Erin Patterson accused of tampering with prison food and making inmate sick while in maximum security waiting for trial

Sky News AU

6 days ago

An inmate has accused Erin Patterson of tampering with her food and making her sick as the mushroom cook was behind bars waiting for her high-profile trial.
The mother-of-two on Monday afternoon was found guilty by a jury of murdering her three relatives of her estranged husband - Don and Gail Patterson and Gail's sister Heather Wilkinson - by serving them a poisonous beef wellington lunch in July 2023.
She was also found guilty for the attempted murder of Heather's husband, Ian Wilkinson, a local church pastor who survived following a lengthy stint in hospital.
Patterson spent her first night behind bars as one of the worst female Australian killers.
According to The Herald Sun citing sources, the mushroom cook, 50, is not liked among other inmates inside Dame Phyllis Frost Centre, a maximum security jail for women.
The source claimed prisoners had fallen out with Patterson, with one inmate alleging a meal prepared inside the prison had been tampered with which made her sick.
After the complaint, Patterson was placed in the "slot", a cell where she was isolated for up to 22 hours a day with minimum contact as the allegation was investigated.
No further action was believed to be taken over the incident, which happened as she was awaiting trial, but could not be reported on, The Herald Sun said.
Supporters of Patterson had hoped for a different outcome.
Photos outside the family in Leongatha, a small Victorian town in the state's south-east, showed black tarp set up, a likely move to shield the mother-of-two from the media if she was found not guilty by the jury and allowed to return to the family home.
A "legal notice" was also attached with cable ties to the gate.
"Please be advised the owner of this property hereby gives notice to all members of the media or any person employed or contracted to any media organisation, that you are not permitted to enter any part of this property as marked by the boundary fence," it read.
The prosecution during the trial argued Patterson's lunch was intentionally laced with death cap mushrooms, but the defence denied the poisonings were intentional.
Patterson's estranged husband Simon was invited to the lunch, but pulled out of the gathering the day before.
The prosecution said Patterson concocted a cancer diagnosis to lure her guests over for lunch as she needed advice on how to break the medical news to her children.
The court heard from various witnesses during the trial, including the killer herself, as well as members of the Patterson family, police officers and medical experts.
On Monday afternoon, Patterson's friend Ali Rose Prior briefly spoke to the media as she left the courthouse following the guilty verdict.
"I'm saddened, and it is what it is," Ms Prior told reporters.
Asked if she was anticipating that Ms Patterson would be found not guilty, Mr Prior said she "didn't have any expectations".
"The justice system has to be what it is," she said.
Asked how she thought Patterson would have felt in that moment the verdict was delivered, Ms Prior said "I don't know" adding she would see her friend "soon".
The court previously heard that Patterson maintained a good relationship with her former in-laws even after her separation from Simon in 2015.
However, Patterson and Simon's relationship deteriorated around 2022 when the pair began disputing over child support and other expenses.
About a week after the lunch, police conducted a search of Patterson's Leongatha home and seized a number of items, including a computer.
Digital forensic experts told the trial an analysis of the seized computer showed the device had accessed an online social science network in 2022 called iNaturalist, where people have previously shared sightings of death cap mushrooms.
During her testimony, Patterson claimed she bought the fresh mushrooms used in the beef wellington from Woolworths, as well as dried ones from an Asian grocer in Melbourne's south-east. She had stored the dried mushrooms in a Tupperware container.
Patterson told the court she had dehydrated and foraged for mushrooms in the past, and feared some may have mistakenly been mixed into her beef wellington meal.
The mushroom cook and her legal team have 28 days to appeal the verdict, but if she chooses not to then the next court appearance will be for her sentencing.