Latest news with #Cespon
1News
22-05-2025
- Health
- 1News
Mushroom cook crying, emotional in hospital after lunch
Accused triple murderer Erin Patterson "became emotional" and cried about her children after taking herself to hospital two days after serving a poisonous beef Wellington, a jury has been told. Nurse Mairim Cespon today took the jury in Patterson's trial back to her interactions with the mushroom cook at hospital on July 31, 2023. Patterson, 50, has pleaded not guilty to three murder charges and one attempted murder over a lunch she cooked at her home two days earlier, on July 29. Three of her lunch guests – Patterson's former in-laws, Don and Gail Patterson, 70, and Heather Wilkinson, 66 – died in hospital days after consuming the meal. The mother-of-two claims it was a terrible accident and she did not intentionally poison any of her guests, including Heather's husband Ian who survived the meal. The jury has been told Patterson suffered diarrhoea after eating the beef Wellington and took herself to her local hospital at Leongatha in regional Victoria on July 31, where she initially appeared for a few minutes before discharging herself. Cespon, who had also treated Heather and Ian, said she let Patterson back into the hospital when she returned less than two hours later. "She was nauseated, she had diarrhoea, but she wasn't vomiting," the nurse told the jury of 14. Cespon said she was settling Patterson into a cubicle in the hospital's urgent care section when doctor Chris Webster came in and had a conversation about her two children. Dr Webster told Patterson the kids needed to be medically reviewed as they might have ingested toxins since they ate leftovers from the meal, Cespon said. "Erin became emotional, she was crying, she was saying is it necessary if her kids didn't eat the mushrooms, they didn't have any symptoms," Cespon said. "She didn't want them to be stressed or panicked ... for the kids to be pulled out of school to be assessed." The nurse said she helped Patterson go to the toilet several times and asked her to use a pan that looked like a "witch's hat" to catch her bowel movements. "When I was about to collect it she did mention 'it does look like it's wee but it was a bowel motion'," Cespon said. "I told her that every time she goes to the toilet just let me know, so I can have a look." After her first bowel movement, Patterson told the nurse her pain was "seven out of 10" and she felt cramping before she opened her bowels each time. Under questioning by defence barrister Colin Mandy SC, Ms Cespon agreed it was not unusual for a bowel movement to look like that in a patient who had been suffering diarrhoea for some time. Cespon also said she handed Patterson the phone when police called after arriving at her home for a welfare check, and Patterson told officers they could break into her home to retrieve leftovers from the meal. "She mentioned that it would be in a bin, it was food scraps from the meal, it would be inside a Woolies paper bag in the bin," she said. "She mentioned the food scraps was the meal that she scraped from the kids', because the kids don't eat mushrooms." The trial before Justice Christopher Beale continues.
NZ Herald
22-05-2025
- Health
- NZ Herald
Erin Patterson trial: Monash environmental health officer searched grocers for mushrooms
Initially, he said, he was told the purchase was likely in April 2022 and came in a clear, unbranded bag. Later, he said, health authorities informed him the purchaser had confirmed they were dried, sliced, appeared to be repackaged, looked like shiitake or porcini mushrooms and were about 100g. As he was taken through a report of his findings, which included photos of packaged mushrooms and the stores, Schonknecht said the majority came in commercial packaging. In only one store, he said, Golden Grocery in Oakleigh, he found repackaged mushrooms, but the store had the bulk 3kg bag and said it repackaged them because customers wanted a smaller size. Schonknecht told the jury he sent a photo to the Department of Health, which showed the image to the 'purchaser'. He said he was told the packaging 'was correct' but the store didn't look the same, and the mushrooms purchased were 'half the size'. Schonknecht told the jury that each store confirmed it had not recently changed suppliers or sold mushrooms acquired from a non-commercial source locally. Patterson cried in hospital, jury told Called to give evidence, Leongatha hospital nurse Mairim Cespon told the jury she assisted Patterson after she checked into hospital about 9.48am on July 31. The court was told Patterson initially presented at 8.05am but discharged herself against medical advice five minutes later. Cespon told the court Patterson became 'emotional and started crying' when she was told by Dr Chris Webster her two children would need to be assessed. The court was told Patterson had said her children had eaten the lunch leftovers on July 30 with the pastry and mushrooms scraped off. 'She was asking if it is really necessary for them to be assessed because they don't have any symptoms,' Cespon said. 'Doesn't want them to be stressed or panicked … for the kids to be pulled out of school.' Cespon said Patterson rated her pain at a 7/10 and complained about nausea, a 'cramp-like pain' and diarrhoea. The jury was shown a chart Cespon completed of Patterson's bowel movements while at Leongatha Hospital. Cespon said she sighted liquid bowel movements using a 'witches hat' device at 10am, 10.04am, 10.06am, 10.15am and 11.50am. A sample taken, she confirmed, was clear, mostly liquid with some brown sediment. Judge's warning to mushroom trial jurors One question and answer between Victoria Police senior digital forensic officer Shamen Fox-Henry and a prosecutor on Wednesday prompted a firm warning from the trial judge to the jury. Fox-Henry told the court he was tasked with generating a report about the contents of a Cooler Master computer seized from Patterson's home after the lunch. He took the jury through a series of records that captured online activity on the device in the evening of May 28, 2022. One of the records captured a visit to a specific page on the citizen science website iNaturalist at 7.23pm. 