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BBC News
09-07-2025
- BBC News
Chris Webster: The doctor who sounded the alarm on Australia's mushroom murderer Erin Patterson
Within minutes of Erin Patterson walking into a tiny hospital in rural Victoria, doctor Chris Webster realised she was a cold-blooded killer."I knew," he tells the BBC."I thought, 'Okay, yep, you did it, you heinous individual. You've poisoned them all'."Dr Webster had spent the morning frantically treating two of the four people a jury this week found Erin had intentionally fed toxic mushrooms - concealed in a hearty beef Wellington lunch served at her home in July was convicted of the murders of her in-laws, Don and Gail Patterson, both 70, as well as Gail's sister, Heather Wilkinson, 66. Erin was also found guilty of attempting to murder local pastor Ian Wilkinson – Heather's husband – who recovered after weeks of treatment in initially, when Heather and Ian presented to Leongatha Hospital with intense gastroenteritis-like symptoms, Dr Webster and his team thought they were dealing with a case of mass food poisoning. Heather had described for him a "lovely" afternoon at Erin's house, the physician told the trial."I did ask Heather at one stage what the beef Wellington tasted like and she said it was delicious," Dr Webster suspicion had fallen on the meat, so the doctor took some blood samples as a precaution and sent them off for analysis in a town with better medical facilities, before hooking the Wilkinsons up with soon he would receive a call from the doctor treating Don and Gail at Dandenong Hospital, about a 90-minute drive away, and his stomach wasn't the meat, it was the mushrooms, she told him. And his patients were on the precipice of irreversible slide towards immediately changed tack, beginning treatment to try and salvage their failing livers, and preparing to transfer them to a larger hospital where they could receive specialist care. It was at this point that someone rang the bell at the front of the a Perspex security window was a woman telling him she thought she had gastro."I'm like, 'Oh, hang on, what's your name?' And she said, 'Erin Patterson'," Dr Webster says."The penny dropped… it's the chef."He ushered Erin into the hospital and told her he suspected she and her guests were all suffering from life-threatening poisoning from toxic mushrooms. He quizzed her on the source of the fungi included in her home-cooked dish."Her answer was a single word: Woolworths," he says."And it all just suddenly coalesced in my brain."There were two things that convinced him of her guilt in that moment, Dr Webster it was a far-fetched answer. Admitting she had foraged wild mushrooms, as many locals in the area do, wouldn't have set off alarm bells. Saying they came from a major grocery chain with stringent food safety standards, on the other hand, was two, there was no concerned reaction from the mother-of-two – despite being metres from where Ian and Heather, relatives she said she loved, lay on beds desperately sick."I don't know if she even acknowledged their presence," he leaving Erin with nurses to undergo some basic health checks, he went to see the Wilkinsons off to Dandenong Hospital. He recalls watching the elderly couple being loaded into an ambulance, Heather calling out to thank him for his care as the vehicle doors were closed."And I knew," he says, trailing off."It's actually quite difficult to talk about without getting emotional.""She could have quite easily done the complete opposite and screamed… 'Thanks for nothing'."That may have been easier to accept than her sincere gratitude, he says. "You know, I didn't catch it [the poisoning] earlier." But he had no time to process the gravity of their last interaction, rushing back to the urgent care room only to find Erin had discharged herself against medical desperately trying to call her on her mobile phone, gobsmacked and concerned, Dr Webster decided to call police."This is Dr Chris Webster from Leongatha Hospital. I have a concern about a patient who presented here earlier, but has left the building and is potentially exposed to a fatal toxin from mushroom poisoning," he can be heard saying in the call played at the spells her name for the operator, and gives them her address."She just got up and left?" they ask. "She was only here for five minutes," Dr Webster her trial, Erin said she had been caught off guard by the information and had gone home to feed her animals and pack a bag, pausing to have a "lie down" before returning to the hospital."After being told by medical staff you had potentially ingested a life-threatening poison, isn't it the last thing you'd do?" the prosecutor asked her in court."It might be the last thing you'd do, but it was something I did," Erin defiantly replied from the witness stand. But before police reached her house, Erin had returned to hospital voluntarily. Dr Webster then tried to convince her to bring in her children – who she claimed had eaten leftovers."She was concerned that they were going to be frightened," he said in court."I said they can be scared and alive, or dead."Erin told the jury she wasn't reluctant, rather overwhelmed by the doctor who she believed was "yelling" at her. "I've since learnt this was his inside voice," she Webster clocked off shortly after, but the trial heard medical tests performed on Erin and her children would return no sign of death cap poisoning, and after a precautionary 24 hours in hospital, they were sent home. Guilty verdicts a 'relief' Two years later, when news of the jury's verdict flashed on his phone on Monday, Dr Webster began was one of the prosecution's key witnesses, and had struggled with the "weight of expectation"."If the picture is going to make sense to the jury, if a small puzzle piece is out of place, it could upset the whole outcome of the trial… I really didn't want to crack under the scrutiny."It's a "relief" to have played his part in holding Erin Patterson – who he calls "the definition of evil" – accountable."It does feel like [there's] that reward of justice."For him though, the biggest sense of closure came from seeing Ian Wilkinson – the only surviving patient – for the first time since sending him and his ailing wife off in an ambulance."That memory of Heather being sort of taken away in that fashion, that's now bookended by seeing Ian standing on his feet again.""That brought some comfort."
