Erin Patterson trial: Alleged mushroom poisoner gives evidence for seventh day

Alleged death cap mushroom cook Erin Patterson has told her triple-murder trial that she ate 1kg of mushrooms in five days before the deadly lunch.

Ms Patterson is facing trial accused of murdering three of her husband’s relatives with a deliberately poisoned lunch she hosted in the country Victorian town of Leongatha on July 29, 2023.

She is also accused of the attempted murder of a fourth relative, who recovered after falling ill. She has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

The 50-year-old returned to the witness box on Wednesday morning for her seventh day of giving evidence as she was quizzed by Crown prosecutor Nanette Rogers SC about the beef Wellington meal.

Dr Rogers took Ms Patterson to her Woolworths rewards records that indicated that she purchased 1kg of sliced button mushrooms on July 23 and a further 750g on July 27.

Ms Patterson agreed.

The jury were shown the RecipeTin Eats recipe for beef wellington Ms Patterson said she used. It called for 700g of mushrooms and said it would feed 6-8 people.

“So you had 1.75kg sliced button mushrooms, correct or incorrect?” Dr Rogers asked.

“Incorrect,” Ms Patterson replied.

Dr Rogers then asked: “What was the weight you said you had?”

“750g,” Ms Patterson responded.

She told the jury that she ate the 1kg of mushrooms herself between July 23 and 27.

“I suggest that is an untruth, agree or disagree?” Dr Rogers asked.

“Disagree,” Ms Patterson responded.

Prosecutors allege she spiked the meal with death cap mushrooms with “murderous intent”, while her defence say she did not intend to poison anyone and the case is a tragic accident.

Don Patterson, his wife Gail Patterson and Gail’s sister Heather Wilkinson died in the week following the lunch while Heather’s husband Ian Wilkinson survived.

Asian grocer purchase not ‘wild goose chase’

Questioning Ms Patterson about her account of purchasing dried mushrooms from an Asian grocer, Dr Rogers suggested that it was a “deliberate lie”.

“Incorrect,” the accused woman responded.

The jury was told that Ms Patterson was quizzed by health authorities about the source of the mushrooms used in the beef wellington lunch and said she used fresh mushrooms from Woolworths and dried mushrooms from a Melbourne grocer.

She told doctors and public health officers that she could not recall where the mushrooms were bought but thought it was about April 2023 and in the eastern suburbs.

Dr Rogers asked Ms Patterson if she was “very familiar” with the Mount Waverley area, given she owned a home there and previously worked for the Monash council – she disagreed.

“I suggest familiar with the adjourning areas, including Oakleigh, Clayton and Glen Waverley?” Dr Rogers asked.

“I’m familiar with them, yes,” Ms Patterson responded.

“I suggest you were deliberately vague about the suburb?” the prosecutor questioned.

“Incorrect,” Ms Patterson replied.

She was next taken to her police interview on August 5, 2023, in which she said she’d been “very, very helpful” with a Department of Health investigation.

“I suggest you weren’t very very helpful?” Dr Rogers asked.

“I was trying to be,” Ms Patterson replied.

“In fact you sent them on this wild goose chase,” Dr Rogers continued.

“Incorrect,” Ms Patterson said.

Cook denies sixth meal was for husband

Giving evidence at her trial on Tuesday, Ms Patterson was quizzed about a sixth beef Wellington she prepared ahead of the lunch.

She denied a suggestion by Dr Rogers that the dish was made for Simon Patterson, her estranged husband, if he changed his mind and attended.

“I didn’t make that sixth one for Simon,” she replied.

“I did not make that one for him … it was just an extra one. Simon wasn’t coming.”

Earlier in the trial, Simon told the jury that he’d been invited two weeks before the lunch alongside his parents and aunt and uncle, initially agreeing to attend.

But the evening before the lunch, he texted Ms Patterson to decline.

“Sorry, I feel too uncomfortable about coming to the lunch with you, mum, dad, Heather & Ian tomorrow,” the message read.

Ms Patterson responded saying it was “really disappointing” and urging Simon to change his mind.

“I’ve spent many hours this week preparing lunch for tomorrow … and spent a small fortune on beef eye fillet to make beef Wellingtons because I wanted it to be a special meal,” she wrote.

“It’s important to me that you’re all there tomorrow and that I can have the conversations that I need to have.

“I hope you’ll change your mind. Your parents and Heather and Ian are coming at 12.30. I hope to see you there.”

Ms Patterson told the jury she was “hurt” Simon didn’t want to come and may have exaggerated.

“I guess I wanted him to feel a little bit bad about cancelling at the last minute after he would have known I’d done a lot of preparation,” she said.

Asked last week what happened to the sixth beef Wellington, Ms Patterson told the jury she placed it into her fridge to deal with later.

She said she served the meal, with the pastry and mushroom scrapped off, to her two children for dinner the day following the lunch.

Ms Patterson denied a suggestion by Dr Rogers that she did not feed the meat from this meal to her children, but she did agree the meat was removed.

“I did do that,” the accused woman said.

“And where was it put?” Dr Rogers asked.

“Into my children’s stomachs,” Ms Patterson responded.

The trial, now in its seventh week, continues.