'She's great': more charges mulled against taboo author
A Christian charity marketing executive accused of producing child abuse material could be hit with more criminal charges as her erotic novel is scanned line by line.
Lauren Tesolin-Mastrosa, 33, came to the attention of police and the courts after writing the book Daddy's Little Toy under her pen name Tori Woods.
The Sydney woman issued a pre-release of the novel to about 20 advanced readers in March.
The following month, Tesolin-Mastrosa pleaded not guilty to possessing, disseminating, and producing child abuse material.
Her lawyer Mickaela Mate argued at the time that the book was "a fantasy within a fiction" and that there were no victims.
Ms Mate returned to Blacktown Local Court on Thursday, when prosecutors said further charges over the novel were being considered.
NSW Police had prepared a 10-page synopsis summarising the novel, the court was told.
The DPP was endeavouring to get hold of the actual book in order to assess its contents, solicitor Milijana Masanovic said.
Prosecutors were looking into the appropriateness of the charges already laid and whether any more should be brought, she said.
Tesolin-Mastrosa's police interview, police statements and digital records of her two mobile phones still had yet to be compiled in the full brief of evidence, the court was told.
She will next appear in court on July 31.
Ms Mate successfully applied to vary her client's bail conditions on Thursday.
The Quakers Hill woman will now only have to report to police once weekly instead of three times.
Magistrate Bree Chisholm found Tesolin-Mastrosa had no risk of flight or not appearing in court as she had no criminal record and had strong community ties.
Outside court, Ms Mate said her client was doing well.
"She's great," she said before getting into her waiting car.
In April, Ms Mate said the allegedly offensive content was between fictional characters who were two consenting adults.
"(It) is a fantasy within a fiction and hence there are no victims."
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West Australian
5 days ago
- West Australian
Erin Patterson live trial updates: Alleged mushroom killer denies picking death cap mushrooms for fatal lunch
Scroll down for the latest updates from Erin Patterson's triple murder trial. Simon Patterson previously gave evidence claiming that the accused invited Don and Gail Patterson and Heather and Ian Wilkinson to lunch to discuss 'important medical news' and that she wanted advice on how to break it to the children. He has also given evidence claiming the accused wanted the children not to attend the lunch. Ms Patterson disputed that evidence, claiming she just invited everyone to lunch and has not asked guests to come to discuss 'medical news'. She accepted that she had invited Don, Gail, Heather and Ian before Simon. Ms Patterson 'disagreed' that she told the wider family before her ex-partner so that he would feel more inclined to come. Erin Patterson took to Facebook to 'vent' to her friends about her 'frustration' over Don and Gail Patterson. Her messages were read to the court, where she said she wanted 'nothing to do with' the Patterson family due to their lack of involvement in mediation. 'Nobody listens to me. At least I know they're a lost cause,' Ms Patterson wrote. 'So, f..k em',' the message continued. 'I wrote that. I was venting. I was frustrated,' Ms Patterson said, explaining her comments. Ms Patterson denied that she was telling her friends about her true feelings, claiming she was not angry, just 'frustrated'. Ms Patterson accepted that she also wrote a message ahead of lunch, where she called Simon Patterson a 'deadbeat'. 'Her (Gail) son is such a deadbeat.' Ms Patterson admitted to sending a message to her Facebook friends, where she vented about a 'dispute' over child support and school fees. 'Simon wants to walk away from his responsibilities,' she said. She went on to say that it might be a good thing as Ms Patterson could now put her children in whatever school she wanted. She added that if her ex-partner wanted the kids to attend a Christian school, he could pay half. 'A blessing in disguise,' she told her friends. Ms Patterson says she told her partner about changing which school her child attended, something the Crown disputes. Erin Patterson was asked to read a message she sent in a group chat that Don and Gail Patterson were in. In her message, she said: 'Simon needs accountability for the difficulty he is causing me.' The message continued, with Ms Patterson mentioning school fees and how much her ex-partner was paying. Ms Patterson denied she was trying to get Don and Gail to influence Simon's contribution to school fees but accepted that Don made clear he wasn't going to get involved. 'I wasn't angry,' Ms Patterson said. Erin Patterson, 50, stands accused of murdering her in-laws Don and Gail Patterson, and Gail's sister Heather Wilkinson, as well as the attempted murder of Ian Wilkinson by serving them beef Wellington containing poisonous mushrooms at a lunch at her Leongatha home on July 29, 2023. Alleged mushroom killer Erin Patterson is under intense cross examination at her triple murder trial, spilling confessions on the lies she told police and health authorities about mushrooms. She is returning to the witness box now.
