Man caught driving without bonnet and driver's seat now without car
Officers pulled over the 64-year-old Narre Warren South man on the afternoon of Monday, July 21 in Cranbourne North when they noticed it was missing its bonnet.
Upon looking inside, officers noticed 'strange seat cushions', and soon realised the car had had its front seats removed.
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The driver had instead been sitting on a plastic garden chair, and allegedly acknowledged he knew the car wasn't roadworthy.
His excuse? He allegedly claimed he was heading to get some parts. Hopefully a bonnet and front seats were on his shopping list…
Driving without those crucial items netted him a defect notice, and Victoria Police says he's expected to be charged on summons with traffic offences, though it hasn't published a full list.
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7NEWS
15 hours ago
- 7NEWS
Erin Patterson: What jury weren't allowed to see in her triple mushroom murder trial
A tense silence fell over a small rural court room as Erin Patterson, facing a jury and fiddling with her fingers, delivered the first of many admissions. 'Did you have an interest in wild mushrooms?' defence barrister Colin Mandy SC asked on the killer's second day in the witness box. 'Yeah, I did,' the 50-year-old replied. The jury listened intently as she admitted a love of mushrooms and wild fungi for the first time in week six of her triple-murder trial. But little did they know the evidence that was not aired. Media were banned from reporting on pre-trial evidence that Justice Christopher Beale had ruled out of the trial to give Patterson time to lodge an appeal. A suppression order over that material was lifted on Friday. One of the most bizarre pieces of evidence that did not make it to the trial was a Facebook post to a poisons help page. Prosecutors alleged Patterson uploaded a photo of a cat eating mushrooms about 18 months before Simon claimed he was first poisoned by his estranged wife, in November 2021. 'My cat chewed on this mushroom just now,' the post said, according to pre-trial evidence. 'He is having a vomit. Was in grassland near trees, I'm in Victoria Australia.' Patterson owned a dog but did not own a cat. Prosecutors alleged the post was fake and they planned to use it in the trial to show the killer's long-held interest both in poisons and wild mushrooms. Jane Warren said it showed that Patterson's interest in mushrooms was 'in the poisonous properties'. Defence successfully argued against the post being permitted as evidence in the triple-murder trial. 'The prosecution is at pains to establish the accused did not have a cat and therefore that this post was dishonest,' barrister Colin Mandy SC told a pre-trial hearing. 'That will reflect poorly on the accused if that's admitted to evidence.' The post might have been manipulated by the person who provided it to police, Mr Mandy said as he argued they should have been called to give evidence in the trial. 'The witness who produced the screenshot had previously manipulated screenshots in the Facebook group using Photoshop,' the defence barrister said. 'Its reliability on the face of it is questionable.' Ultimately, Justice Beale ruled it out of evidence before the trial began. A number of other items of evidence revealed Patterson's alleged penchant for poisons. These were found by Victoria Police digital officers, who trawled through thousands of pieces of data found on devices seized from Patterson's home. The digital investigators used key words including 'death', 'mushroom' and 'poison'. An appendix from a 2007 book called Criminal Poisonings was found on a Samsung tablet. It listed the colour, odour, solubility, taste and lethal dose of poisons including antifreeze, arsenic and cyanide. Prosecutors alleged in pre-trial hearings that Patterson had access to the document in October 2019. However, defence lawyers successfully argued prosecutors could not prove she accessed the file just because it was found on the device as there was no evidence she had downloaded it or read it. Mr Mandy said it would be prejudicial to Patterson in her trial and claimed Patterson's children might have been using the tablet when the file was downloaded. 'And 2019 is too remote to be relevant to these allegations,' Mr Mandy told pre-trial. Another PDF titled 'an overview of fungi in Melbourne' was found on a device at Patterson's home with an unknown date. But the defence claimed it had limited probative value as it did not mention poisonous mushrooms. The document had death cap mushrooms on the second page. 'There's lots of people who are widely read, but don't read about poisonous mushrooms,' Justice Beale commented on the document. The jury was told about Patterson ditching the dehydrator she used to dry out the deadly mushroom after she left Melbourne's Monash Hospital on August 2, 2023. However, they were not told about her first visit to Koonwarra transfer station - on the same day as the beef Wellington lunch — where she disposed of cardboard. Prosecutors told pre-trial hearings that Patterson was seen going to the tip on July 29, 2023. She also put her rubbish bins out for collection on the day of the lunch - which prosecutors alleged was incriminating conduct — but the jury was not told that either. Patterson was ultimately found guilty in July of three counts of murder and one of attempted murder over the poisoned beef Wellington meal. Her in-laws Don and Gail Patterson, and Gail's sister Heather Wilkinson all died following the lunch, while Heather's husband Ian Wilkinson became seriously ill but survived.
