THE date has been set for the sentencing of Leongatha mushroom murderer Erin Patterson.
At the conclusion of a surprisingly short plea hearing in the Supreme Court in Melbourne on Monday this week, dominated by the presentation of 28 victim impact statements, Justice Beale set aside Monday, September 8 as the day when Ms Patterson will know her fate.
But will it be life without parole, or as defence counsel for Ms Patterson, Colin Mandy SC, submitted to the court, there should be a fixed term of imprisonment.
“This is very grave offending, and we make no argument that the sentence should be anything other than life imprisonment, but the issue is whether there should be a non-parole period,” said Mr Mandy, at one stage suggesting a term of 30 years before being eligible for parole.
With 400-plus days already served, Erin Patterson aged 50, set to turn 51 on September 30, will be 79 years old on release.
He argued that because of the notoriety of the case, his client was likely to do hard time inside the isolated Gordon Unit of the Dame Phyllis Frost Centre for much of her sentence, describing conditions for prisoners there as “appalling”.
This, he said, was a mitigating factor when it came to sentencing.
He also alluded to evidence during the trial that his client had high-functioning autism, signs of Asperger's and ADHD; although no medical evidence of these conditions has been presented to the court.
His plea was likely cut short, however, in anticipation of an appeal by Ms Patterson, although there has been no indication that the convicted murderer will make an appeal application.
She has 28 days after sentencing to do so.
Crown Prosecutor Jane Warren argued, however, that the maximum penalty was required in such a case where no remorse was demonstrated and aggravating circumstances existed, including that Ms Patterson made no effort to assist the victims by revealing that she had foraged for mushrooms in the lead up to the lunch date on July 29, 2023.
The main feature of the plea hearing on Monday, August 25 were the witness impact statements by several Wilkinson and Patterson family members, including the only person to survive Erin Patterson’s Beef Wellington lunch, laced with death cap mushrooms, Ian Wilkinson.
Mr Wilkinson’s voice wavered with emotion as he provided a glowing tribute to his wife of 44 years, Heather Wilkinson, and their happy and fulfilling life together, ending by making an offer of forgiveness to Erin Patterson for inflicting such pain and loss on his life and that of his family, with ripples spreading widely into the general community.
The plea hearing is a precursor to sentencing in two week’s time, following the guilty verdict handed down in Morwell on Monday, July 7, 2025, after a marathon 10-week trial which galvanised the interest of the world.
Erin Patterson was convicted of three counts of murder, after deliberately poisoning her in-laws Don and Gail Patterson, and Gail’s sister Heather Wilkinson, and also attempting to murder Heather’s husband Ian Wilkinson.
The four Korumburra residents spent a harrowing week in hospital before Gail and Heather passed away on Friday, August 4, 2023 with acute organ failure, brought on by the toxins in death cap mushrooms, with Don following on Saturday, August 5.
Ian Wilkinson survived after 54 days in hospital, 21 in intensive care, but as we found out via his statement this week, not without the lasting impact of reduced liver function and ongoing medical issues.
More to follow:
