Woman accused of murdering estranged husband's relatives with poisonous mushrooms takes stand and says it's a ‘terrible accident'
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Alasdair Pal
An Australian woman accused of using poisonous mushrooms to murder three elderly relatives of her estranged husband gave on Wednesday her account of the fatal lunch, in a case that has gripped the public.
Erin Patterson, 50, is charged with the July 2023 murders of her mother-in-law Gail Patterson, father-in-law Donald Patterson and Gail's sister, Heather Wilkinson, along with the attempted murder of Ian Wilkinson, Heather's husband.
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Irish Examiner
7 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Robert Pether's family to hear of restrictions put on engineer next week
The family of Irish-based engineer Robert Pether has to wait until next Wednesday before being able to find out exactly what restrictions have been placed on him following his release from an Iraqi jail. The 50-year-old was released on bail on Thursday and is currently in accommodation in Iraq, organised by the Irish, Australian, and Egyptian embassies for himself and his Egyptian work colleague, Khalid Radwan. The men have been in prison in Iraq since April 7, 2021, after being arrested on fraud charges following a contractual dispute involving his employer over a new building for the Central Bank of Iraq. The Australian and his wife Desree had been living with their children in Elphin, Roscommon, prior to his arrest. They moved to Ireland in 2019. He and his colleague were arrested after being called to a meeting in Baghdad to discuss the project they had been working on. Desree told the Irish Examiner that legal fees have cost the family more than €100,000 since Robert's imprisonment, and she had to sell the family car 'so that we could eat'. She said her husband has missed many family milestones including their children's birthdays, their oldest son's graduation, and his own 50th birthday in April. Their 12-year-old daughter asked Santa every year to bring her father home She said the couple were 20 years married last October — a milestone they had planned to mark with a vow renewal ceremony. Desree says they are waiting to get information on what restrictions apply to his release. However, they cannot get this information until the Eid Al-Adha festival ends on Wednesday. Gut issue She said he needs to be brought back to Ireland as a matter of urgency because he is very ill with a gut issue. He has had no medical assessment since his release. While he was on a high after his release, he found it difficult to sleep on Thursday night, finding his new accommodation as 'too quiet' after his prison experience. Desree said the Irish Government has gone 'above and beyond' in Robert's case, especially as he is not an Irish citizen. On Friday, Taoiseach Micheál Martin said the fact that he is an Australian citizen is a complicating factor. However, he said: 'Both ourselves and the Australian government have been working together in terms of endeavouring to get him out.' He said the Irish Government has been making 'continuing efforts for quite a long number of years now' in Robert's case. Mr Martin said the current Iraqi foreign minister has been very helpful and he said he himself, as well as Tánaiste Simon Harris, have been in touch with him. Mr Martin added: "It is very distressing for his family and his wife and kids, and I don't want to say things that may in any way hinder his eventual arrival back to Ireland, but I believe this is a good first step. "We have to work very hard with countries such as Iraq and others in terms of the treatment of Irish citizens.' Read More Irish-based Australian released after four years in Iraqi jail
The Irish Sun
7 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Full tragic timeline of 3-week hunt for Pheobe Bishop – from airport disappearance to housemate arrests and horror find
PHEOBE Bishop mysteriously vanished over three weeks ago in a gripping disappearance case which puzzled the world. The shocking story has been plagued by grim twists and Advertisement 16 Australian teen Pheobe Bishop disappeared over three weeks ago Credit: Facebook 16 Both of her housemates were arrested and charged with murder Credit: Queensland Police 16 An extensive search was launched in the weeks after she vanished Credit: 9 News 16 Her heartbroken mum made an emotional series of posts over the last three weeks Credit: Enterprise 16 Before she disappeared, Pheobe had been living in the town of Gin Gin, which is north of Brisbane in Australia. The sleepy neighbourhood has a population of about 1,100 people. The teenager had been living in a derelict pad - which had a foul smell and was very