'Deathcap from Melbourne, Vic, Australia on May 18 2022 … Bricker Reserve, Moorabbin – iNaturalist,' the headline for the page read. Fox-Henry was quizzed by prosecutor Jane Warren about the specific URL listed and, if it remained available online, if one copied the URL into a browser the web page would load. He confirmed that it would. The exchange prompted a warning from Justice Christopher Beale that the jury should not test this out themselves. 'Don't be tempted overnight to … put any of these URL addresses into Google and conduct your own searches, okay? You're not investigators,' he said. The warning echoes Justice Beale's direction to jurors at the start of the trial that they must decide the case only on the evidence before the court. 'When you retire to consider your verdict, you will have heard or received in court all the information that you need to make your decision,' he said. 'You must not conduct your own research into the case or discuss the case with others who are not on the jury.' On Wednesday, Fox-Henry was the sole witness called to give evidence and was to return to the stand on Thursday. When the trial resumed about 11.40am, Justice Beale advised jurors that the plan was to interpose two witnesses before Fox-Henry continued. Patterson is accused of murdering husband Simon Patterson's parents, Don and Gail Patterson, and his aunt Heather Wilkinson. Wilkinson's husband, Korumburra Baptist Church pastor Ian Wilkinson, fell gravely ill but recovered. Prosecutors allege Patterson deliberately spiked the lunch with 'murderous intent', while her defence argues the case is a 'tragic accident'. The trial continues.
Perth Now
22-05-2025
- Health
- Perth Now
Mushroom cook crying, emotional in hospital after lunch
Accused triple murderer Erin Patterson "became emotional" and cried about her children after taking herself to hospital two days after serving a poisonous beef Wellington, a jury has been told. Nurse Mairim Cespon on Thursday took the jury in Patterson's trial back to her interactions with the mushroom cook at hospital on July 31, 2023. Patterson, 50, has pleaded not guilty to three murder charges and one attempted murder over a lunch she cooked at her home two days earlier, on July 29. Three of her lunch guests - Patterson's former in-laws, Don and Gail Patterson, 70, and Heather Wilkinson, 66 - died in hospital days after consuming the meal. The mother-of-two claims it was a terrible accident and she did not intentionally poison any of her guests, including Heather's husband Ian who survived the meal. The jury has been told Patterson suffered diarrhoea after eating the beef Wellington and took herself to her local hospital at Leongatha in regional Victoria on July 31, where she initially appeared for a few minutes before discharging herself. Ms Cespon, who had also treated Heather and Ian, said she let Patterson back into the hospital when she returned less than two hours later. "She was nauseated, she had diarrhoea, but she wasn't vomiting," the nurse told the jury of 14. Ms Cespon said she was settling Patterson into a cubicle in the hospital's urgent care section when doctor Chris Webster came in and had a conversation about her two children. Dr Webster told Patterson the kids needed to be medically reviewed as they might have ingested toxins since they ate leftovers from the meal, Ms Cespon said. "Erin became emotional, she was crying, she was saying is it necessary if her kids didn't eat the mushrooms, they didn't have any symptoms," Ms Cespon said. "She didn't want them to be stressed or panicked ... for the kids to be pulled out of school to be assessed." The nurse said she helped Patterson go to the toilet several times and asked her to use a pan that looked like a "witch's hat" to catch her bowel movements. "When I was about to collect it she did mention 'it does look like it's wee but it was a bowel motion'," Ms Cespon said. "I told her that every time she goes to the toilet just let me know, so I can have a look." After her first bowel movement, Patterson told the nurse her pain was "seven out of 10" and she felt cramping before she opened her bowels each time. Under questioning by defence barrister Colin Mandy SC, Ms Cespon agreed it was not unusual for a bowel movement to look like that in a patient who had been suffering diarrhoea for some time. Ms Cespon also said she handed Patterson the phone when police called after arriving at her home for a welfare check, and Patterson told officers they could break into her home to retrieve leftovers from the meal. "She mentioned that it would be in a bin, it was food scraps from the meal, it would be inside a Woolies paper bag in the bin," she said. "She mentioned the food scraps was the meal that she scraped from the kids', because the kids don't eat mushrooms." The trial before Justice Christopher Beale continues.
ABC News
22-05-2025
- Health
- ABC News
Nurse who treated poisoning victims appears in court
A registered nurse from Leongatha Hospital gives evidence at the triple murder trial of Erin Patterson. Ms Cespon was tasked with collecting Erin Patterson's bowel movements for analysis.