The Advertiser
5 days ago
- The Advertiser
'She's great': more charges mulled against taboo author
A Christian charity marketing executive accused of producing child abuse material could be hit with more criminal charges as her erotic novel is scanned line by line. Lauren Tesolin-Mastrosa, 33, came to the attention of police and the courts after writing the book Daddy's Little Toy under her pen name Tori Woods. The Sydney woman issued a pre-release of the novel to about 20 advanced readers in March. The following month, Tesolin-Mastrosa pleaded not guilty to possessing, disseminating, and producing child abuse material. Her lawyer Mickaela Mate argued at the time that the book was "a fantasy within a fiction" and that there were no victims. Ms Mate returned to Blacktown Local Court on Thursday, when prosecutors said further charges over the novel were being considered. NSW Police had prepared a 10-page synopsis summarising the novel, the court was told. The DPP was endeavouring to get hold of the actual book in order to assess its contents, solicitor Milijana Masanovic said. Prosecutors were looking into the appropriateness of the charges already laid and whether any more should be brought, she said. Tesolin-Mastrosa's police interview, police statements and digital records of her two mobile phones still had yet to be compiled in the full brief of evidence, the court was told. She will next appear in court on July 31. Ms Mate successfully applied to vary her client's bail conditions on Thursday. The Quakers Hill woman will now only have to report to police once weekly instead of three times. Magistrate Bree Chisholm found Tesolin-Mastrosa had no risk of flight or not appearing in court as she had no criminal record and had strong community ties. Outside court, Ms Mate said her client was doing well. "She's great," she said before getting into her waiting car. In April, Ms Mate said the allegedly offensive content was between fictional characters who were two consenting adults. "(It) is a fantasy within a fiction and hence there are no victims." A Christian charity marketing executive accused of producing child abuse material could be hit with more criminal charges as her erotic novel is scanned line by line. Lauren Tesolin-Mastrosa, 33, came to the attention of police and the courts after writing the book Daddy's Little Toy under her pen name Tori Woods. The Sydney woman issued a pre-release of the novel to about 20 advanced readers in March. The following month, Tesolin-Mastrosa pleaded not guilty to possessing, disseminating, and producing child abuse material. Her lawyer Mickaela Mate argued at the time that the book was "a fantasy within a fiction" and that there were no victims. Ms Mate returned to Blacktown Local Court on Thursday, when prosecutors said further charges over the novel were being considered. NSW Police had prepared a 10-page synopsis summarising the novel, the court was told. The DPP was endeavouring to get hold of the actual book in order to assess its contents, solicitor Milijana Masanovic said. Prosecutors were looking into the appropriateness of the charges already laid and whether any more should be brought, she said. Tesolin-Mastrosa's police interview, police statements and digital records of her two mobile phones still had yet to be compiled in the full brief of evidence, the court was told. She will next appear in court on July 31. Ms Mate successfully applied to vary her client's bail conditions on Thursday. The Quakers Hill woman will now only have to report to police once weekly instead of three times. Magistrate Bree Chisholm found Tesolin-Mastrosa had no risk of flight or not appearing in court as she had no criminal record and had strong community ties. Outside court, Ms Mate said her client was doing well. "She's great," she said before getting into her waiting car. In April, Ms Mate said the allegedly offensive content was between fictional characters who were two consenting adults. "(It) is a fantasy within a fiction and hence there are no victims." A Christian charity marketing executive accused of producing child abuse material could be hit with more criminal charges as her erotic novel is scanned line by line. Lauren Tesolin-Mastrosa, 33, came to the attention of police and the courts after writing the book Daddy's Little Toy under her pen name Tori Woods. The Sydney woman issued a pre-release of the novel to about 20 advanced readers in March. The following month, Tesolin-Mastrosa pleaded not guilty to possessing, disseminating, and producing child abuse material. Her lawyer Mickaela Mate argued at the time that the book was "a fantasy within a fiction" and that there were no victims. Ms Mate returned to Blacktown Local Court on Thursday, when prosecutors said further charges over the novel were being considered. NSW Police had prepared a 10-page synopsis summarising