Triple-killer Erin Patterson could make last-ditch court bid

Convicted triple-killer Erin Patterson could make a last-ditch legal effort in her bid to appeal three life sentences in Victoria’s Supreme Court on Thursday.

Patterson, 51, was handed a life sentence with no possibility of parole for 33 years on September 8 for the murders of Don Patterson, Gail Patterson and Heather Wilkinson, and the attempted murder of Ian Wilkinson.

Justice Christopher Beale said the mother-of-two deliberately included death cap mushrooms in a beef wellington she served her four guests on July 28, 2023.

The notorious mushroom murderer was widely expected to appeal her conviction before the October 6 deadline, with all criminal cases in Victoria given a 28-day window following sentence to file an appeal.

With just days left in her appeal window, Patterson’s legal team will front the Supreme Court on Thursday morning and her lawyers could ask for more time to file her appeal beyond Monday’s deadline.

Potential allowances that would permit Patterson to extend the 28-day period by an additional four weeks were contained in a notice to the legal profession, shared by executive associate to the Victorian chief justice Vivienne Mahy on September 17, 2025.

The notice said members of the profession had “raised concerns” about the difficulty in preparing appeal paperwork within the 28-day period following a person’s sentence.

Ms Mahy said in light of the concerns, for a trial period between October 1, 2025 and March 31, 2026, the Court of Appeal will grant all applications to extend the 28-day period if the extension sought was no more 28 days and excluding the court holiday shutdown at the end of the year.

Under practice notes, for an appeal lawyers would need to file an application for leave to appeal form and a “concise” maximum 10-page written case setting out each ground of appeal.

Patterson’s matter will be heard in Victoria’s Supreme Court at 9.30am on Thursday.