Sydney Morning Herald
16 hours ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Erin Patterson and the art and science of poison
The evidence – none of which was ever shown to the jury due to a series of pre-trial rulings by Supreme Court Justice Christopher Beale – paints the picture of a person obsessively focused on the nature and use of poisons. Loading In 2019, Patterson apparently downloaded a portion of a book called Criminal Poisoning: Investigational Guide for Law Enforcement, Toxicologists, Forensic Scientists and Attorneys. It was an all-encompassing manual on the theory and practicalities of using poison to kill, including the psychology of those who use it and how the crimes are investigated by authorities. The chapter in question that was found on her computer was a list of common homicidal poisons, from anti-freeze to arsenic, cyanide and strychnine. Scientific and academic articles with a very specific focus on poisonous substances were also found on her devices, including Red Kidney Bean Poisoning in the UK and One Step Purification and Characterisation of Abrin Toxin from Abrus Precatorius Seeds. Both of these poisons can be derived from plants that are found widely in Australia. But they weren't the only potentially lethal suspects investigated by police, who cast a wide net looking for possible explanations for what might have caused Simon's suite of similar but distinct illnesses. During the homicide probe, toxicology expert Dr Dimitri Gerostamoulos was brought in to consult on obscure poisons made famous from history and the War on Terror that Erin might have used on Simon's food. 'I was asked to prepare those (by investigators),' Dr Gerostamoulous testified during pre-trial witness examinations in October 2024. Loading The first was on hemlock, which history buffs will recognise as the poison made famous by Athenian philosopher Socrates to take his own life in Ancient Greece. Hemlock, indigenous to Europe and Africa, is a highly poisonous flowering plant that has spread to Australia and become prevalent enough in 'disturbed soil areas' like roadsides to be classified as a noxious weed. The second, ricin, is a poison distilled from castor beans that became a subject of public fear in the Cold War for its use to assassinate spies. It was also used as bioweapon in the War on Terror after the 9/11 attacks. In April 2013, ricin was mailed to US President Barack Obama and a senator, shutting down the postal service in the US. Simon's close mate, bible study partner and GP Christopher Ford also weighed in with a suggestion that was raised during pre-trial hearings – that Erin could have slipped anti-freeze into a batch of cookies made for Simon by their daughter. Ford told the court Simon had been apprehensive about eating the batch after Erin called several times to ask whether he had eaten any yet. He said the father of two eventually had a small nibble before throwing the rest out. None of these would pan out. But Victoria Police would continue to search for other possibilities, even up to the eve of her trial. Even as late as early April 2025 – just weeks before her triple-murder trial was set to begin in Morwell – the prosecution toyed with introducing newly discovered forensic evidence relating to digital traces found on Erin's computers that linked to barium carbonate, also known as rat poison. 'There was an article on barium carbonate (rat poison) that was discovered by the Crown around the time that [Simon Patterson got sick for the third time],' prosecutor Dr Nanette Rogers told the Court of Appeal. 'Barium carbonate is a rat poison. Professor [Andrew] Bersten has provided a further report, which we've served on the defense, which indicates that the sudden onset of illness for charge three is consistent with barium carbonate poisoning.' Then there were the now-infamous death caps. The electronic evidence showed Patterson's interest began to narrow down to mushrooms in general and then death caps in particular. In 2022, she downloaded a copy of An Overview of the Fungi of Melbourne, which was a technical guide to foraging mushrooms written by preeminent mycologist Dr Thomas May of the Royal Botanic Gardens. That same year, computer records show she was surfing the iNaturalist website looking at sightings of death caps in suburban Melbourne, including one in a Moorabbin nature