the novel, the court was told. The DPP was endeavouring to get hold of the actual book in order to assess its contents, solicitor Milijana Masanovic said. Prosecutors were looking into the appropriateness of the charges already laid and whether any more should be brought, she said. Tesolin-Mastrosa's police interview, police statements and digital records of her two mobile phones still had yet to be compiled in the full brief of evidence, the court was told. She will next appear in court on July 31. Ms Mate successfully applied to vary her client's bail conditions on Thursday. The Quakers Hill woman will now only have to report to police once weekly instead of three times. Magistrate Bree Chisholm found Tesolin-Mastrosa had no risk of flight or not appearing in court as she had no criminal record and had strong community ties. Outside court, Ms Mate said her client was doing well. "She's great," she said before getting into her waiting car. In April, Ms Mate said the allegedly offensive content was between fictional characters who were two consenting adults. "(It) is a fantasy within a fiction and hence there are no victims." A Christian charity marketing executive accused of producing child abuse material could be hit with more criminal charges as her erotic novel is scanned line by line. Lauren Tesolin-Mastrosa, 33, came to the attention of police and the courts after writing the book Daddy's Little Toy under her pen name Tori Woods. The Sydney woman issued a pre-release of the novel to about 20 advanced readers in March. The following month, Tesolin-Mastrosa pleaded not guilty to possessing, disseminating, and producing child abuse material. Her lawyer Mickaela Mate argued at the time that the book was "a fantasy within a fiction" and that there were no victims. Ms Mate returned to Blacktown Local Court on Thursday, when prosecutors said further charges over the novel were being considered. NSW Police had prepared a 10-page synopsis summarising the novel, the court was told. The DPP was endeavouring to get hold of the actual book in order to assess its contents, solicitor Milijana Masanovic said. Prosecutors were looking into the appropriateness of the charges already laid and whether any more should be brought, she said. Tesolin-Mastrosa's police interview, police statements and digital records of her two mobile phones still had yet to be compiled in the full brief of evidence, the court was told. She will next appear in court on July 31. Ms Mate successfully applied to vary her client's bail conditions on Thursday. The Quakers Hill woman will now only have to report to police once weekly instead of three times. Magistrate Bree Chisholm found Tesolin-Mastrosa had no risk of flight or not appearing in court as she had no criminal record and had strong community ties. Outside court, Ms Mate said her client was doing well. "She's great," she said before getting into her waiting car. In April, Ms Mate said the allegedly offensive content was between fictional characters who were two consenting adults. "(It) is a fantasy within a fiction and hence there are no victims."
The Advertiser
5 days ago
- The Advertiser
'No, that's not true': accused mushroom killer denies deliberate poisoning
Accused death cap killer Erin Patterson has denied that she deliberately poisoned a beef Wellington served to her in-laws as she gives evidence in her fourth day on the stand. Ms Patterson, 50, is facing three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder after she allegedly hosted a fatal lunch for her estranged husband's family in July 2023. Ms Patterson has pleaded not guilty to the charges and has always maintained her innocence. She was questioned for three days by her barrister, Colin Mandy SC, before prosecutor Nanette Rogers SC started her cross-examination on June 5. The prosecutor asked Ms Patterson if she had told Facebook friends that she was an atheist. Ms Patterson said she had not. Dr Rogers turned her line of questioning towards emoji selection in a message sent by Ms Patterson. The message was sent to some of Ms Patterson's Facebook friends after prayer was suggested by Don Patterson in response to her marital and family problems. The prosecutor and Ms Patterson went back and forth over the meaning of an emoji that had a straight line for a mouth. Dr Rogers suggested that the emoji represented an 'eyeroll' that was meant to mock the use of Christian prayer in Patterson family disputes. "I wasn't mocking, I was frustrated," Ms Patterson said. The court was shown images, which were described as screenshots with information about brain and ovarian cancer. Ms Patterson said she could not be sure if she had taken the photos, but generally agreed that she had made the internet searches. "I suggest that you accessed these images of information about cancer in May 2023," Dr Rogers said. "I don't think I