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News.com.au
4 hours ago
- News.com.au
‘Upsetting': Nagi Maehashi makes statement on mushroom murders
Chef Nagi Maehashi has shared her heartbreak over her beef Wellington recipe being used by killer Erin Patterson. Patterson was found guilty this week of murder and attempted murder after she served a Wellington laced with death cap mushrooms to her estranged husband's parents and aunt. Maehashi said she had spent more time improving her beef Wellington recipe than any other, and said that she was heartbroken to have found herself 'entangled in the tragic situation'. She also insisted that the media needed to stop reaching out to her, and urged them to respect her privacy. 'It is of course upsetting to learn that one of my recipes – perhaps the one I've spent more hours perfecting than any other – something that I created to bring joy and happiness, is entangled in this tragic situation,' she wrote in an Instagram post with a mushroom emoji. 'Other than that, I have nothing to say and I won't be talking to anyone. Thank you for respecting my privacy.' Maehashi's cookbook Dinner was featured as evidence in the shocking murder trial that lasted 40 days. When police searched Patterson's house on August 5, 2023, they found a copy of the popular recipe book with the recipe for beef Wellington 'spattered' with evidence that it had been followed. Patterson would later confirm to the court that she followed the Wellington recipe but had made a few deviations. During the trail, it was alleged that Patterson deviated from the recipe so she could make individual portions of the deadly Wellington to ensure would not accidentally consume it herself. On Monday, after seven days of deliberations, the jury unanimously found Patterson guilty of three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder. Prosecutors argued the only reasonable explanation for what happened is Patterson knowingly seeking out death cap mushrooms and including them in the lunch on July 29, 2023, intending to kill or seriously injure her guests. Her defence, on the other hand, argued Patterson accidentally included the deadly mushrooms and acted poorly out of panic she would be wrongly blamed. Patterson's parents-in-law, Don and Gail Patterson, and Gail's sister Heather Wilkinson died from multiple organ failure linked to mushroom poisoning in the week following the lunch. She will return to court at a later date for sentencing.
News.com.au
4 hours ago
- News.com.au
‘You crazy b**ch': Doctor reveals moment he knew Erin Patterson poisoned her victims
The doctor who alerted police to Erin Patterson has revealed the moment he realised she had poisoned her victims. Patterson was found guilty of three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder on Monday over a beef wellington lunch she served at her Leongatha home on July 29, 2023. Her estranged husband's parents, Don and Gail Patterson, and his aunt and uncle, Heather and Ian Wilkinson, all fell critically ill after the lunch. Don, Gail and Heather died of multiple organ failure caused by death cap mushroom poisoning. Dr Chris Webster, a doctor at Leongatha Hospital who initially treated Ian and Heather, told the Herald Sun that he knew Patterson was a calculated murderer when she told him the mushrooms in the meal were 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 said. '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.' In the candid interview after testifying, which was published by the newspaper on Tuesday, Dr Webster said Patterson was a 'disturbed sociopathic nut bag'. Mushroom cook found guilty Jurors took seven days to return unanimous verdicts, finding Erin Patterson guilty of three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder in the country Victorian town of Morwell on Monday. Patterson appeared in court dressed in a paisley top, and appeared nervous as the packed courtroom waited for the verdict to be read out. She tried to meet the eyes of the jurors as they entered the room about 2.16pm, but not one met her gaze. She remained expressionless as the forewoman softly said 'guilty' in response to each charge. Members of the Patterson and Wilkinson families were absent during the hearing despite attending every day of the trial, which began in late April. Outside the court, about 200 people were gathered. Throughout a trial lasting more than two months, Patterson maintained the beef-and-pastry dish was accidentally poisoned with death cap mushrooms, the world's most lethal fungus. The court will soon set a date for a sentencing hearing to determine the length of Patterson's jail term. Her legal team has 28 days after sentencing to appeal both her criminal convictions and her sentence. Patterson's lawyers have not yet indicated whether they will appeal. How the triple murder unfolded The guests' blood was swiftly coursing with deadly amatoxin, a poison produced by the death cap mushrooms known to sprout under the oak trees of Victoria. Don, Gail and Heather died of organ failure within a week. Detectives soon found signs that Patterson had dished up the meal with murderous intent. Patterson told her guests she had received a cancer diagnosis and needed advice on breaking the news to her children, prosecutors alleged. But medical records showed Patterson received no such diagnosis. The prosecution said this was a lie cooked up to lure the diners to her table. She also lied about owning a food dehydrator which police later found dumped in a rubbish tip. Forensic tests found the appliance contained traces of the fatal fungi. 'I agree that I lied because I was afraid I would be held responsible,' Patterson told the trial. A computer seized from her house had browsed a website pinpointing death cap mushrooms spotted a short drive from her house a year before the lunch, police said.
News.com.au
5 hours ago
- News.com.au
G8 Education announces major overhaul with CCTV rollout, more parental control after childcare worker arrested
Parents are set to be given more control over who is involved in their child's personal care routines, while CCTV is set to be rolled out across all 400 of G8 Education's childcare centres. G8 education operates Creative Garden Early Learning Centre in Point Cook in Victoria where Joshua Dale Brown, 26, allegedly abused eight children between April 2022 and January 2023. It is alleged some of the children were as young as five months. In a statement to investors, G8 Education on Tuesday announced a broad package of additional safety measures in response to the allegations. The company confirmed it was accelerating the rollout of CCTV to every centre it operates nationwide following trials in several of their centres. G8 will also expand its use of Individual Learning Plans to allow parents to nominate preferences about which educators handle their child's personal care, including nappy changes and toileting. G8's managing director and chief executive Pejman Okhovat said he and his team had been meeting personally with families in Victoria in the wake of the allegations against their former employee. 'These allegations are deeply disturbing, and our hearts go out to the children and families involved,' he said. 'I am deeply sorry for the unimaginable pain caused to our families and what they are going through, 'Our primary focus right now is on supporting all families who are impacted, as well as our team members in Victoria. 'We are continuing to work with Victoria Police, the Victorian government and other authorities as part of their ongoing investigation and are doing everything we can to give them the best chance of achieving justice for the children and families involved.' The company has also committed to commissioning an independent review of the incident once the criminal proceedings are concluded, to further strengthen its child safety procedures. G8 said that, while it already has comprehensive child safety policies in place, including banning devices in childcare rooms, mandatory reporting protocols, and ongoing staff training, it recognises the need to go further. Beyond its own network, G8 has called for broader sector reform, including the establishment of a national educator register, a unified Working with Children Check across states, and a national register of early childhood workers employment history. Authorities have released the details of all 20 childcare centres where Brown worked, including the dates of his employment. Parents and caregivers of 1200 children have been directed to have their kids tested for sexually transmitted infections out of an 'abundance of caution'.
