Latest news with #VictoriaSupremeCourt
Herald Sun
08-08-2025
- Business
- Herald Sun
Supreme Court matters for Friday, August 8
Here is a list of matters listed in the Victoria Supreme Court today. Today's court listings are published as part of News Corporation's commitment to public interest journalism and are compiled from information made publicly available by the courts in each State and territory. The list is a public record of entities appearing before the relevant court and there is no suggestion whatsoever of any wrongdoing by anyone named in these lists. Court 1, Ground Floor 210 William Street, Melb. R v. Mark LUDBROOK Court 1, Ground Floor, Old High Court 450 Little Bourke Street, Melb. Dubber Pty Ltd (ACN 150 843 164) v. Stephen Vincent McGovern & Ors. Court 10, Ground Floor 210 William Street, Melb. Bagshot Investments Pty Ltd (ACN 655 330 742) & Ors. v. Huntly Property Holdings Pty Ltd (ACN 612 975 407) & Ors. Court 11, Ground Floor 210 William Street, Melb. R v. Rocky RUSSO Court 12, Ground Floor 210 William Street, Melb. In the matter of the Estate of Christopher Hylton Brown (deceased) Court 13, First Floor 210 William Street, Melb. Environment Protection Authority of Victoria v. Landfill Operations Pty Ltd (ACN 603 300 358) Court 14, First Floor 210 William Street, Melb. CGM Accounting Pty Ltd (ACN 682 719 393) v. James Edward Mulcahy & Ors. Mulcahy & Co Accounting Services Pty Ltd (ACN 105 360 325) in its capacity as manager of the partnership of trusts conducting the business known as Mulcahy & Co & Ors. v. Christopher Gerard Mulcahy & Ors. Court 15, Ground Floor 210 William Street, Melb. R v. Erin PATTERSON Court 2, Ground Floor 210 William Street, Melb. R v. L F Court 2, Ground Floor, Old High Court 450 Little Bourke Street, Melb. Mega Jackpot Pty Ltd ATF Mega Jackpot Trust (ACN 156 051 955) (ABN 95 256 544 035) v. Performance Property Services Group Pty Ltd ATF The Performance Group Unit Trust (ACN 119 107 050) (ABN 50 937 280 345) & Ors. Court 3, Ground Floor 210 William Street, Melb. R v. Jogan-Mohi KEPA Court 3, Ground Floor, Old High Court 450 Little Bourke Street, Melb. Shorland Fisheries Pty. Ltd (ACN 006 160 372) & Ors. v. State of Victoria Court 4, Ground Floor 210 William Street, Melb. R v. Daniel DEVLIN R v. Jodie Rebecca HILL Court 5, Ground Floor 210 William Street, Melb. Refuse to Lose Pty Ltd (ACN 646 189 924) as trustee for the Refuse to Lose Trust & Ors. v. Jim Kostakis & Ors. Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ACN 123 123 124) v. Drain Masta Australia Pty Ltd (ACN 626 653 432) Melco Resorts (Macau) Limited v. Jian Hong Wu Court 6, First Floor 210 William Street, Melb. Patricia Margaret Burke v. Australian Executor Trustees Limited (ACN 007 869 794) (as successor at law to Sandhurst Trustees Ltd and Sandhurst and Northern District Trustees Executors and Agency Company Limited) (who is sued in its capacity as the Executor of John Burke, Dorothy Margaret Burke and Richard Thomas Burke, deceased) Court 7, Ground Floor 210 William Street, Melb. Xufeng Lun & Ors. v. Barry Road Project Pty Ltd (ACN 605 828 877) as Trustee for the Barry Road Project Unit Trust & Ors. DMHA Investments Pty Ltd (ACN 613 360 026) v. Daniel Eric Hackett In the Matter of Abdel Masseh Pty Ltd (ACN 100 281 249) Court 7B, Ground Floor 210 William Street, Melb. Century Mine Rehabilitation Project Pty Ltd (ACN 614 818 683) & Ors. v. RoyaltyOne Pty Ltd (ACN 611 602 530) & Ors. RoyaltyOne Pty Ltd (ACN 611 602 530) v. Century Mine Rehabilitation Project Pty Ltd (ACN 614 818 683) & Ors. In the Matter of Roberts Construction Group Pty Ltd (ACN 641 105 580) Court 8, Ground Floor 210 William Street, Melb. Environment