noisy according to neighbours. She lived there with two housemates: James Wood, 34, and Tanika Bromley, 33. Advertisement READ MORE WORLD NEWS On the day she went missing, Pheobe was meant to board a flight to see her boyfriend in Western Australia . Her housemates drove her to Bundaberg airport, but police said CCTV there never even saw her enter the terminal and she never actually checked in. She was on her way to Perth to visit her "high-school sweetheart" boyfriend. Pheobe reportedly made a last minute call to him at 8:30am mere moments before she was set to get on the flight to Western Australia. Advertisement Most read in The US Sun Breaking A family member said: "She didn't check in for her flight to visit her boyfriend who she spoke to on the phone at 8.30am." According to the Daily Mail, Wood said the couple had an explosive argument in the car with Pheobe over whether she could do her makeup before arriving at the airport. He said they pulled over just under a kilometre from their destination. Pheobe Bishop cops arrest 34-year-old flatmate who was last to see missing Aussie teen on explosive journey to airport Wood and Bromley then allegedly walked off and were away from Pheobe and the car for five minutes, according to the 34-year-old. Advertisement A missing person's report was issued for her one day later on May 16. Her worried sick sister, Kaylea Bishop, sent Wood and Bromley a simple text, demanding to know the whereabouts of her sibling. She said: "Where is my sister?" On the following weekend, her desperate mum Kylie Johnson made emotional pleas for anyone with information to come forward. Advertisement By May 18, over 400 missing person posters with Pheobe's photo had been plastered across the Wide Bay region. The next week, on Monday May 19, police launched their search for Pheobe. It covered land along Bundaberg's Airport Drive and the surrounding areas. 16 The 17-year-old had been living in a derelict home Credit: Enterprise Advertisement 16 Housemate Tanika Bromley, 33 Credit: Enterprise 16 Housemate James Wood, 34 Credit: Facebook 16 A shock change was discovered on Bromley's car Credit: Facebook But mysteriously, police didn't find any sign of the teen or her belongings. Advertisement Police, along with They also asked the public for information about the 2011 grey Hyundai ix35 hatch, owned by Bromley, that had been seen around Airport Drive at the time of Pheoebe's disappearance. The next day, police updated the case and said they were treating They also declared two crime scenes - one being the run-down home she was living at, and the other being the infamous Hyundai she was driven to the airport in. Advertisement After inspecting the foul-smelling home, police found four dead dogs rotting inside. But it was later understood that these four pups died of natural causes. Airport Drive, Samuels Road and Gin Gin were also named as locations of interest. On May 22, Detective Acting Inspector Ryan Thompson stressed the importance of public information. Advertisement In a chilling plea, he said: "People don't vanish." 16 The desperate search had previously been called off Credit: 9 News 16 Bromley's Hyundai was declared a crime scene Credit: 7 News 16 Pheobe's mum said the discovery of a body had ripped her apart Credit: Facebook Advertisement The day after that, police revealed they were searching through bushland and waterways at Good Night Scrub National Park, near to where Pheobe was last seen. This scan went on for the next two days, during which police dogs joined the hunt. On May 25 Bromley was arrested in a major twist after On May 26, the search area was expanded - before cops made a harrowing revelation. Advertisement They believed evidence had been moved from the Good Night Scrub area before they arrived there. And on this same day, a new number plate was discovered to have been suspiciously painted and taped over the notorious Hyundai's original plate. The gruelling search effort in Good Night Scrub National Park then continued from May 27 for five more days. Disturbingly, the search appeared to lose hope as police said they would no longer be doing any more physical scans for Pheobe on Wednesday, June 4. Advertisement They said they would restart any searches only when they had relevant information. But in a dramatic twist on the very same day - Pheobe's housemate 16 She had saved up for months to buy a plane ticket Credit: Enterprise 16 The teenager was set to board a flight on May 15 Credit: Enterprise Advertisement However, no charges were made and he was released a day later on June 5. And in yet another turn in the tale - Wood and Bromley were then both They were each charged with one count of murder and two counts of interfering with a corpse. Shocking footage released on Friday showed the