Erin Patterson mushroom murder trial LIVE updates: Rolling updates as Erin Patterson tells murder trial her side of the story following fatal beef Wellington lunch
Follow Daily Mail Australia's live coverage of accused mushroom chef Erin Patterson's murder trial at Latrobe Valley Magistrates' Court in Morwell, Victoria.
21:54
Erin Patterson to enter witness box for fourth straight day
Erin Patterson will resume giving evidence in her murder trial shortly after today's proceedings kick off at 10.30am.
Lead defence barrister Colin Mandy SC is expected to finish questioning his client before the prosecution lead by Dr Nanette Rogers SC (pictured) will have an opportunity to cross-examine the accused killer.
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The Sun
5 hours ago
- The 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 heartbreaking pleas after the 17-year-old teenager went missing near an airport on May 15. 16 16 16 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. 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. 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. Wood and Bromley then allegedly walked off and were away from Pheobe and the car for five minutes, according to the 34-year-old. 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. 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 16 16 16 But mysteriously, police didn't find any sign of the teen or her belongings. Police, along with Pheobe's mum, described her disappearance as out of character on May 20. 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 Pheobe's disappearance as a suspicious. 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. 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. In a chilling plea, he said: "People don't vanish." 16 16 16 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 police allegedly found weapons in her silver Hyundai. On May 26, the search area was expanded - before cops made a harrowing revelation. 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. 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 Wood was arrested. 16 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 arrested and charged with murder on the same day Wood was released - exactly three weeks after Pheobe went missing. 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". 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. 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'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. 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.
The Guardian
5 hours ago
- The Guardian
Another ex and alleged victim of Sean ‘Diddy' Combs testifies about ‘freak-offs'
The federal sex-trafficking and racketeering conspiracy trial of Sean 'Diddy' Combs resumed on Friday with testimony from a former girlfriend and alleged victim, identified as 'Jane'. The woman, described by prosecutors as a single mother who met Combs in 2020, testified on Friday that Combs denied requests that escorts wear condoms during the drug-fueled sexual encounters with male escorts at hotels known as 'freak-offs' or 'hotel nights', which she claims Combs orchestrated and watched as she took part. Jane told the court that she asked Combs at least twice if an escort could wear condoms, but said that Combs 'guilt-tripped me out of it … He didn't want to see a rubber while he was watching.' Combs, 55, was arrested in September 2024 and faces federal charges of sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy and transportation to engage in prostitution. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges. Jane began her testimony on Thursday and told the court that she began dating Combs in 2021, and that their relation ship was loving and passionate. However, she described a turning point in their relationship in May 2021, when Combs revealed his sexual fantasies involving other men and role-playing. She said that, wanting to please him, she agreed to go along with the idea and that within hours she was in a Miami hotel room watching Combs's assistants set up for a group sex encounter. 'That night really opened a Pandora's box for our relationship,' Jane testified. 'It set the tone for our relationship going forward … It was a door that I was unable to shut.' Jane testified that after that point, 90% of her sexual encounters with Combs included other men while Combs watched, masturbated and directed the sex acts. When the prosecutor asked if she wanted to have sex with the others, Jane replied: 'No … just Sean.' She said she repeatedly told Combs, in person and in writing, that she no longer wanted to participate in these sexual encounters, but he pressured her, and she felt 'obligated'. Jane told the court how she became financially dependent on Combs, who paid her rent and would send her money. She said that at times, when she voiced discomfort with the sexual encounters, he threatened to stop paying her rent. On Friday, Jane testified that she feared losing her home if she refused to participate in the so-called 'hotel nights' or 'freak-offs'. On the stand, she read aloud texts from 2023 in which she told Combs that it felt like the sexual encounters were 'the only reason you have me around and pay for the house', adding that she was 'doing things that make me disgusted with myself'. In other messages, Jane told Combs that she felt she had to perform for him and regretted ever participating in the encounters, writing: 'Ever since I opened Pandora's box, I haven't been able to close it.' Sign up to Headlines US Get the most important US headlines and highlights emailed direct to you every morning after newsletter promotion 'I don't want to keep