Protection Authority Victoria v. Quaker Houghton Australia Pty Ltd (ACN 000 014 175) Courtroom 10, William Cooper Justice Centre Seventh Floor, 223 William St, Melb. Vasiliki Papanastassis (as Executor of the Estate of Arthur Papanastassis) & Ors. v. Vasiliki Papanastassis (as Executor of the Estate of Alexandros Papanastassis) & Ors. Catherine Thomson & Ors. v. Graeme Wallace Thomson Andrew John Taylor (who sues as Executor of the Estate of John Reuben Yule Taylor, deceased) v. Nicole Marie Taylor (who is sued as Executor of the Estate of John Reuben Yule Taylor, deceased) Graham Trevor Hall & Ors. v. Lendor Pty Ltd (ACN 095 408 316) (in its capacity as trustee of the Wendy Hall Family Trust) & Ors. In the matter of an application by Christopher Con Stroumos (as the Administrators of the Will and Estate of Victor Con Stroumos, deceased) & Ors. Stacey Meletis v. Nicholas Meletis & Ors. Australian Executor Trustees Limited ABN 84 007 869 794 (in its capacity as executor of the Estate of Kenneth John Ryan) v. Darren John New (in his capacity as executor of the Estate of Doreen Anne New) & Ors. ACN 663 642 046 Pty Ltd (ACN 663 642 046) in its capacity as trustee of the Cassar Family Trust & Ors. v. Michael Anthony Cassar (in both his personal capacity and in his capacity the purported trustee of the Cassar Family Trust) & Ors. Slawinski Albert Paul v. Slawinski Marek John & Ors. Kent Daryl Timmins & Ors. v. Stephen Schembri (in his capacity as the substituted executor and trustee of Betty Lorraine Windsor, deceased) In the matter of an application by EGMA Ltd (ACN 004 988 630) as trustee for the Chester Trust In the matter of the Estate of (deceased) In the matter of the Estate of Warren Honey (deceased) In the matter of the Estate of YOK SUN CHAN (deceased) In the matter of the Estate of Betty Lorraine Windsor (deceased) Courtroom 11, William Cooper Justice Centre Seventh Floor, 223 William St, Melb. Chashampal Singh Gill v. Timothy Kaine trading as Kainelaw Australian Lawyers (ABN 54 846 251 062) Courtroom 13, William Cooper Justice Centre Eighth Floor, 223 William St, Melb. Brian Harbrow v. Trustees of the Christian Brothers & Ors. Yvonne Faye Cartwright v. State of Victoria Larissa Jayne Gawthrop v. Bendigo Health Damien Robert Simpson v. McColl's Transport Benjamin Martin v. City of Greater Bendigo Brooke Stevenson v. Seymour Pony Club Incorporated & Ors. Jasmine Bartlett v. Melbourne Anglican Diocesan Corporation Ltd Susan Jennifer Yates v. Raymond Boyce Lauder & Ors. v. Forbo Floorcoverings Pty Ltd Robert John Smith v. Reenre Pty Ltd ACN 130854 241 (formerly named Reliable Engine Reconditioning Pty Ltd) & Ors. Adam Palmer v. The State of Victoria & Ors. R C v. Ballarat and Queen's Anglican Grammar School Frances Sanders v. Archbishop Peter A Comensoli & Ors. Peter Adam Finnerty v. Bishop Paul Bernard Bird Thomas Ratcliffe v. State of Victoria & Ors. Kurt Rosario (a pseudonym) v. Trustees of the Christian Brothers Leonard Snyder (a pseudonym) v. State of Victoria & Ors. Corrado Vindigni v. Trustees of the Marist Brothers Kevin Walton v. State of Victoria & Ors. Damien Baker v. Trustees of the Christian Brothers Zhen Elizabeth Fong-Jones v. Flow Chemical Pty Ltd & Ors. Peter Spencer v. Australian Community Media & Ors. Fuross Kassar & Ors. v. Samuel Kee & Ors. Courtroom 14, William Cooper Justice Centre Eighth Floor, 223 William St, Melb. In the Matter of Victoria State Emergency Services Volunteers Association Incorporated (Registration Number A0000013K) In the Matter of Perrydotcom Pty Ltd (ACN 169 926 283) (in liquidation) In the Matter of Ernest Bennett & Associates Pty Ltd (ACN 050 025 968) In the Matter of Gemwood Projects Pty Ltd (In Liquidation) (ACN 614 106 053) ATF Gemwood Projects Discretionary Trust Courtroom 5, William Cooper Justice Centre Second Floor, 223 William St, Melb. Wayne Williams v. Amaca Pty Ltd (under NSW administered winding up) (formerly known as James Hardie & Coy Pty Ltd) Christopher Kavanagh v. Ford Motor Company of Australia Pty Ltd & Ors. Alisha Lasky v. Pacey Jayden Pettina Courtroom 6, William Cooper Justice Centre Third Floor, 223 William St, Melb. Hale Corp Pty Ltd (ACN 122 193 257) v. Cheng Lam Ng & Ors. Courtroom 8, William Cooper Justice Centre Seventh Floor, 223 William St, Melb. Ahmed Mahdi Pty Ltd (ACN 134 266 229) v. Ripple Effect Nominees Pty Ltd (ACN 628 016 811) & Ors. Craig Minogue v. Secretary to the Department of Justice and Community Safety & Ors. Courtroom 9, William Cooper Justice Centre Seventh Floor, 223 William St, Melb. Nicholas Barry & Ors. v. Portland District Health & Ors. Tania Wood v. Yvonne Cymbalist & Ors. George Goddard v. Bendigo Health Care Group Sharon Tipper v. H J Heinz Co Aust Ltd Darrin Carman (a pseudonym) v. State of Victoria Rebecca Warnock (State Trustees Ltd appointed as the Administrator) v. Violet Nominees Pty Ltd (ACN 143 404 068) (trading as Melton Willows SRS) Transport Accident Commission v. Kevin John Walters Lionel D'Cruz v. Western Health Pamella Walkenhorst v. Western District Health Services & Ors. Bimla Chaudhary v. Vani Peddi Rick Pretty v. State of Victoria Johnny Di Mezzo v. Woolworths Group Limited (ACN 000 014 675) & Ors. Caitlin Woods v. The Royal Women's Hospital Karen Dossis & Ors. v. Wyndham Clinic Pty Ltd (ACN 145 831 545) & Ors. Alexandra Kaufmann v. Latrobe Regional Health Daniel Butcher v. Maxwell, Robert Murray Yates Shayne Pickering v. Australaw Pty Ltd (Trading as Kelso Lawyers) Green Court, Ground Floor 459 Lonsdale Street, Melb. Angus Rawlings (a pseudonym) v. DPP In Chambers Stephen Pummeroy v. Homes Victoria & Ors. Robert Kidd v. The State of Victoria & Ors. Practice Court Business In the Matter of BDO Services Pty Ltd (ACN 134 242 434) Kent Bruce James v. Keybridge Capital Limited (ACN 088 267 190) & Ors. Commercial Court Duty Judge Business On the Papers Gormac Management Company Pty Ltd (ACN 004 343 702) (in its own capacity and as trustee of the Overs Investment Trust) & Ors. v. Gormacile Pty Ltd (ACN 058 266 461) (in its own capacity and as trustee for the Gormac Unit Trust) & Ors. Banner Capital Management Limited (ACN 600 738 181) & Ors. v. Pancon Pty Ltd (ACN 055 961 665) (Receiver and Manager Appointed) & Ors. In the Matter of Total Seal Waterproofing (VIC) Pty Ltd (In Liquidation) (ACN 138 827 175) In the Matter of Dyno Dynamics (Aust) Pty Ltd (In Liquidation) (ACN 103 293 983) In the Matter of J & G Flooring Pty Ltd (In Liquidation) (ACN 663 355 771) In the Matter of Caydon MP No 1 Development Pty Ltd (ACN 605 707 720) (in Liquidation) (Receivers and Managers Appointed) Owners Corporation Plan No. RP017731 v. Yin Wang Red Court, First Floor 459 Lonsdale Street, Melb. Copper (Qld) Investment Pte Ltd (formerly EMR Capital Investment (No.6B) Pte Ltd) v. Carl Hallion (as the agent of each secured party under the deed of mortgage dated 17 September 2018) & Ors. SCV Mediation Centre L6, William Cooper Justice Centre, 223 William St, Melb. In the Matter of Yes Care Pty Ltd (ACN 616 318 417) Brighten Home Loans Pty Ltd (ACN 620 839 983) v. Rucmal Dissanayake & Ors. Intelligent SCM LLC v. Seaway Logistics Pty Ltd (ACN 094 204 609) Via Email In the Matter of Strategic Conferences Pty Ltd (t/as The Conference Partners) (ACN 613 578 608) Director of Public Prosecutions v. Sibel Atalay The previous court list article for Victoria Supreme Court can be viewed here.