did," Ms Patterson said. Ms Patterson told the court that she had been "quite worried" about her health in late 2021 and early 2022, but not in 2023. Dr Rogers suggested that Ms Patterson had taken the screenshots to bolster her claims that she had cancer. "I suggest this information from the internet would allow you to tell a more convincing lie about having cancer," Dr Rogers said. "I mean, theoretically that's true, but it's not what I did," Ms Patterson said. Dr Rogers and Ms Patterson went back and forth about false cancer claims allegedly made by the accused. "I suggest that you said at the lunch that you had tests and they found ovarian cancer," Dr Rogers said. "I don't think I put it that precisely...I don't remember saying I had a diagnosis," Ms Patterson said. "You dispute that you said they found ovarian cancer?" Dr Rogers said. "Yeah, I do, I do," Ms Patterson said. The 50-year-old said that she didn't say anything "that specific". Dr Rogers asked about a dehydrator found at Koonwarra Landfill and Transfer Station that had Ms Patterson's fingerprints on it. A manual and an invoice for the dehydrator, bought on April 28, 2023, further suggested that the appliance belonged to Ms Patterson, Dr Rogers said. Dr Rogers suggested to Ms Patterson that she lied to police about buying, using and disposing of the dehydrator because she had used it to dehydrate death cap mushrooms. "You lied about dehydrating food and mushrooms because you knew that if you told police the truth, then that would implicate you in the poisoned lunch. Agree or disagree?" Dr Rogers said. "I agree that I lied because I was afraid I would be held responsible," Ms Patterson said. Dr Rogers also asked if Ms Patterson had intentionally dehydrated poisonous mushrooms at her home. "You knew that they were death cap mushrooms that you'd been dehydrating, correct?" Dr Rogers said. "No, I didn't know that," Ms Patterson said. Dr Rogers continued her rapid questioning. "You were very keen to dispose of any evidence that might connect you with the possession of death cap mushrooms, correct?" Dr Rogers said. "No, I didn't," Ms Patterson said. The prosecutor also asked Ms Patterson if she had attempted to dehydrate other foods in the appliance that was found at Koonwarra Landfill. She said that she had also experimented with apples, bananas and other fruit. "And did you take photos of them?" Dr Rogers said. "I don't remember, I might've, I don't remember," Ms Patterson said. Ms Patterson told the court that she picked mushrooms from a number of local sites after she bought the dehydrator on April 28, 2023. "On or after 28 April, 2023, and before the lunch, did you pick wild mushrooms?" Dr Rogers said. "I did," Ms Patterson said. She said she picked mushrooms in Korumburra Botanic Gardens, a nearby rail trail and at her Leongatha home. Dr Rogers turned the line of questioning to a conversation about foraged or wild mushrooms that Ms Patterson had with a doctor at Monash Hospital. The doctor previously told the court that Ms Patterson had denied using foraged or wild mushrooms in the fatal lunch, Dr Rogers said. Ms Patterson confirmed that the doctor "did say that" but that she hadn't believed the statement "was a lie at the time". Dr Rogers asked Ms Patterson if she had intended to serve the same meal to her estranged husband if he had attended the lunch. "You intended to serve one of those beef Wellingtons to Simon Patterson, had he turned up at the lunch?" Dr Rogers said. "If he'd come, I would have given him a beef Wellington too. But not one with death cap mushrooms intentionally," Ms Patterson said. The trial is continuing. Accused death cap killer Erin Patterson has denied that she deliberately poisoned a beef Wellington served to her in-laws as she gives evidence in her fourth day on the stand. Ms Patterson, 50, is facing three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder after she allegedly hosted a fatal lunch for her estranged husband's family in July 2023. Ms Patterson has pleaded not guilty to the charges and has always maintained her innocence. She was questioned for three days by her barrister, Colin Mandy SC, before prosecutor Nanette Rogers SC started her cross-examination on June 5. The prosecutor asked Ms Patterson if she had told Facebook friends that she was an atheist. Ms Patterson said she had not. Dr Rogers turned her line of questioning towards emoji selection in a message sent by Ms Patterson. The message was sent to some of Ms Patterson's Facebook friends after prayer was suggested by Don Patterson in response to her marital and family problems. The prosecutor and Ms Patterson went back and forth over the meaning of an emoji that had a straight line for a mouth. Dr Rogers suggested that the emoji represented an 'eyeroll' that was meant to mock the use of Christian prayer in Patterson family disputes. "I