Erin Patterson arrives at court to media, public scrum
Emily Woods |
Erin Patterson has been escorted into court to face the victims of her murderous mushroom lunch for a two-day pre-sentence hearing.
The convicted triple murderer, 50, wore a paisley top with a light brown jacket as she was taken from a prison van at the Supreme Court in Melbourne on Monday morning.
Her sole surviving lunch victim, Ian Wilkinson, arrived at court alongside members of his family.
Family of her murdered lunch victims are also present at the court.
Members of the public lined up to get a seat in court before 10am on Monday, as did dozens of media trying to catch a glimpse of Patterson.
She was found guilty of three murders, and the attempted murder of Mr Wilkinson, in July over a death cap mushroom-laced beef Wellington lunch.
Patterson faces the first day of her pre-sentence hearing on Monday, where Mr Wilkinson and family of her murder victims are expected to give statements to the court.
The Pattersons and Wilkinsons, who attended much of the trial, have not been seen in court since before the jury returned verdicts on July 7 after a nearly 11-week trial he regional Victorian town of Morwell.
Their victim impact statements will either be read out by them, or a prosecutor, at Monday’s plea hearing.
Prosecutors will argue how long Patterson should be jailed for over the murders and attempted murder, and her defence team will explain any factors that should mitigate the length of her sentence.
Patterson deliberately served up the poisoned dish during lunch at her Leongatha home in 2023, to her former mother and father-in-law, Don and Gail Patterson, Gail’s sister Heather Wilkinson and her husband Ian.
Her lunch guests were taken to hospital, with Don, Gail and Heather dying days after the meal.
She invited her estranged husband Simon to the deadly gathering, but he declined the night before.
Jurors were not told the reason he did not attend, with that information revealed weeks later after a suppression order was lifted.
Justice Christopher Beale allowed pre-trial evidence to be released for the first time.
Simon allegedly believed Patterson had been trying to kill him by poisoning meals since 2021, during or before camping trips the pair took together.
He claimed Patterson poisoned him with a penne, chicken curry and a wrap she had prepared, but she denied this and the allegations were never tested at trial.
She was charged with three counts of attempted murder, but they were dropped at the start of her trial after Justice Beale ruled they should be heard separately.
Other evidence ruled out of trial included an allegedly fake cat post to a poisoning help page, an appendix from a Criminal Poisonings book allegedly found on a tablet and an additional trip to the tip on the day of the lunch.
Patterson will be brought in person from prison to the plea hearing, which is expected to span two days.
She faces life in prison and a date for her sentence could be set at the hearing.
AAP