Herald Sun
23-06-2025
- Business
- Herald Sun
Supreme Court matters for Monday, June 23
Here is a list of matters listed in the Victoria Supreme Court today. Today's court listings are published as part of News Corporation's commitment to public interest journalism and are compiled from information made publicly available by the courts in each State and territory. The list is a public record of entities appearing before the relevant court and there is no suggestion whatsoever of any wrongdoing by anyone named in these lists. Court 1, Ground Floor, Old High Court 450 Little Bourke Street, Melb. Shenghai Li & Ors. v. Xiaolong Zhang & Ors. Court 11, Ground Floor 210 William Street, Melb. R v. Luke James PICKING R v. Brodi PICKING R v. Ian HARRIS R v. A B In the matter of an application by Victoria Police Court 12, Ground Floor 210 William Street, Melb. R v. Kylie STOTT R v. Dimitri D'ELIO R v. Danny CLARKE Court 15, Ground Floor 210 William Street, Melb. R v. K A R v. Patrick Orren STEPHENSON Court 2, Ground Floor 210 William Street, Melb. R v. K T Court 2, Ground Floor, Old High Court 450 Little Bourke Street, Melb. Jeffrey Robert Barrett v. Head, Transport for Victoria Court 3, Ground Floor 210 William Street, Melb. R v. Timothy LOOSEMORE Court 4, Ground Floor 210 William Street, Melb. R v. Graham POTTER Court 5, Ground Floor 210 William Street, Melb. Pinegro Products Pty Ltd (ACN 005 531 546) v. Paper Australia Pty Ltd (ACN 061 583 533) Court 6, First Floor 210 William Street, Melb. In the Matter of L&G Co Pty Ltd (ACN 603 431 394) Courtroom 13, William Cooper Justice Centre Eighth Floor, 223 William St, Melb. Jake Andel v. James Carter & Ors. Courtroom 14, William Cooper Justice Centre Eighth Floor, 223 William St, Melb. Bevan-Rhys James v. Shimon Eliyahu Walles Courtroom 3, William Cooper Justice Centre First Floor, 223 William St, Melb. In the Matter of Just Italy Mentone Pty Ltd (In Liquidation) (ACN 634 744 906) Green Court, Ground Floor 459 Lonsdale Street, Melb. Ali Dastmozd v. R Jovan Culibrk v. R Jason Gordon Andrews v. R In Chambers Prestige Tractors Pty Ltd (ACN 662 245 829) & Ors. v. Prestige Machinery Pty Ltd (ACN 676 807 006) & Ors. SCV Mediation Centre L6, William Cooper Justice Centre, 223 William St, Melb. Vasiliki Papanastassis (as Executor of the Estate of Arthur Papanastassis) & Ors. v. Vasiliki Papanastassis (as Executor of the Estate of Alexandros Papanastassis) & Ors. Seid Osman v. Scalzo Trading Co Pty Ltd Tachanka Co Pty Ltd (ACN 664 315 708) as Trustee for the Yarunga Trust v. Richard Boyce & Ors. Sitting at Wangaratta Wendy Fay Healey v. Nestle Australia Limited Via Email Gerald Fuller v. Fletcher Building Limited (ARBN 096 046 936) The previous court list article for Victoria Supreme Court can be viewed here.