wasn't mocking, I was frustrated," Ms Patterson said. The court was shown images, which were described as screenshots with information about brain and ovarian cancer. Ms Patterson said she could not be sure if she had taken the photos, but generally agreed that she had made the internet searches. "I suggest that you accessed these images of information about cancer in May 2023," Dr Rogers said. "I don't think I did," Ms Patterson said. Ms Patterson told the court that she had been "quite worried" about her health in late 2021 and early 2022, but not in 2023. Dr Rogers suggested that Ms Patterson had taken the screenshots to bolster her claims that she had cancer. "I suggest this information from the internet would allow you to tell a more convincing lie about having cancer," Dr Rogers said. "I mean, theoretically that's true, but it's not what I did," Ms Patterson said. Dr Rogers and Ms Patterson went back and forth about false cancer claims allegedly made by the accused. "I suggest that you said at the lunch that you had tests and they found ovarian cancer," Dr Rogers said. "I don't think I put it that precisely...I don't remember saying I had a diagnosis," Ms Patterson said. "You dispute that you said they found ovarian cancer?" Dr Rogers said. "Yeah, I do, I do," Ms Patterson said. The 50-year-old said that she didn't say anything "that specific". Dr Rogers asked about a dehydrator found at Koonwarra Landfill and Transfer Station that had Ms Patterson's fingerprints on it. A manual and an invoice for the dehydrator, bought on April 28, 2023, further suggested that the appliance belonged to Ms Patterson, Dr Rogers said. Dr Rogers suggested to Ms Patterson that she lied to police about buying, using and disposing of the dehydrator because she had used it to dehydrate death cap mushrooms. "You lied about dehydrating food and mushrooms because you knew that if you told police the truth, then that would implicate you in the poisoned lunch. Agree or disagree?" Dr Rogers said. "I agree that I lied because I was afraid I would be held responsible," Ms Patterson said. Dr Rogers also asked if Ms Patterson had intentionally dehydrated poisonous mushrooms at her home. "You knew that they were death cap mushrooms that you'd been dehydrating, correct?" Dr Rogers said. "No, I didn't know that," Ms Patterson said. Dr Rogers continued her rapid questioning. "You were very keen to dispose of any evidence that might connect you with the possession of death cap mushrooms, correct?" Dr Rogers said. "No, I didn't," Ms Patterson said. The prosecutor also asked Ms Patterson if she had attempted to dehydrate other foods in the appliance that was found at Koonwarra Landfill. She said that she had also experimented with apples, bananas and other fruit. "And did you take photos of them?" Dr Rogers said. "I don't remember, I might've, I don't remember," Ms Patterson said. Ms Patterson told the court that she picked mushrooms from a number of local sites after she bought the dehydrator on April 28, 2023. "On or after 28 April, 2023, and before the lunch, did you pick wild mushrooms?" Dr Rogers said. "I did," Ms Patterson said. She said she picked mushrooms in Korumburra Botanic Gardens, a nearby rail trail and at her Leongatha home. Dr Rogers turned the line of questioning to a conversation about foraged or wild mushrooms that Ms Patterson had with a doctor at Monash Hospital. The doctor previously told the court that Ms Patterson had denied using foraged or wild mushrooms in the fatal lunch, Dr Rogers said. Ms Patterson confirmed that the doctor "did say that" but that she hadn't believed the statement "was a lie at the time". Dr Rogers asked Ms Patterson if she had intended to serve the same meal to her estranged husband if he had attended the lunch. "You intended to serve one of those beef Wellingtons to Simon Patterson, had he turned up at the lunch?" Dr Rogers said. "If he'd come, I would have given him a beef Wellington too. But not one with death cap mushrooms intentionally," Ms Patterson said. The trial is continuing. Accused death cap killer Erin Patterson has denied that she deliberately poisoned a beef Wellington served to her in-laws as she gives evidence in her fourth day on the stand. Ms Patterson, 50, is facing three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder after she allegedly hosted a fatal lunch for her estranged husband's family in July 2023. Ms Patterson has pleaded not guilty to the charges and has always maintained her innocence. She was questioned for three days by her barrister, Colin Mandy SC, before prosecutor Nanette Rogers SC started her cross-examination on June 5. The prosecutor asked Ms Patterson if she had told Facebook friends that she was an atheist. Ms Patterson said she had not. Dr Rogers turned her line of questioning towards emoji selection in a message sent by Ms Patterson. The message