A toddler safety employee mentioned that Erin Patterson described her estranged husband, Simon, as “nasty”, “controlling” and “emotionally abusive”, and believed he was isolating her from his dad and mom, a Victorian courtroom has heard.
The employee additionally mentioned Patterson didn’t reply her the next day when she requested whether or not she had picked the mushrooms used within the lunch.
Patterson, 50, has pleaded not responsible to a few expenses of homicide and one cost of tried homicide regarding the lunch she served at her home in Leongatha, Victoria on 29 July 2023.
Patterson is accused of murdering Simon’s dad and mom, Don and Gail Patterson, his aunt Heather Wilkinson, and trying to homicide Ian Wilkinson, Simon’s uncle and Heather’s husband.
Timeline
Erin Patterson: how Australia’s alleged mushroom poisoning case unfolded — a timeline
Present
Erin Patterson hosts lunch for estranged husband Simon’s dad and mom, Don and Gail Patterson, and his aunt and uncle Heather and Ian Wilkinson. Patterson serves beef wellington.
All 4 lunch visitors are admitted to hospital with gastro-like signs.
Gail Patterson and Heather Wilkinson die in hospital.
Don Patterson dies in hospital. Victoria police search Erin Patterson’s dwelling and interview her.
Ian Wilkinson is discharged from hospital after weeks in intensive care.
Police once more search Erin Patterson’s dwelling, and he or she is arrested and interviewed. She is charged with three counts of homicide regarding the deaths of Don and Gail Patterson and Heather Wilkinson, and the tried homicide of Ian Wilkinson.
Homicide trial begins. Jury hears that expenses of trying to homicide her estranged husband Simon are dropped.
The Victorian supreme courtroom sitting in Morwell has beforehand heard the visitors died after being poisoned with demise cap mushrooms that have been in a paste utilized by Patterson to make particular person beef wellingtons.
The prosecution alleges Patterson intentionally poisoned her lunch visitors with “murderous intent”, however her attorneys say the poisoning was a tragedy and horrible accident.
Katrina Cripps instructed the courtroom on Thursday that she acquired a notification on 1 August 2023 concerning a referral to little one safety about Erin and Simon Patterson’s two kids.
She mentioned she and a colleague spoke with Simon, Patterson and the kids whereas the group have been on the Monash medical centre.
Cripps mentioned her colleague took notes of their dialog with Patterson. She instructed the courtroom that the dialog touched upon an utility Patterson had filed for little one help the earlier yr, and her relationship with Simon and his dad and mom.
Of the interval when Patterson utilized for little one help, Cripps instructed the courtroom Patterson had mentioned to the kid safety staff that “as a husband he’d been mean but he’d never been nasty, and she felt that was the time that he’d become nasty”.
Patterson had mentioned “Don and Gail had been like the parents she never had, her parents had died some time ago … but that relationship had changed recently as well”, as “she felt that he was isolating her from his family”, Cripps instructed the courtroom.
Cripps mentioned Patterson had instructed her “about feeling like [Simon] was controlling and emotionally abusive, in that he would say things to her that would make her doubt herself as a parent and as a mother, and it would impact her self-esteem”.
Patterson additionally instructed Cripps about internet hosting her parents-in-law for lunch together with her kids earlier in 2023, and that she had invited them as a result of “she just wanted to reconnect with them and see them”.
Cripps mentioned Patterson instructed her that she had determined to cook dinner beef wellington for the 29 July 2023 lunch as she “wanted to do something new and special” after discovering the recipe in a RecipeTin Eats cookbook.
She mentioned she had invited the Pattersons and Wilkinsons as she had one thing she wished to debate with them, and get their recommendation.
Notes from the dialog additionally present Patterson instructed Cripps she had eaten half of the meat wellington, Cripps instructed the courtroom.
Patterson and her kids have been discharged from hospital later that day, however Cripps visited her dwelling the next day, which she mentioned was commonplace in little one safety circumstances.
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She mentioned Patterson confirmed her across the dwelling throughout this 2 August 2023 go to, and he or she believed it had been particularly set as much as cater to her kids and their pursuits.
Patterson took a name from Sallyann Atkinson, from the Division of Well being, throughout Cripps’ go to, and Cripps mentioned she heard the cellphone name because it was on speaker. Atkinson was trying to ascertain which Asian grocer Patterson had bought dried mushrooms from for the meat wellingtons. The courtroom has heard proof from a number of individuals who say they have been instructed by Patterson she used dried mushrooms from an Asian grocer within the lunch.
Cripps mentioned she instructed Patterson to examine her financial institution statements previous to the decision, and he or she had seen her scrolling by way of her cellphone however had not seen what was on her display screen. Patterson later defined that she may discover no document of the transaction, however that she could have paid money if it was solely a small quantity.
Cripps mentioned that after the cellphone name she had requested Patterson whether or not she had picked the mushrooms used within the meal, however Patterson didn’t reply and continued taking a look at her cellphone.
Underneath cross-examination from Sophie Stafford, a barrister for Patterson, Cripps agreed that after this dialog with Atkinson she additionally requested Patterson whether or not she had a help community outdoors Simon and his household.
Cripps additionally agreed that Patterson turned upset and distressed on the prospect she could lose the help community of the Pattersons.
On 4 August, Cripps mentioned she once more spoke with Patterson, this time on the cellphone. She agreed that she had requested Patterson whether or not she had an replace on the situation of the lunch visitors, however Patterson mentioned she hadn’t and expressed that she was discovering this distressing.
Cripps agreed that she knew on the time of the decision that Heather Wilkinson had died, however that she didn’t inform Patterson due to welfare considerations.
“Yes, and it wasn’t my place to,” Cripps instructed the courtroom.
Patterson had additionally instructed her throughout the cellphone name that she was involved about her safety and privateness, and he or she was planning on altering her cellphone quantity, Cripps agreed.
The trial continues.
