Australian woman accused of murdering in-laws with toxic mushrooms takes the stand
THE AUSTRALIAN WOMAN who allegedly murdered three of her husband's relatives with toxic mushrooms developed an interest in foraging for wild fungi during the Covid-19 lockdown, a court heard today.
Erin Patterson, 50, is charged with murdering the parents and aunt of her estranged husband in 2023 by serving them a beef Wellington laced with lethal death cap mushrooms.
She is also accused of attempting to murder her husband's uncle, who survived the meal after a long stay in hospital.
Patterson has pleaded not guilty to all charges in a trial that is captivating the country.
Having watched the prosecution build its case over the past five weeks, Patterson took the stand for the first time on Monday to mount her defence.
She told the court today she enjoyed eating mushrooms because they 'tasted good' and were 'very healthy'.
Her interest in wild mushrooms developed during the pandemic lockdown in 2020, and she recalled finding some near her home, which she eventually ate.
'I didn't get sick'
'I cut a bit off one of the mushrooms, fried it up with butter, ate it, and saw what happened,' she said.
'They tasted good, and I didn't get sick.'
In July 2023, Patterson had asked her husband Simon to a family lunch at her secluded rural Victorian home.
Advertisement
Simon turned down the invitation because he felt too uncomfortable, the court heard previously.
But his parents Don and Gail attended, and died days after eating a beef-and-pastry dish prepared by Patterson.
Simon's aunt Heather Wilkinson also died following the meal, while her husband Ian fell seriously ill but later recovered.
The meal consisted of 'an individual serve' of beef Wellington entirely encased in pastry and filled with 'steak and mushrooms', Ian Wilkinson previously told the court.
But the dish also contained death cap mushrooms.
The prosecution alleges Patterson deliberately poisoned her lunch guests but avoided the deadly mushrooms herself.
Her defence says it was 'a terrible accident' and that Patterson, who admits the meal contained death cap mushrooms, ate the same food as the others but did not fall as sick.
During the gathering, Patterson claimed she had cancer and wanted the family's advice on whether to tell her children. But she was never diagnosed with cancer, the court has heard.
In 2020, Patterson bought a dehydrator that she used on mushrooms she bought in the store and foraged so that she could preserve them and have them 'available later on in the year', she said in court Tuesday.
She experimented with dehydrating sliced and whole mushrooms, but said she found the latter were 'mushy inside, they didn't dry properly'.
The trial is expected to last another week.
-
© AFP 2025
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Independent
3 hours ago
- Irish Independent
Woman accused of killing relatives with wild mushrooms tells trial she got rid of food dehydrator
Erin Patterson said she also reset her phone to factory settings ©UK Independent Erin Patterson, the Australian woman accused of killing her relatives with death cap mushrooms, admitted that she disposed of a food dehydrator after learning her lunch might have fatally poisoned her former in-laws. Ms Patterson (50) said she did not tell anyone after realising that death cap mushrooms could have been in the meal that she served her in-laws in July 2023. She had earlier testified she became interested in wild mushroom foraging during the Covid lockdown.
