger's military government has announced the nationalisation of the country's only industrial gold mine, accusing its Australian operator of 'serious breaches' as the junta intensifies efforts to gain control over the nation's natural resources. Niger's military government has nationalized the SML gold mine citing strategic interests and resource control. The government accuses the Australian operator of breaches including failure to meet investment commitments. Similar state intervention efforts have occurred in countries like Mali, Guinea, and Burkina Faso to secure greater local benefits from mining operations. Military leader, General Abdourahamane Tiani, who took power after a military coup ousted former President Mohamed Bazoum in an overnight operation, announced the move on state television on Friday. The junta said the mine has entered an ' alarming economic situation.' An official order from General Tiani said: 'In view of serious breaches and with a view to saving this highly strategic company, the state of Niger has taken the decision to nationalise SML.' The statement added, ' This measure is in line with the vision of the president of the republic, which is to promote the full appropriation of its natural resources by the Nigerien people.' The junta criticised McKinel for failing to deliver on a $10 million investment plan, which it said resulted in tax and wage arrears, layoffs, rising debt, and halted production. According to a report by the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, SML's industrial gold production stood at 177 kilograms in 2023, while artisanal production across Niger reached 2.2 tonnes. Security challenges complicate operations in Niger's mines In May, a bomb explosion in Niger's Tillaberi region, a hotspot for jihadist activity, claimed the lives of at least eight workers at the SML mine. This incident prompted the Nigerien army to deploy over 2,000 soldiers to combat insurgent groups in the area, which remains a focal point of the country's security crisis. Consequently, the government decided to take control of the gold mine. This move is part of a broader trend in West Africa, where military juntas have adopted an interventionist approach, reviewing and renegotiating mining contracts to increase state participation and control. Notably, Niger nationalized the local branch of French uranium producer Orano in June, In Mali, following the 2020 coup that ousted President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta, the military government pressured Canadian mining company IAMGOLD and other foreign operators to increase local ownership and improve investment commitments. It also reviewed contracts with companies like Hummingbird Resources and Randgold Resources to renegotiate terms more favourable to the state. Similarly, Guinea's junta pressured companies like Société Minière de Boké (SMB) and others to increase local ownership and ensure more direct benefits from bauxite exports. In 2022 and 2023, Burkina Faso's juntas took similar steps after their coups, pushing companies like Endeavour Mining, which operates some of Burkina Faso's largest gold mines, to increase investments and improve contributions to the local economy. However, unlike Niger, which has moved towards outright nationalisation in some cases, Burkina Faso, Mali, and Guinea have focused more on contract revisions and stronger oversight rather than formal seizure of assets.
Business Upturn
2 days ago
- Business Upturn
FLYW NEWS: Did Flywire Corporation Mislead Investors? Contact BFA Law by September 23 Class Action Deadline (NASDAQ:FLYW)
NEW YORK, Aug. 09, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Leading securities law firm Bleichmar Fonti & Auld LLP announces that a lawsuit has been filed against Flywire Corporation (NASDAQ: FLYW) and certain of the Company's senior executives for potential violations of the federal securities laws. If you invested in Flywire, you are encouraged to obtain additional information by visiting: Investors have until September 23, 2025, to ask the Court to be appointed to lead the case. The complaint asserts claims under Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 on behalf of investors who purchased Flywire securities. The case is pending in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York and is captioned Hickman v. Flywire Corp., et al. , No. 1:25-cv-04110. Why Was Flywire Sued for Securities Fraud? Flywire operates as a payments-enablement, and software company. Its largest client vertical is education, the volumes and revenue from which rely on international enrollments and student school preferences. In and around late 2023 and early 2024, the Canadian and Australian governments began to tighten student visa and permitting rules. Despite these headwinds, Flywire consistently touted the sustainability of its revenue growth and financial condition, while downplaying the negative impacts of permit- and visa-related headwinds on the Company's business. In truth, it is alleged that Flywire overstated the strength and sustainability of its revenue growth while understating the negative impacts that the permit- and visa-related restrictions had and were likely to have on Flywire's business. The Stock Declines as the Truth Is Revealed On February 25, 2025, Flywire announced that its business in the education sector had significantly deteriorated due to worsening permit- and visa-related headwinds, including 'double digit declines in student visa issuance in our big four geographic markets,' with 'continued visa policy restrictions' anticipated in 2025. On this news, the price of Flywire stock declined roughly 37%, from $17.64 per share on February 25, 2025, to $11.05 per share on February 26, 2025. Click here for more information: What Can You Do? If you invested in Flywire you may have legal options and are encouraged to submit your information to the firm. All representation is on a contingency fee basis, there is no cost to you. Shareholders are not responsible for any court costs or expenses of litigation. The firm will seek court approval for any potential fees and expenses. Submit your information by visiting: Or contact:Ross Shikowitz [email protected] 212.789.3619