News.com.au
08-07-2025
- News.com.au
‘You crazy b**ch': Doctor reveals moment he knew Erin Patterson poisoned her victims
The doctor who alerted police to Erin Patterson has revealed the moment he realised she had poisoned her victims. Patterson was found guilty of three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder on Monday over a beef wellington lunch she served at her Leongatha home on July 29, 2023. Her estranged husband's parents, Don and Gail Patterson, and his aunt and uncle, Heather and Ian Wilkinson, all fell critically ill after the lunch. Don, Gail and Heather died of multiple organ failure caused by death cap mushroom poisoning. Dr Chris Webster, a doctor at Leongatha Hospital who initially treated Ian and Heather, told the Herald Sun that he knew Patterson was a calculated murderer when she told him the mushrooms in the meal were from Woolworths. 'If she said she picked them, it would have been a very different mindset for me because there would have been an instant assumption it was all a tragic accident,' he said. 'But once she said that answer, my thoughts were, 'holy f**king shit, you f**king did it, you crazy bitch, you poisoned them all'. 'The turning point for me was that moment.' In the candid interview after testifying, which was published by the newspaper on Tuesday, Dr Webster said Patterson was a 'disturbed sociopathic nut bag'. Mushroom cook found guilty Jurors took seven days to return unanimous verdicts, finding Erin Patterson guilty of three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder in the country Victorian town of Morwell on Monday. Patterson appeared in court dressed in a paisley top, and appeared nervous as the packed courtroom waited for the verdict to be read out. She tried to meet the eyes of the jurors as they entered the room about 2.16pm, but not one met her gaze. She remained expressionless as the forewoman softly said 'guilty' in response to each charge. Members of the Patterson and Wilkinson families were absent during the hearing despite attending every day of the trial, which began in late April. Outside the court, about 200 people were gathered. Throughout a trial lasting more than two months, Patterson maintained the beef-and-pastry dish was accidentally poisoned with death cap mushrooms, the world's most lethal fungus. The court will soon set a date for a sentencing hearing to determine the length of Patterson's jail term. Her legal team has 28 days after sentencing to appeal both her criminal convictions and her sentence. Patterson's lawyers have not yet indicated whether they will appeal. How the triple murder unfolded The guests' blood was swiftly coursing with deadly amatoxin, a poison produced by the death cap mushrooms known to sprout under the oak trees of Victoria. Don, Gail and Heather died of organ failure within a week. Detectives soon found signs that Patterson had dished up the meal with murderous intent. Patterson told her guests she had received a cancer diagnosis and needed advice on breaking the news to her children, prosecutors alleged. But medical records showed Patterson received no such diagnosis. The prosecution said this was a lie cooked up to lure the diners to her table. She also lied about owning a food dehydrator which police later found dumped in a rubbish tip. Forensic tests found the appliance contained traces of the fatal fungi. 'I agree that I lied because I was afraid I would be held responsible,' Patterson told the trial. A computer seized from her house had browsed a website pinpointing death cap mushrooms spotted a short drive from her house a year before the lunch, police said.
