Lunch aftermath in focus at Erin Patterson murder trial
Accused triple murderer Erin Patterson has faced questions about whether she feigned her illness in the days following a deadly beef Wellington lunch.
Patterson is set to spend a seventh day in the witness box in her Supreme Court trial as crown prosecutor Nanette Rogers SC continues her cross-examination.
The 50-year-old has pleaded not guilty to murdering her former in-laws Don and Gail Patterson, both 70, and Gail's sister Heather Wilkinson, 66, as well as the attempted murder of Heather's husband Ian.
She denies she deliberately poisoned her lunch guests on July 29, 2023 when she served them death cap mushroom-laced beef Wellingtons, and claims it was a terrible accident.
Dr Rogers on Tuesday accused the mushroom cook of faking her nausea, diarrhoea and abdominal pain in conversations with health professionals, her children and Simon.
She suggested to Patterson the reason why she had told so many people about her symptoms was because she wanted to also appear unwell from the lunch.
"You did that because you knew you had not eaten death cap mushrooms ... and you knew how suspicious it would look if you did not seem sick like your guests," the prosecutor said.
"Incorrect," Patterson replied.
Patterson was asked about the beef Wellington leftovers, with the prosecutor suggesting she had assisted police in finding the remains in her bin because "you knew you had no means of removing the leftovers from your bin by yourself".
"Why wouldn't I just say there's no leftovers? That seems really convoluted," she replied.
The mushroom cook said she had "no idea" when Dr Rogers put to her that she directed police to the leftovers in her outside bin to avoid suspicion.
Patterson had been accused of lying by the prosecutor as she disputed evidence from doctors, nurses and her estranged husband.
She denied evidence from Ian Wilkinson that she had served the guests on four large grey plates while she ate from a smaller orange or tan plate.
The trial continues.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
West Australian
29 minutes ago
- West Australian
Underworld figure offers cemetery as bail collateral
An underworld figure desperate for release from prison has wagered a multi-million-dollar cemetery as collateral, taking a judge by surprise. Omar Haouchar, 32, was arrested in January over an alleged conspiracy to murder a rival gang member outside the Day St police station in Sydney's city centre. His barrister told a Supreme Court bail hearing that a person close to Haouchar had put forward a cemetery as security to support his release application. "I've never seen a cemetery offered as security before," Justice Ian Harrison told the NSW Supreme Court on Thursday. The valuation of the cemetery was uncertain because, unlike its surrounding property, it was not available for subdivision, barrister Ertunc Ozen SC said. But it was estimated to be worth millions of dollars. Haouchar, who appeared in court via a video link from the Goulburn supermax remand centre, was previously denied bail in February. Since that time, Mr Ozen said further documents had been tendered to the court by prosecutors, detailing evidence against his client. Associates of the Haouchar crime network allegedly used encrypted app Threema to discuss murdering 30-year-old Andre Kallita in December 2023. Prosecutors claimed that Haouchar was using the handle "Invisible" in an encrypted group chat titled "URGENT". The murder plot involved a lookout, waiting to see Kallita report to the police station for bail, alerting two shooters waiting close by, according to a police statement filed with the NSW Supreme Court. But Mr Ozen said there was insufficient evidence to prove Haouchar is Invisible. "The Crown simply cannot tie Invisible to this applicant," he told the court. "This is the crux of the crown case, and without that attribution, the crown case fails." He also argued that since Haouchar's transfer to supermax, his ability to communicate with his legal team had been limited and this would result in delays to court proceedings. "The conditions of custody make it nearly impossible for him to prepare for this matter," Mr Ozen said. Crown prosecutor Rebecca Stefani opposed bail, arguing Haouchar posed a risk of committing further offences and attempting to leave the state. She told the court he had spent 11 years in custody for a slew of offences. These included reckless wounding, aggravated burglary and directing the activities of a criminal group. The Haouchar syndicate, largely operated by leaders based in Lebanon, has been tied to $1.5 billion in cryptocurrency transactions and various firearm, drug, tobacco and money-laundering offences, police said previously. Justice Harrison will make his decision on the bail application after further submissions have been filed.
Perth Now
41 minutes ago
- Perth Now
Underworld figure offers cemetery as bail collateral
An underworld figure desperate for release from prison has wagered a multi-million-dollar cemetery as collateral, taking a judge by surprise. Omar Haouchar, 32, was arrested in January over an alleged conspiracy to murder a rival gang member outside the Day St police station in Sydney's city centre. His barrister told a Supreme Court bail hearing that a person close to Haouchar had put forward a cemetery as security to support his release application. "I've never seen a cemetery offered as security before," Justice Ian Harrison told the NSW Supreme Court on Thursday. The valuation of the cemetery was uncertain because, unlike its surrounding property, it was not available for subdivision, barrister Ertunc Ozen SC said. But it was estimated to be worth millions of dollars. Haouchar, who appeared in court via a video link from the Goulburn supermax remand centre, was previously denied bail in February. Since that time, Mr Ozen said further documents had been tendered to the court by prosecutors, detailing evidence against his client. Associates of the Haouchar crime network allegedly used encrypted app Threema to discuss murdering 30-year-old Andre Kallita in December 2023. Prosecutors claimed that Haouchar was using the handle "Invisible" in an encrypted group chat titled "URGENT". The murder plot involved a lookout, waiting to see Kallita report to the police station for bail, alerting two shooters waiting close by, according to a police statement filed with the NSW Supreme Court. But Mr Ozen said there was insufficient evidence to prove Haouchar is Invisible. "The Crown simply cannot tie Invisible to this applicant," he told the court. "This is the crux of the crown case, and without that attribution, the crown case fails." He also argued that since Haouchar's transfer to supermax, his ability to communicate with his legal team had been limited and this would result in delays to court proceedings. "The conditions of custody make it nearly impossible for him to prepare for this matter," Mr Ozen said. Crown prosecutor Rebecca Stefani opposed bail, arguing Haouchar posed a risk of committing further offences and attempting to leave the state. She told the court he had spent 11 years in custody for a slew of offences. These included reckless wounding, aggravated burglary and directing the activities of a criminal group. The Haouchar syndicate, largely operated by leaders based in Lebanon, has been tied to $1.5 billion in cryptocurrency transactions and various firearm, drug, tobacco and money-laundering offences, police said previously. Justice Harrison will make his decision on the bail application after further submissions have been filed.