feeling like that,' she wrote, telling Combs that she wanted them to 'talk like adults and figure out where we're going from here'. Combs replied: 'Girl, stop.' Jane recalled crying at least twice during the encounters with Combs and male escorts, and said that Combs appeared offended and 'disgusted' by her display of emotion. While Combs's lawyers have acknowledged his history of domestic violence, they argue that the women participated in the 'freak-offs' consensually and they maintain that Combs is not guilty of sex trafficking or racketeering, or of operating a criminal enterprise. So far, Jane's testimony has echoed that of Casandra 'Cassie' Ventura, who dated Combs on and off from 2007 to 2018 and testified last month. Ventura told jurors that she was subjected to years of physical and emotional abuse during the relationship. She alleged she was coerced, through violence and blackmail, into taking part in the so-called 'freak-offs', which she said were orchestrated and directed by Combs and involved drugs and male sex workers. During cross-examination, Combs's attorneys sought to portray Ventura as a willing participant in the 'freak-offs', framing the encounters as part of a 'swingers lifestyle'. If convicted on all counts, Combs could face life in prison. The Associated Press contributed reporting
Daily Mail
6 hours ago
- Daily Mail
'Disgusting' man who sneaked into stable and had sex with Shetland pony before fleeing on CCTV with no trousers on avoids prison
A 'disgusting' pervert who sneaked into a stable and had sex with a Shetland pony has avoided jail. Damion Ogeare, 43, was captured on CCTV making a 'beeline' towards the equine stables before emerging some 10 minutes later - without any trousers on. A court heard the man had arrived at the outdoor building armed with a dog lead which he used to restrain the mare, named Cassieopia. Pony owner Christine Woolley said she believed Ogeare had 'scoped' out the area in advance of carrying out the 'degrading' assault. The homeowner told the court the incident has left her feeling 'exhausted', 'angry' and 'frustrated'. Ogeare has now been handed a community order by a judge who said any right-thinking member of the public would be 'disgusted' by his actions. 'Judges in court are used to most things but sometimes certain crimes stop even a hardened judge in their tracks, and this is one of those offences,' Recorder Gordon Bebb said. Winchester Crown Court, Hampshire, heard the incident took place on January 24 last year at a home in Trowbridge, Wiltshire. Tom Wright, prosecuting, said: 'CCTV showed the defendant making a beeline for a pony stable at an address in Trowbridge, a residential address with an equestrian facility. 'It was the property of Christine Woolley.' Mr Wright said the animal owner received an alert from her CCTV camera at around 6.30pm. The footage showed Ogeare enter the stable and reappear some 10 minutes later, the court heard. When he reemerged, the sexual deviant wasn't wearing any trousers. The prosecutor said this gave Mrs Woolley 'grave concerns' over what may have happened to her livestock. It was heard that Ogeare's face could clearly be made out in the CCTV footage and he was arrested by police later on in the year. Mr Wright said DNA taken from the Shetland pony 'connected' Ogeare with the offence. His address was searched and police found a baseball cap and a dog lead. The prosecutor said: 'It had been found discarded at the address. 'The lead had evidently been used to restrain the animal, no doubt, at the time in question.' The court heard there had been 'concerns' when Ogeare had assaulted other animals in the area, as one local reported finding a dog lead on top of his cow. Mrs Wooley spoke of the impact the incident has had on her. She said: 'I am exhausted from this incident. 'Since the day I know it happened I have been unable to sleep until about 3am. 'I have been feeling very angry and very frustrated, my horses are almost a part of me. 'To have one assaulted in such a degrading manner has completely ruined my trust in society.' She continued: 'This sort of behaviour is is completely unacceptable Ogeare has now been handed a community order by a judge who said any right-thinking member of the public would be 'disgusted' by his actions 'I also have no doubt that that these acts are not only intentional, but also planned out. 'Damion clearly scoped out the area in which he wanted to target.' Mrs Woolley urged the judge to consider handing Ogeare a custodial sentence. Holly Fagan, defending, said there is little to say to mitigate the offence other than the fact there was no injury caused to the pony. 'There doesn't seem much point in trying to rationalise something like this,' she said. 'He was going through a period of acute loneliness and isolation. 'He's expressed a great deal or remorse.' Ms Fagan said he felt a 'deep sense of regret' over the events which took place and wanted to apologise to Mrs Woolley. 'Clearly, it's a beloved animal that's been violated and he's very apologetic for all the distress caused,' she added. Ogeare pleaded guilty to one count of sexual penetration of a living animal. Recorder Gordon Bebb handed Ogeare an 18-month community order with 30 days of rehabilitation activity requirements. The judge said: 'I know that any right thinking member of the public would be completely disgusted by what you did.' Recorder Bebb also ordered Ogeare to pay £299.52 in costs, and handed him a restraining order meaning he must not contact Mrs Woolley or attend her address. 'You have to stay well away from that area, do you understand,' he added. 'That will remain in place until further order.'