moment police arrested Wood and escorted him out of an RV for the "homicide of Pheobe Bishop". Advertisement Both Wood and Bromley appeared at Bundaberg Magistrates Court on Friday morning. Outside the building, Pheobe's heartbroken sister Kaylea Bishop said her sibling was 'loved and missed' dearly. Kaylea and Pheobe had a close relationship and were planning to move in together last year. And in the latest heartbreaking update, human remains were found during a search for Pheobe. Advertisement They are yet to be identified, but police have spoken to Pheobe's family regarding the harrowing discovery. The body was found close to Good Night Scrub National Park, near Gin Gin, on Friday, June 6 at around 2:30pm. 16 Pheobe was last seen with Wood and Bromley on May 15 Credit: Facebook 16 Police constantly pleaded with the public to bring forward any information Credit: Facebook Advertisement Pheobe's mum then made a heartbreaking statement. She said: "I didn't think my heart could break anymore than it did when you went missing, or when the charges were laid but this. "This is ripping me apart." Pheobe had previously said online that she wasn't living with her mum, and that she had been "in and out" of home for years. Advertisement Cops are now set to allege that Wood, Bromley and Pheobe were all in the car when it arrived at Airport Drive near Bundaberg Airport in the morning of May 15. They believe that the trio never actually left the car. Detective Inspector Craig Mansfield said: "Our evidence will outline the fact that three people arrived near to the airport, and three people never exited that vehicle." Wood and Bromley will appear in court on August 11. Advertisement
Dublin Live
13 hours ago
- Dublin Live
Irish resident released in Iraq after more than four years in custody
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info A Roscommon resident has been released by authorities in Iraq – after being locked up for more than four years, it has emerged. Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Harris tonight revealed that Robert Pether – who is an Australian citizen but had been living in Elphin with his Irish family – was released on bail earlier today. Mr Harris, who has been working to secure the engineer's release for several months, said his Iraqi counterpart Fuad Hussein contacted him to tell him of the development. Construction engineer Mr Pether, 49, who is married to Desree Pether, 53, from Roscommon, has been locked up since April 2021. The father-of-three was jailed over four years ago in a €20 million contract row between his Dubai-based employer and the Central Bank of Iraq. His distraught family in Ireland revealed Mr Pether, who previously had melanoma skin cancer, has a prostate that is "three times (the) normal size" and that he also has gallstones. Mr Pether and an Egyptian colleague had been employed by a Dubai-based construction company, CME Consulting, to build a new Central Bank in Baghdad, when the contract row erupted. They are accused of stealing money from the project, which they both deny. The United Nations has slammed his jailing as "arbitrary detention." He was due to be released last January but Iraq issued new charges against them and he was facing a further 15 years in custody – until Mr Harris intervened earlier this year. He was a free man tonight - although he must remain in Iraq for the meantime. But the Tánaiste welcomed the decision to free him. He said: "This evening, I have been informed of the release on bail of Robert Pether, whose imprisonment in Iraq has been a case of great concern. "This is very welcome news in what has been a long and distressing saga for Robert's wife, three children and his wider family and friends. "Foreign Minister Hussein of Iraq, whom I spoke to last month to urge Robert's release, called me this evening with the news. I was informed that Robert has been released on bail and for the moment he remains in Iraq, but I welcomed this as a first step to his being allowed to return to his family in Roscommon." The Tánaiste also said he had been in contact with Mrs Pether over the release – and said he was grateful to Irish diplomats who had worked on the case. He said: "I also spoke this evening with Robert's wife, Desree Pether, about this positive development. "I want to thank Irish diplomatic officials based in the region for their continued work on this case. "We remain concerned about Robert's health and outstanding charges, but I am hopeful now of a positive resolution in this case." Join our Dublin Live breaking news service on WhatsApp. Click this link to receive your daily dose of Dublin Live content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice . For all the latest news from Dublin and surrounding areas visit our homepage .
