Latest news with #LeongathaWoolworths
West Australian
2 days ago
- Health
- West Australian
Erin Patterson trial: Mushroom cook set to return to witness box for third day of giving evidence
The Victorian mother accused of murdering three of her in-laws with a poisoned beef Wellington dish is poised to continue giving evidence when her trial resumes on Wednesday, after new details on the fatal lunch were revealed. For the last two days, Erin Patterson, 50, has been giving her own version of events as to what happened on July 29, 2023, telling the court on Tuesday she accepted there had to have been poisonous mushrooms in the beef wellington she served, and that dried mushrooms used in its creation had sat in her pantry for months due to their 'pungent' aroma. Ms Patterson has pleaded not guilty to three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder relating to the lunch with her estranged husband's family. Simon Patterson's parents, Don and Gail Patterson, and aunt, Heather Wilkinson, died in the week after the lunch due to death cap mushroom poisoning while Heather's husband, Ian Wilkinson, survived. Prosecutors allege Ms Patterson deliberately spiked the meal while her defence argues the case is a tragic accident. After prosecutors concluded their case earlier this week, defence barrister Colin Mandy SC called his client as a witness and Ms Patterson began giving evidence. Over two days she answered extensive questions about her relationships with Simon Patterson and his family, health concerns, financial situation and her love of mushrooms. Shortly before the jury was sent home on Tuesday, Ms Patterson agreed that her lunch 'must' have contained the poisonous mushrooms. She told the court when preparing the dish, she used fresh mushrooms purchased from the local Leongatha Woolworths and dried mushrooms purchased months earlier in April from an Asian grocer in Melbourne. Ms Patterson said the dried mushrooms had been initially bought for a pasta dish but she did not use them at the time because they has a 'very pungent' aroma. Instead, she told the jury, she brought them home and stored them in a Tupperware container in the pantry. She also confirmed she'd begun foraging for wild mushrooms in 2020 and had purchased a dehydrator to preserve mushrooms in early 2023. 'I liked eating wild mushrooms, but it's a very small season and you can't keep them in the fridge,' she said. Ms Patterson told the jury she would store dried mushrooms in her pantry. 'Generally, I would put them into a container that I already sort of had going with Woolies mushrooms and whatnot in there,' she said. The final question Ms Patterson was asked of the day was if she had a memory of putting wild mushrooms in May or June 2023 into a container that already contained mushrooms 'Yes, I did do that,' she said. The trial continues.
Perth Now
2 days ago
- General
- Perth Now
Erin Patterson trial: Mushroom cook set to return to witness box for third day of giving evidence
The Victorian mother accused of murdering three of her in-laws with a poisoned beef Wellington dish is poised to continue giving evidence when her trial resumes on Wednesday, after new details on the fatal lunch were revealed. For the last two days, Erin Patterson, 50, has been giving her own version of events as to what happened on July 29, 2023, telling the court on Tuesday she accepted there had to have been poisonous mushrooms in the beef wellington she served, and that dried mushrooms used in its creation had sat in her pantry for months due to their 'pungent' aroma. Ms Patterson has pleaded not guilty to three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder relating to the lunch with her estranged husband's family. Simon Patterson's parents, Don and Gail Patterson, and aunt, Heather Wilkinson, died in the week after the lunch due to death cap mushroom poisoning while Heather's husband, Ian Wilkinson, survived. Camera Icon Ms Patterson will return to the witness box on Wednesday. Brooke Grebert-Craig. Credit: Supplied Prosecutors allege Ms Patterson deliberately spiked the meal while her defence argues the case is a tragic accident. After prosecutors concluded their case earlier this week, defence barrister Colin Mandy SC called his client as a witness and Ms Patterson began giving evidence. Over two days she answered extensive questions about her relationships with Simon Patterson and his family, health concerns, financial situation and her love of mushrooms. Shortly before the jury was sent home on Tuesday, Ms Patterson agreed that her lunch 'must' have contained the poisonous mushrooms. She told the court when preparing the dish, she used fresh mushrooms purchased from the local Leongatha Woolworths and dried mushrooms purchased months earlier in April from an Asian grocer in Melbourne. Camera Icon The trial is being held in the country Victorian town of Morwell. NewsWire / Josie Hayden Credit: News Corp Australia Ms Patterson said the dried mushrooms had been initially bought for a pasta dish but she did not use them at the time because they has a 'very pungent' aroma. Instead, she told the jury, she brought them home and stored them in a Tupperware container in the pantry. She also confirmed she'd begun foraging for wild mushrooms in 2020 and had purchased a dehydrator to preserve mushrooms in early 2023. 'I liked eating wild mushrooms, but it's a very small season and you can't keep them in the fridge,' she said. Ms Patterson told the jury she would store dried mushrooms in her pantry. 'Generally, I would put them into a container that I already sort of had going with Woolies mushrooms and whatnot in there,' she said. The final question Ms Patterson was asked of the day was if she had a memory of putting wild mushrooms in May or June 2023 into a container that already contained mushrooms 'Yes, I did do that,' she said. The trial continues.
