Leaked emails show ABC Editorial Policy boss censored 'gratuitous' images of triple murderer Erin Patterson because they might cause her 'distress'
The photos showed Patterson being escorted to the Latrobe Valley court in Morwell, and were taken by new agency Agence France-Presse in May.
Legal constraints had previously prevented their publication, but they became available immediately after her conviction.
However, according to leaked emails revealed by The Australian, ABC News Editorial Policy Manager Mark Maley demanded the images not be published because they could upset the murderer.
The ABC did not confirm how much taxpayer funds were spent on the censored photos when asked by Sky News.
It is understood that the images were being sold to media organisations for between $7,000 and $10,000, depending on the bundle.
In the internal emails, Mr Maley argued that using the unflattering images could upset Patterson, who was found guilty of killing her ex-husband and two relatives.
The incident exposes the bureaucratic nightmare of using taxpayer funds to buy expensive photos, then not publishing them because of an editor's personal opinion.
An ABC spokesperson told Sky News it was "common and expected practice to have editorial discussions" about "what is appropriate to publish".
"At the ABC much care and consideration goes into such decisions to ensure our coverage is responsible, justified and meets community expectations," the spokesperson said.
Mr Maley ordered the images not be used in coverage of Patterson's guilty verdict, describing them as a 'gratuitous invasion on her distress/privacy'.
Despite the verdict — and the fact the photographs were taken legally in public — Mr Maley instructed senior producers not to publish the images.
Rather than capitalise on the visuals, Mr Maley questioned the editorial justification for their use, despite global outlets airing them within hours.
'No one has been able to see (Patterson) for the past 10 weeks,' ABC's 7.30 programme executive producer Joel Tozer said in the internal correspondence published by The Australian.
Mr Tozer argued the photos were crucial for compelling television coverage of a high-profile and visually limited court case.
In response, Mr Maley insisted that using the images was unjustified because they could emotionally upset Patterson, who had been transported to prison.
Ultimately, ABC Digital Chief Grant Sherlock overruled Mr Maley's ban following strong pushback from the ABC's Victorian news editor Sarah Jaensch.
Mr Sherlock ruled that four pictures from the series could be used in ABC coverage, but two images remained prohibited.
Ms Jaensch argued there was 'clear public interest' in showing the photos, given Patterson's conviction and the seriousness of the crimes.
'While it's far from a flattering picture, she is now a convicted triple murderer who was photographed while being conveyed to court for her murder trial,' she said in an email.
'If we are not using any vision of her distressed, we wouldn't use the vision of her crying on her doorstep, which was used many times before she was a convicted murderer.
'That was also invading her privacy but the public interest argument won over.'
The ABC has not yet responded to requests for comment regarding how much it paid for the suppressed images.
Patterson, 50, was convicted on Monday of murdering her former in-laws Don and Gail Patterson and Heather Wilkinson, and attempting to murder Ian Wilkinson.