ABC News
an hour ago
- ABC News
Erin Patterson finishes giving evidence as mushroom murder trial enters final stages
Accused triple-murderer Erin Patterson has rejected a prosecution claim she carried out factory resets in a bid to deceive police about her mobile phones, as she came to the end of eight days in the witness box in her Supreme Court trial. Ms Patterson has been charged with three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder after three relatives — her parents-in-law Don and Gail Patterson, and Gail's sister Heather Wilkinson — died from death cap mushroom poisoning following a lunch at her house on July 29, 2023. A fourth lunch guest, Heather's husband Ian Wilkinson, became gravely ill after the meal but survived. The trial of Erin Patterson, who stands accused of using a poisoned meal to murder three relatives, continues. Follow along with Thursday's hearing in our live blog. To stay up to date with this story, subscribe to ABC News. At the close of the prosecution's cross-examination, Ms Patterson reiterated her innocence of all four charges. In rapid fire, crown prosecutor Nanette Rogers SC put to Ms Patterson the crux of the charges: that she "deliberately sourced death cap mushrooms" and put them in the dish she served to her lunch guests "intending to kill them". "Agree or disagree?" Dr Rogers asked. "Disagree," Ms Patterson responded. The trial has now concluded hearing evidence and will move to closing arguments from the prosecution and defence, before the judge issues final instructions to the jury ahead of their deliberation. Over the course of the past six weeks of the murder trial, the prosecution has alleged Ms Patterson owned and used two phones with two separate SIM cards — Phone A and Phone B. Phone A was never recovered by police, but under cross-examination on Thursday Ms Patterson rejected prosecutors' assertion that that was because she had hidden the phone from police. Dr Rogers showed the court extensive phone records from a SIM card that was in Phone A up until August 5, 2023, a week after the lunch. The records indicated the phone was in regular use up until sometime between 12:01pm and 1:45pm, when the SIM card in Phone A lost connection with the network. At that time, police were conducting a search of Ms Patterson's Leongatha home. Dr Rogers put to Ms Patterson that she removed the SIM card from Phone A when she was "afforded privacy to speak with a lawyer while police were at your home". Ms Patterson disagreed and said her calls to a lawyer occurred at 2pm, after the alleged loss of connection. Ms Patterson also rejected a claim from prosecutors that the reason she had conducted three factory resets on Phone B was so she could deceive police and "pass [it] off" as her regular phone. When police executed a search warrant on Ms Patterson's home on August 5, a week after the deadly lunch, it was Phone B that she gave to police. The prosecution suggested she did so as she knew there was no data on the phone to potentially incriminate her, which Ms Patterson denied. Dr Rogers took Ms Patterson to records of three factory resets made on Phone B. Ms Patterson had previously told the court of the following reasons for factory resetting the phone on these dates in 2023: On Thursday, Dr Rogers suggested to Ms Patterson she had carried out those resets for another reason. "I suggest that you did three factory resets of this phone, Phone B ... to conceal the true contents of Phone B ... so you could then pass off Phone B as your usual mobile phone, without police realising," Dr Rogers says. Ms Patterson agreed she carried out the three resets, but disagreed that she did for the reasons Dr Rogers suggested. Dr Rogers went on to assert that it was "all about hiding the contents of your usual mobile phone, Phone A", which she asserted Ms Patterson had "deliberately concealed" because she knew the data on that device would "incriminate" her. Ms Patterson rejected this assertion too. Throughout several days of cross-examination, Ms Patterson's voice largely remained level as she answered prosecutors' questions. But during re-examination by her barrister, Colin Mandy SC, her voice became choked when asked about the need for her to pack her daughter's bag for a ballet rehearsal on the Monday after the lunch. The prosecution asserted this was in fact never required, but Ms Patterson reaffirmed under re-examination that it was. Ms Patterson's voice again cracked when discussing her son's flying lesson, explaining she did not cancel it following the lunch as he was "really passionate" about flying and "I just didn't want to disappoint him". The defence also asked about contradictions that arose during Ms Patterson's cross-examination, such as her claim she had had an appointment in September 2023 to explore gastric-bypass surgery at a Melbourne clinic that did not in fact offer it. Ms Patterson told the court that in 2023, she had believed the clinic offered gastric-band surgery, but on Thursday said she was "obviously mistaken". She told the court she had also intended to explore liposuction options. Mr Mandy then asked Ms Patterson about the sixth beef Wellington she cooked, which the prosecution has alleged was prepared in case her estranged husband attended the lunch and she could poison him as well. Ms Patterson told the court she simply had an extra steak because of the way the eye fillets she bought were packaged. "I had five twin packs, I put two of the twin packs in the freezer and just decided to use the other six, I had enough ingredients ... so I did that," she said. The trial continues.