Sunday World
10 hours ago
- Sunday World
Lough Derg pilgrimage site worker jailed for sexually assaulting five women
Tomas Gallagher preyed on five female victims by asking them to help him repair washing machines and tumble dryers during a series of incidents at the religious site A worker at the Lough Derg pilgrimage site who duped unsuspecting women into helping him at the retreat so he could sexually assault them has been jailed for a total of four years. Cunning Tomas Gallagher preyed on five female victims by asking them to help him repair washing machines and tumble dryers during a series of terrifying incidents at the renowned religious setting. But instead of helping the workman, the innocent women found themselves being sexually assaulted after the 42-year-old preyed on the unsuspecting women. Details of the plans hatched by Gallagher were outlined before Letterkenny Circuit Court last week. Gallagher had pleaded to seven charges in all, four for sexual assaults of adults, two for sexual assault on children and one charge of invitation to a child to sexually touch. And today, having considered reports on Gallagher as well as the statements from his victims, Judge John Aylmer jailed the father-of-one for five years with the last 12 months suspended. He said the crimes, as outlined in the case, were "egregious acts of violence in a sacred place of pilgrimage." St. Patrick's Purgatory on Lough Derg in Co Donegal. Photo: PAUL FAITH/AFP via Getty He told Gallagher that his crimes were 'deceitful' and 'premeditated' and that he placed them in the mid-range for such offences and which merited a sentence of seven years before mitigation. In mitigation he noted an early plea, the fact that the accused had no previous convictions, that he appeared to be remorseful and ashamed of his actions. Judge Aylmer also noted that Gallagher had undertaken 24 counselling sessions, that he was fully cooperative and that he had been ostracised in the local community. Taking the totality factor into account and that all sentences will run concurrently, Judge Aylmer said he was reducing the overall sentence to one of five years. He then added that with regard to all efforts to encourage rehabilitation and the fact that it needs to be encouraged, he suspended the final twelve months of that sentence meaning Gallagher will serve four years in prison. He is also to go under the supervision of the Probation Services for 12 months. Gallagher, from Rathanlacky, Dunkineely pleaded to a total of seven charges against five different women at the holy island on the shores of Lough Derg. He pleaded to six charges of sexual assault at St Patrick's Purgatory. These offences are contrary to Section 2 of the Criminal Law (Rape) (Amendment) Act 1990, as amended by Section 37 of the Sex Offenders Act 2001. He also pleaded that in the same period and location, he did attempt, by inviting, inducing, counselling or inciting a child to sexual touching. This offence is contrary to Section 4 Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act, 2017. The victims, who cannot be named to protect their identity, ranged in age from their early teens to more mature women in their later years. Tomas Gallagher. Photo: Northwest News Pix News in 90 June 4th All of the offences took place in 2022 when Gallagher worked both as a maintenance man at the retreat, as well as driving a boat taking pilgrims to and from the island. Barrister for the state, Ms Fiona Crawford, BL and investigating Garda Joanna Doherty outlined the details of the incidents. Statements given to Gardai by the victims told how Gallagher had approached them, asking them to come into a laundry room as he needed help fixing various machines. The statements outlined how the unsuspecting women were asked to reach behind them into the machines while Gallagher fixed a 'pipe.' The women thought they were holding a pipe but instead they were gripping the accused man's penis. On one occasion, Gallagher told one of his victims to twist the pipe like she was 'revving a motorcycle.' Gallagher told another victim that the 'pipe' would be soft and moist. An older victim was approached by Gallagher who asked her to reach behind a dishwasher and hold a pipe but she 'knew immediately it was no pipe' as it was warm and soft and felt like a penis. The woman couldn't see it but the shocked woman jumped back and shouted 'what the f*** is that?' The woman didn't tell anybody else about the incident that day but felt upset and did later tell her daughter about what had happened. On another occasion, Gallagher asked a young teenage girl to help him with a washing machine and asked her to hold a 'pipe'. She grabbed the 'pipe' and he told her to 'hold it there' as he chatted to her about school. However, the girl told how the pipe didn't feel like plastic but was warm and had a rubbery texture and that it felt sticky or sweaty. Another teenager told in her statement how Gallagher asked him to assist her with a tumble dryer and told her to put her hand behind a wooden board and he got her to hold something. He told the girl to hold the 'pipe' harder and then to loosen it and then to increase her grip before he said 'yeah, that's fine.' The young woman then said the pipe was 'squishy, wet and warm' and when she stood up she saw Gallagher's penis sticking out from the zipper of his trousers. One young woman eventually came forward and told a person in charge what had happened which led to others coming forward making complaints of a similar nature against Gallagher. Gallagher was interviewed by Gardai on three occasions and initially denied anything untoward had happened. During one interview with Detective Garda Paul McHugh, Gallagher admitted asking one woman to hold a pipe on a tumble dryer as it had been leaking. He claimed the woman had got up and left for no apparent reason and he had been left nervous and embarrassed by the incident. However, he later admitted the offences and entered a guilty plea. Victim impact statements from the women were read