Herald Sun
08-05-2025
- Business
- Herald Sun
Supreme Court matters for Thursday, May 8
Here is a list of matters listed in the Victoria Supreme Court today. Today's court listings are published as part of News Corporation's commitment to public interest journalism and are compiled from information made publicly available by the courts in each State and territory. The list is a public record of entities appearing before the relevant court and there is no suggestion whatsoever of any wrongdoing by anyone named in these lists. Court 1, Ground Floor 210 William Street, Melb. R v. Paul BLACKBURN R v. Daniel DEVLIN R v. Mehmet BERTAN Court 1, Ground Floor, Old High Court 450 Little Bourke Street, Melb. Chrissie Armstrong (a pseudonym) v. State of New South Wales (Department of Communities & Justice) Court 10, Ground Floor 210 William Street, Melb. Victorian WorkCover Authority v. Icon SI (Aust) Pty Ltd (ACN 617 747 458) & Ors. Court 12, Ground Floor 210 William Street, Melb. In the matter of an application by Leigh RODGERS Court 13, First Floor 210 William Street, Melb. Intrapac Ellarook Pty Ltd v. Wyndham City Council Court 2, Ground Floor 210 William Street, Melb. R v. Dean HADJINA Court 3, Ground Floor 210 William Street, Melb. R v. Nordic Elevators Pty Ltd R v. Nordic Elevator Services Pty Ltd Court 4, Ground Floor 210 William Street, Melb. R v. Aaron BERNATH Court 6, First Floor 210 William Street, Melb. Peter Tziotzis & Ors. v. Nine Digital Pty Limited (ACN 077 753 461) & Ors. Court 7, Ground Floor 210 William Street, Melb. Caps and Closures Pty Ltd (ACN 114 161 527) v. Anthony Peter Restaino & Ors. Court 7B, Ground Floor 210 William Street, Melb. Green Hospital Supply, Inc. v. Daw San San Yi Court 8, Ground Floor 210 William Street, Melb. Blake Hart v. Marcus Frost-Cornwall Courtroom 13, William Cooper Justice Centre Eighth Floor, 223 William St, Melb. Bass Strait Freight Pty Ltd (ACN 652 909 558) & Ors. v. Colac Otway Shire Council & Ors. Courtroom 14, William Cooper Justice Centre Eighth Floor, 223 William St, Melb. In the Matter of Bright Life Care Services Pty Ltd (ACN 668 352 869) In the Matter of Yeah-You-Deserve-It Pty Ltd (ACN 650 037 700) In the Matter of Millville Pty Ltd (ACN 625 316 172) In the Matter of Barwon Heads Resort Pty Ltd (ACN 146 601 710) In the Matter of Rudra Projects Pty Ltd (ACN 649 376 303) Courtroom 3, William Cooper Justice Centre First Floor, 223 William St, Melb. In the matter of an application by Coco Personal Investments Pty Ltd (ACN 169 392 741) In the matter of an application by Sahil Katyal In the matter of an application by Lachlan James Vallance (in his capacity as Administrator with the will of Lorna Jean Mack, deceased) In the matter of the Estate of Gladys Violet Grining (deceased) Courtroom 9, William Cooper Justice Centre Seventh Floor, 223 William St, Melb. In the Matter of ABD Group Construction Pty Ltd (Receivers and Managers Appointed) (In Liquidation) (ACN 611 328 646) Green Court, Ground Floor 459 Lonsdale Street, Melb. Fue Mano v. DPP Mahmoud Khodr v. DPP Brent Lindsay Smith v. DPP Harpreet Singh v. R DPP v. James Wilkerson (a pseudonym) Robert Alexander Cairncross v. CDPP In Chambers In the matter of an application by Larry JACKSON Practice Court Business Commercial Court Duty Judge Business On the Papers In the Matter of Duke Ventures Wellington Street Pty Ltd (ACN 645 670 480) SCV Mediation Centre L6, William Cooper Justice Centre, 223 William St, Melb. Sienna McIntosh (a pseudonym) v. The State of Victoria & Ors. In the Matter of Melbourne Container Transport Pty Ltd (In Liquidation) (ACN 165 838 237) In the Matter of Anthona Nominees Pty Ltd (ACN 089 220 833) as Trustee for the Konstantakopoulos Family Trust In the Matter of Anthona Nominees Pty Ltd (ACN 089 220 833) as trustee for the Konstanakopoulos Family Trust Sitting at Morwell R v. Erin PATTERSON Via Email Heather Wellington v. Kirsty Metcalf Integrated Construction Services Pty Ltd v. Thea Harrison The previous court list article for Victoria Supreme Court can be viewed here.