ABC News
08-07-2025
- ABC News
Doctor who treated Erin Patterson describes moment he came face-to-face with convicted murderer
While convicted triple-murderer Erin Patterson sat in a Leongatha hospital just days after she had prepared and served a poisonous meal to her relatives, it was one word she said that led a doctor treating her to believe she was guilty. Chris Webster answered the Leongatha Hospital doorbell when Patterson first presented and quickly connected the 50-year-old to four other patients who had suspected mushroom poisoning. On Monday, a jury found Patterson guilty of murdering her parents-in-law Don and Gail Patterson and Gail's sister, Heather Wilkinson. She was also convicted of the attempted murder of Gail's husband, Ian Wilkinson, who fell gravely ill after the lunch but survived. Dr Webster, who gave evidence during the nine-week trial, said he grew suspicious of her almost immediately. "I explained that death cap mushroom poisoning was suspected and [asked] where'd you get the mushrooms," he said on Tuesday. According to him, she replied with a single word: "Woolworths." And it was in that moment that he said he came to the conclusion that Patterson had carried out a murderous act. "When she didn't respond in a way that instantly would have explained it as a tragic accident, that's it, from that moment in my mind she was guilty," he said. "She was evil and very smart to have planned it all and carried it out but didn't quite dot every 'i' and dot every 't'." Dr Webster said there was a lot to take in when he first walked into the Latrobe Valley Law Courts in Morwell. "You're terrified, you're incredibly anxious," he said. He recalled the moment he glanced at Patterson, who was sitting at the back of the courtroom while he took to the witness box. "When I took the opportunity to sort of sneak a peak, it was visceral," Dr Webster said. "I felt the intensity, the hostility and the negativity towards me through her glare. "It was a very intense gaze that we exchanged and I kind of looked away fairly quickly." Dr Webster had worked at urgent care for eight years when Patterson presented on the Monday after the lunch. He said her actions whilst there set off alarm bells in his mind as she sat down "not far from Ian and Heather". "Erin sat in a chair and I don't even remember her looking in the direction of Ian and Heather Wilkinson … they weren't barriered, there were opened curtains on the cubical," he said. He said she lacked "any sort of expected normal human emotional response" to being in that situation. "When people come through the doors that I led Erin through, they usually make a beeline for their [loved one]. They go straight to that bed and they embrace the loved one," he said. "They usually cry or shake or respond in an emotive way and then they spin around and they try to find a nurse or a doctor to come over and explain what's going on to their loved one." During his evidence, Dr Webster told to court he had informed Patterson that she would be given urgent medical treatment, but within minutes, and against medical advice, she left the building. CCTV footage showed another doctor, Veronica Foote, trying to stop Patterson from leaving but after signing a discharge form she is seen walking out. Dr Webster told the jury he tried to contact Patterson three times after she had left the hospital and resorted to calling police with the hope officers could locate her and bring her back to hospital. That triple-0 phone call was played to the jury. He went on to tell the jury that he also held concerns for Patterson's children after she had told him they had eaten beef Wellington leftovers. "Erin was reluctant to inform the children and I said it was important, and she was concerned they were going to be frightened," he told the court during the trial. "And I said, 'They can be scared and alive, or dead.'" While Patterson disputed some of the testimony of medical staff including Dr Webster, the prosecution would go on to argue it was part of a series of lies she told to cover up an act of murder. Now behind bars, Patterson's home in Leongatha sits empty and the frenzy that followed the case has simmered. "It's just a sad way to get recognition for a lovely town really," one of Patterson's neighbours said, who was "glad" the ordeal was over.
The Sun
08-07-2025
- The Sun
Sole survivor of mushroom killer Erin Patterson's meal breaks silence with moving 8-word message after bombshell verdict
THE sole survivor of mushroom killer Erin Patterson's poisoned lunch has broken his silence - a day after she was found guilty of murder and attempted murder. Patterson was on Monday convicted of killing her ex-husband's parents, Don and Gail Patterson, and Gail's sister Heather Wilkinson, after serving them death cap mushrooms in a beef wellington at her home in Victoria, Australia. 12 12 12 12 The mother-of-two was also found guilty of attempting to murder Heather's husband, Ian Wilkinson, a local church pastor. Ian was in hospital for weeks fighting for his life after eating the toxic dish, but miraculously pulled through. He gave a powerful testimony in court - and his evidence may have been crucial as the only witness to the fatal meal who was still able to speak out. One of his revelations was that Patterson told the party that she had been diagnosed with a cancerous tumour - which turned out to be nonsense. Now, he has shared a moving message via the noticeboard outside the Korumburra Baptist Church, where he has been a pastor for two years. It reads: "Life can be hard, but God is faithful. "We all greatly miss Heather, Don and Gail, whether we were friends for a short time or over 20 years. "They were very special people who loved God and lived to bless others. 'It's been a long journey, and we continue to lovingly support Ian, Simon and all the Wilkinson and Patterson family members through this difficult time. "We appreciate all the care from our local communities, special support from individuals and from the Baptist Union of Victoria, and the churches and people from all over the world who have been praying for us." 