ON DAY 7 of Erin Patterson’s triple murder trial in the Supreme Court in Morwell on Wednesday this week the court heard from several family members of the victims of a poisonous mushroom lunch at Mrs Patterson’s Leongatha home in July 2023 and also from doctors who treated those present at the family lunch.
Among them was the Leongatha GP, Chris Webster, who treated Ian and Heather Wilkinson of Korumburra, the uncle and aunt of Erin Patterson’s estranged husband Simon, at the Leongatha Hospital in the days after the meal and also spoke to Erin Patterson after she presented to the Urgent Care Centre at the Leongatha hospital on the Monday morning after the lunch on Saturday, July 29, 2023.
After introducing herself, Dr Webster said he recognised Erin Patterson as “the chef of the mushroom meal” and following reports she also experienced ghastro-like symptoms, the doctor said there was concern about death cap mushroom poisoning and asked where she had got the mushrooms.
He said she gave a single word answer “Woolworths”.
Dr Webster left the Urgent Care Centre briefly to attend to the treatment and transfer of Ian and Heather Wilkinson to the Dandenong hospital and was surprised on his return to find that Erin Patterson had discharged herself against medical advice.
Asked why he was surprised, Dr Webster said he had informed the accused that she had been exposed to potentially deadly mushroom poisoning and the best place for her was in the hospital.
Mrs Patterson had arrived at the hospital at 8.05am and discharged herself at 8.10am.
He said he rang Erin three times, leaving her voice messages warning her of the grave risks but ultimately called the police in an effort to force Mrs Patterson to return to the hospital. Police attended her Leongatha home, collecting the leftovers from the meal in a bin at Erin’s house, but by 9.48am on Monday morning, Erin had returned of her own volition.
Dr Webster spoke to Erin again and told her that he was also concerned about her children after Mrs Patterson had told him earlier that they had eaten some of the leftovers from the meal.
He said they would need to be immediately collected from school and assessed for any adverse impacts from the meal, but Dr Webster told the court that Erin was reluctant to inform the children.
“I said it was important. She said she was concerned they were going to be frightened," said Dr Webster.
“I said they can be scared and alive or dead,” said Dr Webster.
Erin Patterson is on trial for the murders of three of her husband Simon’s family members, his mother and father Don and Gail Patterson, also his aunt Heather Wilkinson and the attempted murder of Ian Wilkinson, Heather’s husband; all of whom were guests at the lunch hosted by the accused when a poisonous meal of beef Wellington was served.
Erin Patterson has pleaded not guilty, her defence counsel Colin Mandy SC telling the court on Day 2 of the trial that what happened was a tragedy and a terrible accident.
The trial is continuing at Morwell and expected to run for five or six weeks.