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Perth Now
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The Advertiser
an hour ago
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Mushroom trial circus packs up after guilty verdicts
Korumburra, Leongatha and Morwell. These humble towns in Victoria's Gippsland region have been caught up in Erin Patterson's decision to serve up a deadly mushroom meal almost two years ago. Over more than 10 weeks, Morwell has been in the spotlight after hosting a trial that has captivated much of the nation and the world. It brought swarms of true-crime fanatics and media to hear blow-by-blow details about the death cap mushroom-laced lunch at Patterson's Leongatha home in July 2023. A jury on Monday unanimously found Patterson guilty of intentionally poisoning her estranged husband's parents, Don and Gail Patterson, and his uncle and aunt Ian and Heather Wilkinson, who all lived in Korumburra. Mr Wilkinson, the pastor at Korumburra Baptist Church, was the lone diner to survive after a lengthy hospital stay. Toni Watson from Morwell Newsagency said she felt relief watching news of the verdicts. "There was too many gaps (in Patterson's story)," she told AAP. Towns like Snowtown in South Australia have become indelibly linked to murder cases. Ms Watson, who has spent most of her life in Morwell, said she hoped the triple murder didn't taint the region's reputation. The area has already suffered a degree of stigma from the murder of 14-month-old Jaidyn Leskie, whose body was found at Blue Rock Dam on New Year's Day 1998. "The Jaidyn Leskie case happened in Moe, but it affects the whole La Trobe Valley," she said. Along with a band of reporters, Laura Heller from Jay Dee's Cafe in Morwell made a mad dash for the courthouse after hearing the jury had reached a verdict following seven days of deliberations. The historic nature of the moment wasn't lost on the 31-year-old. "It will be talked about forever and it will always be remembered as one of the craziest stories in Australian history," she told AAP. Ms Heller, a law student who worked at the cafe throughout the trial, said business had been booming in the traditionally quiet winter period. The out-of-towners were a mixture of media, true crime nuts and "oldies" wanting to have a stickybeak. "Not much goes on here, so we were all excited a lot of people from Australia and around the world were coming," Ms Heller said. "I know that sounds crazy." She spoke with a sense of melancholy about life returning to normal in the area, which has faced social and economic problems with the impending closure of job-creating coal-fired power stations. "It's like summer camp coming to an end," she said. South Gippsland Shire councillor Nathan Hersey said the scale of the media attention astounded locals. "In all of this, there has been a lot of publicity. A lot of it's been negative, unfortunately, and it's gained traction in a pop-culture kind of way," he said. "But I don't feel like that has reflected on the region. Anyone who knows Gippsland knows that it's a great place with a lot of fantastic people." Korumburra, Leongatha and Morwell. These humble towns in Victoria's Gippsland region have been caught up in Erin Patterson's decision to serve up a deadly mushroom meal almost two years ago. Over more than 10 weeks, Morwell has been in the spotlight after hosting a trial that has captivated much of the nation and the world. It brought swarms of true-crime fanatics and media to hear blow-by-blow details about the death cap mushroom-laced lunch at Patterson's Leongatha home in July 2023. A jury on Monday unanimously found Patterson guilty of intentionally poisoning her estranged husband's parents, Don and Gail Patterson, and his uncle and aunt Ian and Heather Wilkinson, who all lived in Korumburra. Mr Wilkinson, the pastor at Korumburra Baptist Church, was the lone diner to survive after a lengthy hospital stay. Toni Watson from Morwell Newsagency said she felt relief watching news of the verdicts. "There was too many gaps (in Patterson's story)," she told AAP. Towns like Snowtown in South Australia have become indelibly linked to murder cases. Ms Watson, who has spent most of her life in Morwell, said she hoped the triple murder didn't taint the region's reputation. The area has already suffered a degree of stigma from the murder of 14-month-old Jaidyn Leskie, whose body was found at Blue Rock Dam on New Year's Day 1998. "The Jaidyn Leskie case happened in Moe, but it affects the whole La Trobe Valley," she said. Along with a band of reporters, Laura Heller from Jay Dee's Cafe in Morwell made a mad dash for the courthouse after hearing the jury had reached a verdict following seven days of deliberations. The historic nature of the moment wasn't lost on the 31-year-old. "It will be talked about forever and it will always be remembered as one of the craziest stories in Australian history," she told AAP. Ms Heller, a law student who worked at the cafe throughout the trial, said business had been booming in the traditionally quiet winter period. The out-of-towners were a mixture of media, true crime nuts and "oldies" wanting to have a stickybeak. "Not much goes on here, so we were all excited a lot of people from Australia and around the world were coming," Ms Heller said. "I know that sounds crazy." She spoke with a sense of melancholy about life returning to normal in the area, which has faced social and economic problems with the impending closure of job-creating coal-fired power stations. "It's like summer camp coming to an end," she said. South Gippsland Shire councillor Nathan Hersey said the scale of the media attention astounded locals. "In all of this, there has been a lot of publicity. A lot of it's been negative, unfortunately, and it's gained traction in a pop-culture kind of way," he said. "But I don't feel like that has reflected on the region. 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"There was too many gaps (in Patterson's story)," she told AAP. Towns like Snowtown in South Australia have become indelibly linked to murder cases. Ms Watson, who has spent most of her life in Morwell, said she hoped the triple murder didn't taint the region's reputation. The area has already suffered a degree of stigma from the murder of 14-month-old Jaidyn Leskie, whose body was found at Blue Rock Dam on New Year's Day 1998. "The Jaidyn Leskie case happened in Moe, but it affects the whole La Trobe Valley," she said. Along with a band of reporters, Laura Heller from Jay Dee's Cafe in Morwell made a mad dash for the courthouse after hearing the jury had reached a verdict following seven days of deliberations. The historic nature of the moment wasn't lost on the 31-year-old. "It will be talked about forever and it will always be remembered as one of the craziest stories in Australian history," she told AAP. Ms Heller, a law student who worked at the cafe throughout the trial, said business had been booming in the traditionally quiet winter period. The out-of-towners were a mixture of media, true crime nuts and "oldies" wanting to have a stickybeak. "Not much goes on here, so we were all excited a lot of people from Australia and around the world were coming," Ms Heller said. "I know that sounds crazy." She spoke with a sense of melancholy about life returning to normal in the area, which has faced social and economic problems with the impending closure of job-creating coal-fired power stations. "It's like summer camp coming to an end," she said. South Gippsland Shire councillor Nathan Hersey said the scale of the media attention astounded locals. "In all of this, there has been a lot of publicity. A lot of it's been negative, unfortunately, and it's gained traction in a pop-culture kind of way," he said. "But I don't feel like that has reflected on the region. Anyone who knows Gippsland knows that it's a great place with a lot of fantastic people." Korumburra, Leongatha and Morwell. These humble towns in Victoria's Gippsland region have been caught up in Erin Patterson's decision to serve up a deadly mushroom meal almost two years ago. Over more than 10 weeks, Morwell has been in the spotlight after hosting a trial that has captivated much of the nation and the world. It brought swarms of true-crime fanatics and media to hear blow-by-blow details about the death cap mushroom-laced lunch at Patterson's Leongatha home in July 2023. A jury on Monday unanimously found Patterson guilty of intentionally poisoning her estranged husband's parents, Don and Gail Patterson, and his uncle and aunt Ian and Heather Wilkinson, who all lived in Korumburra. Mr Wilkinson, the pastor at Korumburra Baptist Church, was the lone diner to survive after a lengthy hospital stay. Toni Watson from Morwell Newsagency said she felt relief watching news of the verdicts. "There was too many gaps (in Patterson's story)," she told AAP. Towns like Snowtown in South Australia have become indelibly linked to murder cases. Ms Watson, who has spent most of her life in Morwell, said she hoped the triple murder didn't taint the region's reputation. The area has already suffered a degree of stigma from the murder of 14-month-old Jaidyn Leskie, whose body was found at Blue Rock Dam on New Year's Day 1998. "The Jaidyn Leskie case happened in Moe, but it affects the whole La Trobe Valley," she said. Along with a band of reporters, Laura Heller from Jay Dee's Cafe in Morwell made a mad dash for the courthouse after hearing the jury had reached a verdict following seven days of deliberations. The historic nature of the moment wasn't lost on the 31-year-old. "It will be talked about forever and it will always be remembered as one of the craziest stories in Australian history," she told AAP. Ms Heller, a law student who worked at the cafe throughout the trial, said business had been booming in the traditionally quiet winter period. The out-of-towners were a mixture of media, true crime nuts and "oldies" wanting to have a stickybeak. "Not much goes on here, so we were all excited a lot of people from Australia and around the world were coming," Ms Heller said. "I know that sounds crazy." She spoke with a sense of melancholy about life returning to normal in the area, which has faced social and economic problems with the impending closure of job-creating coal-fired power stations. "It's like summer camp coming to an end," she said. South Gippsland Shire councillor Nathan Hersey said the scale of the media attention astounded locals. "In all of this, there has been a lot of publicity. A lot of it's been negative, unfortunately, and it's gained traction in a pop-culture kind of way," he said. "But I don't feel like that has reflected on the region. Anyone who knows Gippsland knows that it's a great place with a lot of fantastic people."