reserve. And, as the prosecution would make clear during testimony at the trial, Patterson took at least three 'foraging' trips to locations where death caps have been observed and posted on the iNaturalist website in the months leading up to the fatal lunch. Out of order This intense and sustained interest in poisons was 'not a one-off', the prosecution argued. But the jury in Patterson's murder trial in Morwell heard hardly any of this digital evidence, beyond her forays onto iNaturalist. In his pre-trial rulings, Supreme Court Justice Christopher Beale ruled nearly all of this electronic-sourced material as inadmissible because it was unfairly prejudicial against the accused. It was also unclear, according to the judge, that Patterson had actually opened or read some of these materials because only incomplete traces of the files were sometimes found. At trial, defence barrister Colin Mandy, SC, also pointed out that despite police seizing at least 423 books from her home and a storage locker, there would not be a single one found about poisons. The prosecution countered that there also were none about foraging for wild mushrooms, which Erin testified had become a foodie passion project in the lonely years of the COVID pandemic. If Patterson had downloaded and accessed these materials in full, it's quite possible she would have found an insight into her own thinking buried deep inside Criminal Poisoning: Investigational Guide for Law Enforcement, Toxicologists, Forensic Scientists and Attorneys. She would have read that homicidal poisoners are often motivated by revenge, financial gain or political ambition. She would have noticed a diagram denoting a skull-and-crossbones symbol – the universal symbol of toxic substances – showing what motivates poisoners and who their victims are. But perhaps the most illuminating detail for the convicted murderer in that chapter, had she stumbled across it, would have this single sentence: 'One of the major reasons [murderers choose poison] is that it provides a very good chance of getting away with the crime.' While the vast majority of the evidence documenting her deep interest in poisons never made it to trial, what did was clearly enough for the jury.
The Age
16 hours ago
- The Age
Erin Patterson and the art and science of poison
The evidence – none of which was ever shown to the jury due to a series of pre-trial rulings by Supreme Court Justice Christopher Beale – paints the picture of a person obsessively focused on the nature and use of poisons. Loading In 2019, Patterson apparently downloaded a portion of a book called Criminal Poisoning: Investigational Guide for Law Enforcement, Toxicologists, Forensic Scientists and Attorneys. It was an all-encompassing manual on the theory and practicalities of using poison to kill, including the psychology of those who use it and how the crimes are investigated by authorities. The chapter in question that was found on her computer was a list of common homicidal poisons, from anti-freeze to arsenic, cyanide and strychnine. Scientific and academic articles with a very specific focus on poisonous substances were also found on her devices, including Red Kidney Bean Poisoning in the UK and One Step Purification and Characterisation of Abrin Toxin from Abrus Precatorius Seeds. Both of these poisons can be derived from plants that are found widely in Australia. But they weren't the only potentially lethal suspects investigated by police, who cast a wide net looking for possible explanations for what might have caused Simon's suite of similar but distinct illnesses. During the homicide probe, toxicology expert Dr Dimitri Gerostamoulos was brought in to consult on obscure poisons made famous from history and the War on Terror that Erin might have used on Simon's food. 