ITV News
01-05-2025
- ITV News
Mushroom trial: Estranged husband of accused in tears as he testifies about parents' deaths
The estranged husband of an Australian woman on trial for murdering his parents and aunt with a beef Wellington laced with deadly mushrooms broke down in tears, as he gave evidence in court. Erin Patterson, 50, is charged with murdering her former partner, Simon Patterson's parents, Don and Gail Patterson, both 70, and Gail's sister, Heather Wilkinson, 66, after a family lunch in July 2023. She is also accused of attempting to murder Heather's husband, Ian Wilkinson, 68, who survived following a liver transplant. Patterson has pleaded not guilty to all charges. Police say Patterson served beef wellington, mashed potatoes and green beans at her home in the rural Victorian town of Leongatha on July 29, 2023. The beef dish allegedly contained death cap mushrooms – one of the world's most toxic fungi. On the second day of Patterson's trial in the Victoria Supreme Court on Thursday, Simon Patterson, 50, took the stand as the first witness in his estranged wife's trial. Patterson fought back tears as he recalled seeing his father in hospital for the first time after he was admitted with vomiting and diarrhoea following the family lunch. 'He was lying on his side, hunched, quite noticeably,' he told the court. 'Speaking was an effort and his voice was strained because he obviously - his voice was strained in a way that he wasn't right inside - he was in pain." On the first day of the trial, the court heard that Erin Patterson used different coloured plates to tell the poisoned meals apart at lunch. Patternson's reluctance to attend the lunch, despite pressure from Erin Patterson, who shares two children with Erin Patterson, was invited to the fatal lunch but did not attend. He had also been invited to another lunch in June, which he again skipped - though his parents went. Prosecutors said on Wednesday that Erin Patterson falsely claimed to have ovarian cancer and asked for advice on whether to tell her children, using it as a pretext to lure her estranged husband and his family to lunch. Text messages between the former couple, sent the day before the lunch, revealed that Patterson felt 'too uncomfortable' to attend. Erin Patterson replied, saying 'that's really disappointing' and complained she had spent 'a small fortune' on the meat for the beef Wellington. 'Sorry, I feel too uncomfortable about coming to the lunch with you, mum, dad, Heather and Ian tomorrow. But (I) am happy to talk about your health and implications of that at another time if you'd like to discuss on the phone. Just let me know," he texted. She replied: 'That's really disappointing. 'I have spent many hours this week preparing lunch for tomorrow which has been exhausting in light of the issues I have been facing and have spent a small fortune on beef eye fillet to make beef wellington because I wanted it to be a special meal as I may not be able to host a lunch like this again for some time. 'It's important to me that you are all there tomorrow, and that I can have the conversations that I need to have. 'I hope you'll change your mind. Your parents, Heather and Ian, are coming at 12.30, and I hope to see you there.' Patterson did a 'mushroom taste-test' with her daughter Patterson also told the court that Erin Patterson once said she had conducted a 'blind taste test' with their daughter by putting dehydrated mushrooms in muffins. He recalled Erin remarking that it was 'interesting' their child preferred the muffin containing mushrooms, despite usually disliking them. 'Erin said (sometime) in he past, I'm not sure when, she'd cooked some muffins and then she had dehydrated some mushrooms and then put different amounts of mushrooms in the muffins - you know, 1 gram, 2 grams, 3 grams... Zero grams - you know, a control with no mushrooms in it," he said. '(Then she) did sort of a blind taste test with (our daughter) - and they all found it interesting that (our daughter) actually preferred the muffin that did have some mushrooms in it. 'I can't remember if it was 1 or 2 grams, but she didn't prefer the non-mushroom muffin.' Patterson's 'toxic' relationship with his estranged wife Simon said the couple permanently separated in late 2015, though they are still legally married, with Patterson later telling him their relationship was 'toxic'. Despite their rocky relationship, Erin and Simon Patterson remained hopeful of reconciliation after their separation in 2015. Defence barrister Colin Mandy SC told the court that Erin Patterson received a significant inheritance when her mother passed away in 2019. She used the money to buy two properties and added Simon's name to both house titles as a gesture of 'goodwill,' reflecting their openness to possibly reconciling. Simon Patterson also testified that Erin got on particularly well with his parents. "She got on particularly well with dad. They shared a love of knowledge and the world, and I think she liked his gentle nature.' he said. 'Mum and dad were really active in maintaining a good relationship with Erin. I think it was mutual.'