7NEWS
an hour ago
- 7NEWS
Erin Patterson: Dr Chris Webster reveals moment he knew mushroom cook was a ‘disturbed, sociopathic' murderer
The doctor who notified police about Erin Patterson has spoken for the first time since the guilty verdict, revealing the moment he realised the mushroom murderer was a 'disturbed sociopathic nut bag'. Dr Chris Webster dialled triple zero in the morning of July 31, 2023, after Patterson discharged herself from Leongatha Hospital within five minutes of being there. Patterson's ex-husband's parents, Don and Gail Patterson, were in a critical condition at Dandenong Hospital, while Ian and Heather Wilkinson were receiving treatment at Leongatha Hospital after eating a serving of beef Wellington laced with death cap mushrooms. Now, the transcript of his call with an emergency operator has been released. 'This is Dr Chris Webster calling from Leongatha Hospital. I have a concern regarding a patient that presented here earlier, that has left the building and is potentially exposed to a fatal toxin from mushroom poisoning, and I've tried several times to get hold of her on her mobile phone,' Dr Webster told the operator. 'The last name is Patterson. Erin.' In a short conversation that followed, Dr Webster explained to the operator that 'five people ate a meal on Saturday and two of them are in intensive care at Dandenong Hospital.' 'Two have just been transferred from Leongatha Hospital to Dandenong Hospital, and Erin presented this morning with symptoms of poisoning,' he continued. The operator asked what happened when Patterson presented and then quickly discharged herself. 'It was time for the nurse to begin observations and I was managing the other critically unwell patients,' he said. 'I had a brief chat to her about where the mushrooms were obtained, and while I was attending (to) the other patients, nurses informed me that she had discharged herself against medical advice.' The phone call marks the first time police would hear about the deadly lunch that would eventually claim the lives of Don and Gail, as well as Gail's sister Heather. Heather Wilkinson's last words to doctor Dr Webster vividly recalled the moments of that morning, telling The Age that he was managing the symptoms of the Wilkinsons, who were suffering from what first appeared to be regular food poisoning, until a frantic call came in from Dandenong Hospital. The caller was ringing to tell Dr Webster that they suspected Don and Gail, who arrived at Dandenong Hospital the previous night, were suffering from toxic mushroom poisoning. Dr Webster said his thoughts went from 'oh f***' to 'we have to get this medicine into these patients' bloodstream as quickly as possible.' 'There was just a sense of absolute kind of disbelief that this is happening, and probably an element of disappointment with myself because... it wasn't an idea that formed in my mind to ask about the mushrooms. 'The idea that it could be something so enormous – a premeditated poisoning of a Michelin-star meal with mushrooms – was so far from what my brain was prepared to accept,' he told the publication. Dr Webster revealed that the last words Ms Wilkinson said to him before the ambulance left were, 'Thank you for looking after me.' 'I knew she was going off to her death,' he admitted. 'Heather was one of the gentlest souls, (the) kindest person. Her liver is falling apart inside her body, and the thing that she makes sure she does before she leaves the hospital in an ambulance: thank the doctor.' Dr Webster has also revealed that he suspected Patterson was a murderer when she told him she purchased the mushrooms used in the deadly meal from Woolworths. 'If she said she picked them, it would have been a very different mindset for me because there would have been an instant assumption it was all a tragic accident,' he told the Herald Sun. 'But once she said that answer, my thoughts were, 'holy f**king shit, you f**king did it, you crazy bitch, you poisoned them all'. 'The turning point for me was that moment.' Dr Webster said Patterson was a 'disturbed sociopathic nut bag'. 'She wasn't freaking out about the safety of her children,' he said. 'Looking into her eyes, I thought 'I don't know what planet you're on but you're not on earth. 'If it was an Agatha Christie novel, this is how one of her characters would have done it.' The motive behind the murders is still unknown.