'Mushroom killer' Erin Patterson GUILTY of murdering three relatives with deadly beef wellington Ian sat through almost every day of the ten-week trial, often accompanied by his daughter Ruth Dubois. However, he was not in court to hear Monday's verdict - choosing to spend that crucial moment with family and friends. Detective Inspector Dean Thomas from the Victoria Police Homicide Squad said after sentencing that the Patterson and Wilkinson families had requested privacy and would not be giving any public statements. Their lives have been dragged into the public eye since Erin was charged in November 2023, culminating in one of the most publicised trials in Australia for years - which finally delivered answers to most of the cases's mysteries. 12 The prosecution got their hands on the remains of the deadly beef Wellington, a dehydrator she used, and even photos of death cap mushrooms. However, they never managed to locate the killer's primary phone. Patterson gave investigators a device, dubbed Phone B, that she claimed was hers when the deaths were first looked into - but there were immediately suspicions that it was a decoy device. CCTV footage from July 31, 2023, shows Patterson in hospital after the meal with a Samsung in a light pink case - but this was not the one police received. That mobile, Phone A, continues to confound. Police said Patterson had primarily used Phone A from February 2023 until August 2023, which Patterson accepted. But she argued that she handed officers Phone B because she was in the process of switching devices so that her ex-husband couldn't contact her 12 12 It was from this pink Samsung that Patterson organised the lunch and sent out the fatal invites. Texts shown in court reveal that she tried desperately to get her ex-husband, Simon, to come to the lunch as well - but he refused. After he tells Patterson that he is "too uncomfortable" to go to the lunch, she replies: "That's really disappointing," and seemingly attempts to guilt trip him into coming. Something else to come out in the trial was the surprising extent of wealth that Patterson has accumulated. She wrote: "I've spent many hours this week preparing lunch for tomorrow [...] and spent a small fortune on beef eye filet to make beef Wellingtons." After being brought up in a middle-class Melbourne suburb, Patterson had recently become much richer - helped along by a $2million cash dump from her paternal grandmother's estate. Her father, Eitan Scutter, was a director in multiple Australian companies - and his mother was the major source of Patterson's money. 12 12 DI Thomas said: "It's very important that we remember we've had three people; three people died and we've had a person that nearly died and was seriously injured as a result; that has led to these charges. "I ask that we acknowledge those people and not forget them. "I ask also that the Patterson family and Wilkinson family have asked for privacy during this time." Both Ian and Patterson's ex-husband, Simon, whose parents were both killed, have put up notices outside their houses to deflect further unwanted attention. The sign outside Ian's residence reads: "Warning: entry to this property by any persons employed by or working on behalf of the media is not permitted. "Trespassers will be reported to the police."
Daily Telegraph
07-07-2025
- Daily Telegraph
Erin Patterson trial: Jury indicates verdicts to judge in mushroom murder case
Don't miss out on the headlines from Breaking News. Followed categories will be added to My News. It took just three minutes for 12 jurors to enter the Latrobe Valley courtroom, deliver unanimous verdicts and leave. But a key sign as the group entered showed Erin Patterson what was coming. Standing flanked by two burly guards in the dock at 2.15pm as the dozen Victorians returned to the court for the first time in more than a week, Patterson tried to meet their eyes. But as each of the seven men and five women took their seat, none would match her gaze. Justice Beale's associate then asked the foreperson, a woman wearing a brown cardigan, if they had agreed on verdicts. 'Yes we have,' she said, before softly pronouncing 'guilty' four times for the three murder and one attempted murder charges. Ms Patterson, 50, faced trial after pleading not guilty to three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder stemming from a lunch she hosted at her Leongatha home, in southeast Victoria, on July 29, 2023. The mother-of-two served a beef wellington meal to four members of her husband Simon Patterson's family containing death cap mushrooms. Ms Patterson has maintained she did not intend to harm Simon Patterson's family. Picture: Supplied. Simon's parents, Don and Gail Patterson, and Gail's sister, Heather Wilkinson, died from death cap poisoning in the week following the lunch while Heather's husband, Ian Wilkinson, survived. Prosecutors alleged Ms Patterson deliberately sought out and included the deadly fungi in the lunch intending to kill or at least seriously injure her guests. Her defence, on the other hand, have argued the poisoning was an unintentional and tragic accident – questioning why Ms Patterson would want to kill her loved ones. Don and Gail Patterson died a day apart in early August 2023. Picture: Supplied Over eight weeks of evidence, jurors in the trial heard from more that 50 witnesses, including family, doctors, experts and Ms Patterson herself. The jury, of eight men and five women, were sent out to deliberate shortly after 1pm on Monday when they were told any verdict must be unanimous. It has been 7 days since they were sent out. Over the course of their deliberations, jurors are being sequestered at a hotel and have limited contact with the outside world having handed over their phones. In his final remarks, Justice Beale said they would be deliberating Mondays to Saturdays and given as long as it takes. Originally published as Erin Patterson trial: Moment Erin realised jury would find her guilty