ITV News
30-04-2025
- ITV News
Mushroom trial: Accused ate from different coloured plate at deadly lunch, court hears
An Australian woman accused of poisoning her relatives with mushroom-laced beef wellington used different coloured plates to tell the poisoned meals apart, prosecutors have said. Erin Patterson, 50, is charged with the murders of her ex-husband's parents, Don and Gail Patterson, both 70, and Gail's sister Heather Wilkinson, 66, after they died following a family lunch in July 2023. She is also accused of attempting to murder Heather's husband, Ian Wilkinson, 68, who survived after a liver transplant. Patterson has pleaded not guilty to all charges. Police say Patterson served beef wellington, mashed potatoes and green beans at her home in the rural Victorian town of Leongatha on July 29 2023. The beef dish allegedly contained death cap mushrooms – one of the world's most toxic fungi. All four guests were hospitalised the following day. Patterson's ex-husband, Simon Patterson, 50, was also invited to the lunch but did not attend. Lunch guest puzzled by host's plate On the first day of Patterson's trial in Victoria Supreme Court on Wednesday, prosecutor Nanette Rogers told the jury that Heather, after being hospitalised, told Simon she was puzzled that Erin had eaten from a different coloured plate than the ones used for her guests. 'I noticed that Erin put her food on a different plate to us. Her plate had colours on it. I wondered why that was. I've puzzled about it since lunch,' Heather reportedly said. Simon told his aunt Heather that his ex-wife might have run out of plates. The prosecution added that Erin Patterson falsely claimed she had ovarian cancer as an excuse for why her children did not attend the lunch. 'After the lunch, the accused announced that she had cancer and asked for advice on whether to tell the children or to keep it from them,' Ms Rogers said. 'They had a discussion about it being best to be honest with the children. They prayed as a group for the accused's health and wisdom in relation to telling the children." Suspect went to hospital complaining of diarrhoea and nausea Two days after the deadly lunch, Erin Patterson went to hospital with diarrhoea and nausea. By that time, doctors had already diagnosed her four guests with death cap mushroom poisoning. Patterson told authorities she had used a mix of fresh mushrooms from a supermarket and dried ones from an Asian grocery store, though she couldn't name the shop. Doctors ordered tests on her two children, then aged nine and 14, after she claimed they had eaten leftover beef Wellington. She told investigators the children were safe because she had scraped off the mushrooms and pastry, saying they didn't like mushrooms. Ms Rogers said Patterson had not eaten poisonous mushrooms and had not fed her children the lunch leftovers. 'The accused became teary and said she didn't want to involve the kids,' Ms Rogers said. 'She did not appear to be concerned so much about the children's health, but rather about stressing them out." Attempted murder charges dropped The jury also heard on Tuesday that prosecutors had dropped three charges alleging Patterson tried to murder her estranged husband, Simon, whom she had separated from in 2015. Two weeks before the fatal lunch, she had invited Simon and his relatives to a meal while attending a service at Korumburra Baptist Church, where Ian, one of the victims, was pastor. Simon initially accepted the invitation. 'She said the purpose of the lunch was to discuss some medical issues that she had and to get advice about how to break it to the kids,' Ms Rogers said. 'The accused said that it was important that the children were not present for the lunch." The Wilkinsons were surprised by the invitation because they had never been to Patterson's large five-bedroom house. Murder carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment, and attempted murder carries a maximum of 25 years in prison. The trial is expected to continue for six weeks.