was sent to some of Ms Patterson's Facebook friends after prayer was suggested by Don Patterson in response to her marital and family problems. The prosecutor and Ms Patterson went back and forth over the meaning of an emoji that had a straight line for a mouth. Dr Rogers suggested that the emoji represented an 'eyeroll' that was meant to mock the use of Christian prayer in Patterson family disputes. "I wasn't mocking, I was frustrated," Ms Patterson said. The court was shown images, which were described as screenshots with information about brain and ovarian cancer. Ms Patterson said she could not be sure if she had taken the photos, but generally agreed that she had made the internet searches. "I suggest that you accessed these images of information about cancer in May 2023," Dr Rogers said. "I don't think I did," Ms Patterson said. Ms Patterson told the court that she had been "quite worried" about her health in late 2021 and early 2022, but not in 2023. Dr Rogers suggested that Ms Patterson had taken the screenshots to bolster her claims that she had cancer. "I suggest this information from the internet would allow you to tell a more convincing lie about having cancer," Dr Rogers said. "I mean, theoretically that's true, but it's not what I did," Ms Patterson said. Dr Rogers and Ms Patterson went back and forth about false cancer claims allegedly made by the accused. "I suggest that you said at the lunch that you had tests and they found ovarian cancer," Dr Rogers said. "I don't think I put it that precisely...I don't remember saying I had a diagnosis," Ms Patterson said. "You dispute that you said they found ovarian cancer?" Dr Rogers said. "Yeah, I do, I do," Ms Patterson said. The 50-year-old said that she didn't say anything "that specific". Dr Rogers asked about a dehydrator found at Koonwarra Landfill and Transfer Station that had Ms Patterson's fingerprints on it. A manual and an invoice for the dehydrator, bought on April 28, 2023, further suggested that the appliance belonged to Ms Patterson, Dr Rogers said. Dr Rogers suggested to Ms Patterson that she lied to police about buying, using and disposing of the dehydrator because she had used it to dehydrate death cap mushrooms. "You lied about dehydrating food and mushrooms because you knew that if you told police the truth, then that would implicate you in the poisoned lunch. Agree or disagree?" Dr Rogers said. "I agree that I lied because I was afraid I would be held responsible," Ms Patterson said. Dr Rogers also asked if Ms Patterson had intentionally dehydrated poisonous mushrooms at her home. "You knew that they were death cap mushrooms that you'd been dehydrating, correct?" Dr Rogers said. "No, I didn't know that," Ms Patterson said. Dr Rogers continued her rapid questioning. "You were very keen to dispose of any evidence that might connect you with the possession of death cap mushrooms, correct?" Dr Rogers said. "No, I didn't," Ms Patterson said. The prosecutor also asked Ms Patterson if she had attempted to dehydrate other foods in the appliance that was found at Koonwarra Landfill. She said that she had also experimented with apples, bananas and other fruit. "And did you take photos of them?" Dr Rogers said. "I don't remember, I might've, I don't remember," Ms Patterson said. Ms Patterson told the court that she picked mushrooms from a number of local sites after she bought the dehydrator on April 28, 2023. "On or after 28 April, 2023, and before the lunch, did you pick wild mushrooms?" Dr Rogers said. "I did," Ms Patterson said. She said she picked mushrooms in Korumburra Botanic Gardens, a nearby rail trail and at her Leongatha home. Dr Rogers turned the line of questioning to a conversation about foraged or wild mushrooms that Ms Patterson had with a doctor at Monash Hospital. The doctor previously told the court that Ms Patterson had denied using foraged or wild mushrooms in the fatal lunch, Dr Rogers said. Ms Patterson confirmed that the doctor "did say that" but that she hadn't believed the statement "was a lie at the time". Dr Rogers asked Ms Patterson if she had intended to serve the same meal to her estranged husband if he had attended the lunch. "You intended to serve one of those beef Wellingtons to Simon Patterson, had he turned up at the lunch?" Dr Rogers said. "If he'd come, I would have given him a beef Wellington too. But not one with death cap mushrooms intentionally," Ms Patterson said. The trial is continuing. Accused death cap killer Erin Patterson has denied that she deliberately poisoned a beef Wellington served to her in-laws as she gives evidence in her fourth day on the stand. Ms Patterson, 50, is facing three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder after she allegedly hosted a fatal lunch for her estranged husband's family in July 2023. Ms Patterson has pleaded not guilty to the charges and