Patterson disputes evidence at mushroom murder trial

Australia Broadcast Center

2 days ago

Samantha Donovan: Now to the murder trial of Erin Patterson, who's accused of killing three of her husband's relatives in 2023 by serving them a meal containing death cap mushrooms. She's pleaded not guilty to three charges of murder and one of attempted murder. On her sixth day of evidence, Ms Patterson has been disputing testimony from other witnesses including the surviving lunch guest, her own son and medical professionals. And reporter Kathleen O'Connor is at the court in Morwell in eastern Victoria. Kathleen, what evidence has Erin Patterson been disagreeing with as she's cross-examined by the prosecution?
Kathleen O'Connor: Sam, Erin Patterson challenged the evidence from medical experts, Ian Wilkinson, her son, the child protection employee and her husband on day six of her evidence. She began disputing testimony from the only surviving lunch guest, Ian Wilkinson, about what colour and size plates were used at the lunch. Ms Patterson told the jury today in Wilkinson's evidence about the colour of the plates that were used at the lunch was not true. There's been a few different accounts from various witnesses about the plates throughout the trial. Mr Wilkinson previously telling the jury that the four guests ate from grey plates, while their host ate from an orangey tan coloured one and that it was also smaller than the rest of her guests. Ms Patterson denied that she owns any grey plates. Crown Prosecutor Dr Nanette Rogers asked Ms Patterson, do you say that Ian Wilkinson has given incorrect evidence in relation to the plates? And she responded, yes, I do. Crown Prosecutor Dr Nanette Rogers then told Ms Patterson, I suggest that after you had plated the food, you carried the smaller plate over to the dining table for yourself and after you knowingly served death cat mushrooms to four of your lunch guests, to avoid any error of accidentally consuming a poisoned beef wellington, you took the extra precaution of using a smaller, different coloured plate for yourself. Ms Patterson disagreed with that. She says she wouldn't have had enough matching plates for each person at the lunch and denies that she even had a smaller plate than the rest of her guests. Erin Patterson also disputed evidence from medical professionals claiming that she was never told some things. They allege that they told Ms Patterson particularly about the health risk to her children.
Samantha Donovan: And the prosecution alleges Ms Patterson lied to medical professionals about how much of the beef wellington lunch she'd eaten. What she told the court today.
Kathleen O'Connor: We heard a lot about this today. Dr Nanette Rogers accused Ms Patterson of serving herself a non-poisonous beef wellington and lied to medical professionals about only eating a small amount in her meal in an effort to explain to authorities why her symptoms were not as serious as the symptoms for the four of the other lunch guests. Ms Patterson denied those claims. The prosecution questioned Ms Patterson for most of the day about the various testimonies from medical professionals. We've heard from over the course of the trial about when the accused first presented to hospital. Ms Patterson told the court she remembers telling nurses and doctors that she only ate around a quarter or a third of the meal, not half. Which is what a number of medical professionals say Ms Patterson told them at the time. Ms Patterson also told the court that she can't be sure of how much she ate. She didn't measure it because she didn't have a measuring tape, but says it wasn't half. Ms Patterson also told the court that she wasn't told that her life was at risk by medical professionals after they learnt that she'd eaten the beef wellington meal when she first appeared at hospital the day after the lunch. And she also says that she never refused medical treatment. Ms Patterson will return to the Witness Box again on Wednesday, Sam.
Samantha Donovan: That's our reporter Kathleen O'Connor at the Patterson murder trial in Morwell in eastern Victoria.