'I was asked to prepare those (by investigators),' Dr Gerostamoulous testified during pre-trial witness examinations in October 2024. Loading The first was on hemlock, which history buffs will recognise as the poison made famous by Athenian philosopher Socrates to take his own life in Ancient Greece. Hemlock, indigenous to Europe and Africa, is a highly poisonous flowering plant that has spread to Australia and become prevalent enough in 'disturbed soil areas' like roadsides to be classified as a noxious weed. The second, ricin, is a poison distilled from castor beans that became a subject of public fear in the Cold War for its use to assassinate spies. It was also used as bioweapon in the War on Terror after the 9/11 attacks. In April 2013, ricin was mailed to US President Barack Obama and a senator, shutting down the postal service in the US. Simon's close mate, bible study partner and GP Christopher Ford also weighed in with a suggestion that was raised during pre-trial hearings – that Erin could have slipped anti-freeze into a batch of cookies made for Simon by their daughter. Ford told the court Simon had been apprehensive about eating the batch after Erin called several times to ask whether he had eaten any yet. He said the father of two eventually had a small nibble before throwing the rest out. None of these would pan out. But Victoria Police would continue to search for other possibilities, even up to the eve of her trial. Even as late as early April 2025 – just weeks before her triple-murder trial was set to begin in Morwell – the prosecution toyed with introducing newly discovered forensic evidence relating to digital traces found on Erin's computers that linked to barium carbonate, also known as rat poison. 'There was an article on barium carbonate (rat poison) that was discovered by the Crown around the time that [Simon Patterson got sick for the third time],' prosecutor Dr Nanette Rogers told the Court of Appeal. 'Barium carbonate is a rat poison. Professor [Andrew] Bersten has provided a further report, which we've served on the defense, which indicates that the sudden onset of illness for charge three is consistent with barium carbonate poisoning.' Then there were the now-infamous death caps. The electronic evidence showed Patterson's interest began to narrow down to mushrooms in general and then death caps in particular. In 2022, she downloaded a copy of An Overview of the Fungi of Melbourne, which was a technical guide to foraging mushrooms written by preeminent mycologist Dr Thomas May of the Royal Botanic Gardens. That same year, computer records show she was surfing the iNaturalist website looking at sightings of death caps in suburban Melbourne, including one in a Moorabbin nature reserve. And, as the prosecution would make clear during testimony at the trial, Patterson took at least three 'foraging' trips to locations where death caps have been observed and posted on the iNaturalist website in the months leading up to the fatal lunch. Out of order This intense and sustained interest in poisons was 'not a one-off', the prosecution argued. But the jury in Patterson's murder trial in Morwell heard hardly any of this digital evidence, beyond her forays onto iNaturalist. In his pre-trial rulings, Supreme Court Justice Christopher Beale ruled nearly all of this electronic-sourced material as inadmissible because it was unfairly prejudicial against the accused. It was also unclear, according to the judge, that Patterson had actually opened or read some of these materials because only incomplete traces of the files were sometimes found. At trial, defence barrister Colin Mandy, SC, also pointed out that despite police seizing at least 423 books from her home and a storage locker, there would not be a single one found about poisons. The prosecution countered that there also were none about foraging for wild mushrooms, which Erin testified had become a foodie passion project in the lonely years of the COVID pandemic. If Patterson had downloaded and accessed these materials in full, it's quite possible she would have found an insight into her own thinking buried deep inside Criminal Poisoning: Investigational Guide for Law Enforcement, Toxicologists, Forensic Scientists and Attorneys. She would have read that homicidal poisoners are often motivated by revenge, financial gain or political ambition. She would have noticed a diagram denoting a skull-and-crossbones symbol – the universal symbol of toxic substances – showing what motivates poisoners and who their victims are. But perhaps the most illuminating detail for the convicted murderer in that chapter, had she stumbled across it, would have this single sentence: 'One of the major reasons [murderers choose poison] is that it provides a very good chance of getting away with the crime.' While the vast majority of the evidence documenting her deep interest in poisons never made it to trial, what did was clearly enough for the jury.