has always maintained her innocence. She was questioned for three days by her barrister, Colin Mandy SC, before prosecutor Nanette Rogers SC started her cross-examination on June 5. The prosecutor asked Ms Patterson if she had told Facebook friends that she was an atheist. Ms Patterson said she had not. Dr Rogers turned her line of questioning towards emoji selection in a message sent by Ms Patterson. The message was sent to some of Ms Patterson's Facebook friends after prayer was suggested by Don Patterson in response to her marital and family problems. The prosecutor and Ms Patterson went back and forth over the meaning of an emoji that had a straight line for a mouth. Dr Rogers suggested that the emoji represented an 'eyeroll' that was meant to mock the use of Christian prayer in Patterson family disputes. "I wasn't mocking, I was frustrated," Ms Patterson said. The court was shown images, which were described as screenshots with information about brain and ovarian cancer. Ms Patterson said she could not be sure if she had taken the photos, but generally agreed that she had made the internet searches. "I suggest that you accessed these images of information about cancer in May 2023," Dr Rogers said. "I don't think I did," Ms Patterson said. Ms Patterson told the court that she had been "quite worried" about her health in late 2021 and early 2022, but not in 2023. Dr Rogers suggested that Ms Patterson had taken the screenshots to bolster her claims that she had cancer. "I suggest this information from the internet would allow you to tell a more convincing lie about having cancer," Dr Rogers said. "I mean, theoretically that's true, but it's not what I did," Ms Patterson said. Dr Rogers and Ms Patterson went back and forth about false cancer claims allegedly made by the accused. "I suggest that you said at the lunch that you had tests and they found ovarian cancer," Dr Rogers said. "I don't think I put it that precisely...I don't remember saying I had a diagnosis," Ms Patterson said. "You dispute that you said they found ovarian cancer?" Dr Rogers said. "Yeah, I do, I do," Ms Patterson said. The 50-year-old said that she didn't say anything "that specific". Dr Rogers asked about a dehydrator found at Koonwarra Landfill and Transfer Station that had Ms Patterson's fingerprints on it. A manual and an invoice for the dehydrator, bought on April 28, 2023, further suggested that the appliance belonged to Ms Patterson, Dr Rogers said. Dr Rogers suggested to Ms Patterson that she lied to police about buying, using and disposing of the dehydrator because she had used it to dehydrate death cap mushrooms. "You lied about dehydrating food and mushrooms because you knew that if you told police the truth, then that would implicate you in the poisoned lunch. Agree or disagree?" Dr Rogers said. "I agree that I lied because I was afraid I would be held responsible," Ms Patterson said. Dr Rogers also asked if Ms Patterson had intentionally dehydrated poisonous mushrooms at her home. "You knew that they were death cap mushrooms that you'd been dehydrating, correct?" Dr Rogers said. "No, I didn't know that," Ms Patterson said. Dr Rogers continued her rapid questioning. "You were very keen to dispose of any evidence that might connect you with the possession of death cap mushrooms, correct?" Dr Rogers said. "No, I didn't," Ms Patterson said. The prosecutor also asked Ms Patterson if she had attempted to dehydrate other foods in the appliance that was found at Koonwarra Landfill. She said that she had also experimented with apples, bananas and other fruit. "And did you take photos of them?" Dr Rogers said. "I don't remember, I might've, I don't remember," Ms Patterson said. Ms Patterson told the court that she picked mushrooms from a number of local sites after she bought the dehydrator on April 28, 2023. "On or after 28 April, 2023, and before the lunch, did you pick wild mushrooms?" Dr Rogers said. "I did," Ms Patterson said. She said she picked mushrooms in Korumburra Botanic Gardens, a nearby rail trail and at her Leongatha home. Dr Rogers turned the line of questioning to a conversation about foraged or wild mushrooms that Ms Patterson had with a doctor at Monash Hospital. The doctor previously told the court that Ms Patterson had denied using foraged or wild mushrooms in the fatal lunch, Dr Rogers said. Ms Patterson confirmed that the doctor "did say that" but that she hadn't believed the statement "was a lie at the time". Dr Rogers asked Ms Patterson if she had intended to serve the same meal to her estranged husband if he had attended the lunch. "You intended to serve one of those beef Wellingtons to Simon Patterson, had he turned up at the lunch?" Dr Rogers said. "If he'd come, I would have given him a beef Wellington too. But not one with death cap mushrooms intentionally," Ms Patterson said. The trial is continuing.