The Age
28-05-2025
- The Age
Erin Patterson's mushroom lunch shopping list revealed
The shopping list of accused killer cook Erin Patterson was retrieved by police as they investigated the beef Wellington lunch that left three people dead. Detective Leading Senior Constable Stephen Eppingstall told the Supreme Court at Morwell on Wednesday that Patterson's purchase history around the date of the July 29, 2023 lunch was tracked using a grocery store rewards card and her bank statement. The jury was shown a list of items that Patterson, 50, had bought using a self-service checkout at the Woolworths store in Leongatha. It included kilograms of pastry, sliced mushrooms, beef eye fillet steak, potato mash and beans. Eppingstall said his team also visited the two mushroom growers who supply the Leongatha Woolworths, touring the facilities and taking video of the Mernda and Reservoir factories. He said they found the mushrooms were grown in a controlled environment where death caps were unable to be cultivated. Erin Patterson's grocery list Sunday July 23, 2023 2 x mushrooms sliced 500g Puff pastry 1kg Frozen filo pastry 375g Onions, shallot French Thursday July 27, 2023 Puff pastry sheets 10-pack, 1.6kg Frozen filo pastry 375g 4 x beef eye fillet steak 2 x mushroom sliced 375g Friday July 28, 2023 Puff pastry, 550g Frozen filo pastry Potato mash, 1.5kg Beans, round clean cut, 340g Beef eye fillet steak The homicide detective said bank records also revealed Patterson purchased food items at a doughnut van and service station after the lunch, and made a deposit at the local tip. This included new evidence from Erin Patterson's daughter who'd initially told police she was unaware of her mother visiting any Asian-type grocery stores. Eppingstall confirmed that shortly before trial, the child rewatched her video statement and said she did remember that they once went to an Asian-type food shop for cooking.
Sydney Morning Herald
28-05-2025
- Sydney Morning Herald
Erin Patterson's mushroom lunch shopping list revealed
The shopping list of accused killer cook Erin Patterson was retrieved by police as they investigated the beef Wellington lunch that left three people dead. Detective Leading Senior Constable Stephen Eppingstall told the Supreme Court at Morwell on Wednesday that Patterson's purchase history around the date of the July 29, 2023 lunch was tracked using a grocery store rewards card and her bank statement. The jury was shown a list of items that Patterson, 50, had bought using a self-service checkout at the Woolworths store in Leongatha. It included kilograms of pastry, sliced mushrooms, beef eye fillet steak, potato mash and beans. Eppingstall said his team also visited the two mushroom growers who supply the Leongatha Woolworths, touring the facilities and taking video of the Mernda and Reservoir factories. He said they found the mushrooms were grown in a controlled environment where death caps were unable to be cultivated. Erin Patterson's grocery list Sunday July 23, 2023 2 x mushrooms sliced 500g Puff pastry 1kg Frozen filo pastry 375g Onions, shallot French Thursday July 27, 2023 Puff pastry sheets 10-pack, 1.6kg Frozen filo pastry 375g 4 x beef eye fillet steak 2 x mushroom sliced 375g Friday July 28, 2023 Puff pastry, 550g Frozen filo pastry Potato mash, 1.5kg Beans, round clean cut, 340g Beef eye fillet steak The homicide detective said bank records also revealed Patterson purchased food items at a doughnut van and service station after the lunch, and made a deposit at the local tip. This included new evidence from Erin Patterson's daughter who'd initially told police she was unaware of her mother visiting any Asian-type grocery stores. Eppingstall confirmed that shortly before trial, the child rewatched her video statement and said she did remember that they once went to an Asian-type food shop for cooking.
1News
13-05-2025
- 1News
Death cap mushroom sightings near venue of fatal meal
Death cap mushrooms were spotted in the region around Erin Patterson's home in the months before she served up poisoned beef Wellingtons that killed three people. Patterson, 50, is on trial charged with three murders and one attempted murder over the lunch on July 2023 at her home in Leongatha, Gippsland, in Victoria's southeast. Her estranged husband Simon's parents Don and Gail Patterson, both 70, and Gail's sister Heather Wilkinson, 66, all died in hospital after being diagnosed with death cap mushroom poisoning from eating the meal. Patterson has pleaded not guilty to all offences and claims she did not intentionally kill any of her lunch guests, saying it was a "terrible" accident. The trial being held in Morwell entered its third week on Tuesday where the jury was introduced to mushroom expert Dr Thomas May. May said he was a mycologist, a scientist specialising in the study of fungi, at Victoria's Royal Botanic Gardens. He discussed the origins of amanita phalloides, known as death cap mushrooms, and how "citizen scientists" often posted their whereabouts to websites such as iNaturalist. "It is found in Gippsland, but with only three reports from Outtrim, Loch and Morwell," he told the jury of 15 people on Tuesday. "The records for Outtrim are from May 2023?" prosecutor Nanette Rogers asked. "Correct," Dr May replied. "And the record from Loch is from 18 April 2023?" the prosecutor continued. "Correct," he said. He said the third record, found in Morwell, was historical and from "somewhere in the last 20 years". Patterson is accused of serving up her lunch, steak covered in mushroom paste and encased in pastry, on July 29, 2023. Outtrim and Loch are in the Gippsland region, where the lunch occurred. The accused triple murderer told doctors and toxicologists she bought the mushrooms for the meal from Leongatha Woolworths and a Chinese grocer in Melbourne's southeast. May confirmed "there is no evidence that amanita phalloides occurs in China". Earlier, doctors who treated Patterson at Monash Hospital spoke to the jury about how she did not appear unwell and was discharged. Patterson had taken herself to Leongatha Hospital earlier that day, on July 31, saying she was suffering diarrhoea and abdominal pain. Her four lunch guests, including church pastor Ian Wilkinson who survived the lunch but became very unwell from eating it, were also being treated at Melbourne hospitals at that time. Monash emergency doctor Varuna Ruggoo assessed Patterson on August 1 and found she was "clinically well" after performing several tests. Patterson had been cleared of potentially suffering from death cap mushroom poisoning by another doctor, Laura Muldoon, she said. "She wrote in her notes that there was no concerns about that type of poisoning because ... Ms Patterson's liver function tests were all within normal limits," Ruggoo told the jury. Ruggoo then deemed Patterson was fit to be discharged, at 1pm that day. Gail Patterson and Heather Wilkinson died at the Austin Hospital on August 4, then Don Patterson died the following day. The trial before Justice Christopher Beale continues.