out in court while two young women chose to read out their own statements. One young woman fought back tears as she told how despite being the victim she felt ashamed and disgusted by what had happened and often thinks about if she could have stopped this from happening to other women. She added that she often thinks about Gallagher's son and that she prays that he is safe. An older victim said she feels vulnerable and intimidated by what had happened and that she is sorry that she did not speak up sooner but was afraid that people would laugh at her or not believe her. Another victim told how she was a student but failed her exams because she became depressed after Gallagher's assault on her. However, she later completed her exams and was proud of herself and was determined not to allow her attacker to ruin her life further but still feels he stole something from her. A teenage victim said she has been forced to attend counselling because of anxiety and that she is now always on edge and simply cannot trust men. She decided not to come to court as she feared that seeing Gallagher again would trigger her anxiety. Another woman, who now lives abroad and gave her evidence by videolink, told how she lives in an apartment with a lift and if a man gets into the lift she can't stop thinking 'what if?' She said she realises that she should not tar all men with the same brush but Gallagher's attack had made her an angrier, wearier and a meaner person as a result. She added that she does feel disgusted by what had happened but sometimes feels glad that he had chosen her and that she had alerted the authorities to what was happening as she hated to think what number of victims there might have been. Gallagher took to the witness stand and said he wanted to apologise to his victims. He said he 'truly regretted' his actions and was sorry for the hurt and pain he had caused his victims and their families. Asked by his barrister, Mr Colm Smyth, SC, if he realised this was a huge breach of trust, Gallagher replied that he did. He also revealed that he had engaged in 24 counselling sessions to better understand the impact his actions have had on others. Mr Smyth said his client accepted full responsibility for his actions, that he had now lost his employment and had become a pariah in the local community because of the publicity surrounding the case. He added the fact that the offences took place in a sacred place, a place of pilgrimage for Christian people going back many centuries, also had to be acknowledged. Mr Smyth suggested to Judge John Aylmer that there also has to be 'light at the end of the tunnel' for Gallagher, asking him to consider his client's remorse, his blameless life up until now and his guilty plea.
Sunday World
10 hours ago
- Sunday World
Ex-BBC presenter sentenced after leaving scene of Co Down accident
Karen Patterson was handed a £600 penalty and had her licence endorsed with six penalty points A former BBC Radio Ulster presenter has been fined after she left the scene of an accident she caused. Karen Patterson was handed a £600 penalty and had her licence endorsed with six penalty points today. The 54-year-old was sentenced at Newtownards Magistrates Court. Ms Patterson, who now works as a dairy farmer, contested a charge of causing grievous bodily injury by careless driving. Defence counsel Conan Rea argued the injuries suffered by the other driver were not serious enough to amount to really serious harm. A prosecuting lawyer outlined that around 8.30pm on March 16 last year, the Range Rover being driven by Ms Patterson was in collision with a Mazda MX5 sports car on the Newtownards Road in Comber. The Mazda driver told police that as he was overtaking the 4x4, the Range Rover moved across the middle line and there was contact before his vehicle came to rest in the ditch. The court heard how the Mazda driver sustained a 'sprained wrist' and some hearing loss through tinnitus. Karen Patterson was sentenced at Newtownards Magistrates Court. News in 90 June 4th Commenting that the injuries 'do not even come close to grievous bodily injury,' District Judge Mark Hamill found Ms Patterson not guilty of causing GBI by careless driving. Mr Rea emphasised that this had been the stated defence position 'for months' and that Ms Patterson had made early admissions to leaving the scene and to careless driving. He explained that on the night of the accident, the defendant had spotted the sporty Mazda 'travelling at some speed behind her' but had lost sight of the car when she performed her manoeuvre. It was that manoeuvre which caused the slight coming together of the vehicles and although the defendant drove on, Mr Rea said she returned but couldn't see anyone so drove on home, without reporting the matter to police. The barrister said she now realised that although she did not know who the other driver was, she still should have told the police. However, he highlighted that having been driving for 35 years, Ms Patterson with an address in Downpatrick, only has three points on her licence. He revealed that having worked as a journalist for many years, 'she left that employment' and now runs a dairy farm with her mum. Mr Rea explained that with having to drive between her home and the farm to milk the cows, losing her licence would cause 'considerable difficulties.' Recording guilty pleas to offences of careless driving, failing to report and failing to remain, Judge Hamill repeated that while the injuries 'might entertain the civil court,' from his perspective they 'do not come near to GBI.' Imposing fines totalling £600 along with the six penalty points and £15 offender levy, the judge highlighted that 'what I do today doesn't make a blind bit of difference to the civil court.' Ms Patterson started out in journalism with the Bangor Spectator and later moved on to Downtown-Cool FM. She started in the BBC in 2000 and was well known as a presenter on Good Morning Ulster for around a decade. She was among a number of presenters who left the BBC in 2020.
