Rory Hutchings fit and focused on positives of ‘brain snap' ban
A three-time New Zealand champion apprentice, Hutchings had three rides for Waller without a win at his first meeting back, at Warwick Farm on Wednesday, and he has two – Barking Mad (race one) and Seafall (seven) – for him on Saturday. He also has the job on Elouyou for Victorian trainer Scott Cameron in the eighth.
Hutchings was suspended for an incident on May 24 at Randwick when he attempted to weigh out pre-race for a ride on the Waller-trained Providence without his mandatory safety vest on. When caught by clerk of scales David Sylvester, Hutchings used the words, 'I'll look after you'.
In the stewards inquiry, Hutchings pleaded guilty to a charge of trying to weigh out without the vest in an attempt to make the allotted weight, saying it was a 'brain snap'. He pleaded not guilty to an improper conduct charge in relation to his comments, saying how it was interpreted was not what he intended, but stewards found him guilty.
Hutchings, 30, told stewards he struggled with his weight after being flooded in at his home in the lead-up. He was also under financial pressure after a three-month lay-off with a broken collarbone from a fall in New Zealand.
Preparing for Saturday's chances, he said he regretted trying to come back too early.
'I live on the Central Coast and it was when we had all that rain, and there was only one road in and out, so we were in there for a couple of days,' said Hutchings, who has been based in Australia for 10 years.
'I might have come back a little bit soon, and I was trying to ride a little bit lighter at the same time, but the suspension I got, to take some positives out of it, I rode work every single day, got fit and got the weight down, and I rode my minimum, 56 [kilograms], first ride back on Wednesday.
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The Advertiser
5 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Fears for next anti-Semitic firebombing on home soil
Australia's Jewish community is bracing for more anti-Semitic attacks as a task force is charged with doing whatever it takes to tackle hate. Calls for action have sharpened after four incidents in Victoria over the weekend, including a fire at East Melbourne Synagogue which forced worshippers to flee. "It's terrifying," Executive Council of Australian Jewry president Daniel Aghion told AAP. "I don't know where the next attack will be or when or how, all I can say is that it is statistically likely that it will occur. "So far, we have been lucky in that no one has died." He welcomed Victoria's new task force to tackle hate which will examine police powers, but said the state government took too long to act. He urged authorities to disallow weekly pro-Palestine protests in their current form and introduce changes such as protest zones. Some demonstrators at Sunday's rally in Melbourne reportedly chanted "Death to the IDF" (Israel Defence Forces). Australia's anti-Semitism envoy Jillian Segal said the synagogue attack was not a random incident because hatred and intimidation had been allowed to fester, calling for stronger policing and punishments. "Violent or intimidating protest activity which targets the Jewish community is not protest, it is anti-Semitism," she said in a statement. Sydney man Angelo Loras, 34, has been charged with setting fire to the East Melbourne Hebrew Congregation's front doors on Friday night, forcing about 20 people inside to flee. The attack came seven months after part of the Adass Israel Synagogue was destroyed. Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan met with synagogue leaders on Monday, pledging mental health support. She said there were no plans to ban the weekly pro-Palestine demonstrations because freedom of protest was a central tenant of democracy, while hitting out at the protesters' chanting as "odious, hateful behaviour". She was confident anti-vilification laws coming into force in September would give police more powers to crack down on extremist behaviour, as would future legislation to ban masks at protests. Rally organisers hit back at criticism, stressing they were opposed to the Israeli occupation of Gaza. "To combat anti-Semitism, Jacinta Allen needs to learn to distinguish between the IDF which is responsible for war crimes, and Australian Jews," a spokesperson said in a statement. Soon after the synagogue fire, Israeli restaurant Miznon was targeted by masked pro-Palestinian protesters. A window was smashed, tables flipped and chairs thrown as police directed them to leave the area, with one person arrested. Later the same night in the city's northeast, a group spray-painted cars with anti-Semitic "inferences" and set them alight. CCTV footage released by police shows figures in black hooded jumpers lighting the fires outside a Greensborough business, with detectives looking for five people seen fleeing on e-bikes. A fourth incident involved stencils used to spray paint offensive images on pillars and walls near a Holocaust museum in Elsternwick. The incidents have not been declared terrorist attacks, but Victoria Police is working with counter-terrorism officers to examine any links. The Jewish Council of Australia denounced the synagogue attack but said it was "irresponsible and inflammatory to link this anti-Semitic act with separate protest actions". "Such language inaccurately conflates Jewishness with support for Israel, and undermines the fight against real anti-Semitism," executive council member Ohad Kozminsky said. Opposition Leader Brad Battin said hate speech was the "root cause" of Jewish people feeling unsafe, as he pushed for police to review 'move on' laws and potentially recommend changes to the premier. "It is vital now that we stop these crimes in their tracks, we stop the violent speeches happening across the state and that will actually stop the actions that are happening and protect people," he said. The attacks drew international condemnation, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu demanding action against "rioters". Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said those responsible must face the full force of the law and federal opposition frontbencher Melissa McIntosh called for an urgent national cabinet meeting to discuss what happened. Australia's Jewish community is bracing for more anti-Semitic attacks as a task force is charged with doing whatever it takes to tackle hate. Calls for action have sharpened after four incidents in Victoria over the weekend, including a fire at East Melbourne Synagogue which forced worshippers to flee. "It's terrifying," Executive Council of Australian Jewry president Daniel Aghion told AAP. "I don't know where the next attack will be or when or how, all I can say is that it is statistically likely that it will occur. "So far, we have been lucky in that no one has died." He welcomed Victoria's new task force to tackle hate which will examine police powers, but said the state government took too long to act. He urged authorities to disallow weekly pro-Palestine protests in their current form and introduce changes such as protest zones. Some demonstrators at Sunday's rally in Melbourne reportedly chanted "Death to the IDF" (Israel Defence Forces). Australia's anti-Semitism envoy Jillian Segal said the synagogue attack was not a random incident because hatred and intimidation had been allowed to fester, calling for stronger policing and punishments. "Violent or intimidating protest activity which targets the Jewish community is not protest, it is anti-Semitism," she said in a statement. Sydney man Angelo Loras, 34, has been charged with setting fire to the East Melbourne Hebrew Congregation's front doors on Friday night, forcing about 20 people inside to flee. The attack came seven months after part of the Adass Israel Synagogue was destroyed. Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan met with synagogue leaders on Monday, pledging mental health support. She said there were no plans to ban the weekly pro-Palestine demonstrations because freedom of protest was a central tenant of democracy, while hitting out at the protesters' chanting as "odious, hateful behaviour". She was confident anti-vilification laws coming into force in September would give police more powers to crack down on extremist behaviour, as would future legislation to ban masks at protests. Rally organisers hit back at criticism, stressing they were opposed to the Israeli occupation of Gaza. "To combat anti-Semitism, Jacinta Allen needs to learn to distinguish between the IDF which is responsible for war crimes, and Australian Jews," a spokesperson said in a statement. Soon after the synagogue fire, Israeli restaurant Miznon was targeted by masked pro-Palestinian protesters. A window was smashed, tables flipped and chairs thrown as police directed them to leave the area, with one person arrested. Later the same night in the city's northeast, a group spray-painted cars with anti-Semitic "inferences" and set them alight. CCTV footage released by police shows figures in black hooded jumpers lighting the fires outside a Greensborough business, with detectives looking for five people seen fleeing on e-bikes. A fourth incident involved stencils used to spray paint offensive images on pillars and walls near a Holocaust museum in Elsternwick. The incidents have not been declared terrorist attacks, but Victoria Police is working with counter-terrorism officers to examine any links. The Jewish Council of Australia denounced the synagogue attack but said it was "irresponsible and inflammatory to link this anti-Semitic act with separate protest actions". "Such language inaccurately conflates Jewishness with support for Israel, and undermines the fight against real anti-Semitism," executive council member Ohad Kozminsky said. Opposition Leader Brad Battin said hate speech was the "root cause" of Jewish people feeling unsafe, as he pushed for police to review 'move on' laws and potentially recommend changes to the premier. "It is vital now that we stop these crimes in their tracks, we stop the violent speeches happening across the state and that will actually stop the actions that are happening and protect people," he said. The attacks drew international condemnation, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu demanding action against "rioters". Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said those responsible must face the full force of the law and federal opposition frontbencher Melissa McIntosh called for an urgent national cabinet meeting to discuss what happened. Australia's Jewish community is bracing for more anti-Semitic attacks as a task force is charged with doing whatever it takes to tackle hate. Calls for action have sharpened after four incidents in Victoria over the weekend, including a fire at East Melbourne Synagogue which forced worshippers to flee. "It's terrifying," Executive Council of Australian Jewry president Daniel Aghion told AAP. "I don't know where the next attack will be or when or how, all I can say is that it is statistically likely that it will occur. "So far, we have been lucky in that no one has died." He welcomed Victoria's new task force to tackle hate which will examine police powers, but said the state government took too long to act. He urged authorities to disallow weekly pro-Palestine protests in their current form and introduce changes such as protest zones. Some demonstrators at Sunday's rally in Melbourne reportedly chanted "Death to the IDF" (Israel Defence Forces). Australia's anti-Semitism envoy Jillian Segal said the synagogue attack was not a random incident because hatred and intimidation had been allowed to fester, calling for stronger policing and punishments. "Violent or intimidating protest activity which targets the Jewish community is not protest, it is anti-Semitism," she said in a statement. Sydney man Angelo Loras, 34, has been charged with setting fire to the East Melbourne Hebrew Congregation's front doors on Friday night, forcing about 20 people inside to flee. The attack came seven months after part of the Adass Israel Synagogue was destroyed. Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan met with synagogue leaders on Monday, pledging mental health support. She said there were no plans to ban the weekly pro-Palestine demonstrations because freedom of protest was a central tenant of democracy, while hitting out at the protesters' chanting as "odious, hateful behaviour". She was confident anti-vilification laws coming into force in September would give police more powers to crack down on extremist behaviour, as would future legislation to ban masks at protests. Rally organisers hit back at criticism, stressing they were opposed to the Israeli occupation of Gaza. "To combat anti-Semitism, Jacinta Allen needs to learn to distinguish between the IDF which is responsible for war crimes, and Australian Jews," a spokesperson said in a statement. Soon after the synagogue fire, Israeli restaurant Miznon was targeted by masked pro-Palestinian protesters. A window was smashed, tables flipped and chairs thrown as police directed them to leave the area, with one person arrested. Later the same night in the city's northeast, a group spray-painted cars with anti-Semitic "inferences" and set them alight. CCTV footage released by police shows figures in black hooded jumpers lighting the fires outside a Greensborough business, with detectives looking for five people seen fleeing on e-bikes. A fourth incident involved stencils used to spray paint offensive images on pillars and walls near a Holocaust museum in Elsternwick. The incidents have not been declared terrorist attacks, but Victoria Police is working with counter-terrorism officers to examine any links. The Jewish Council of Australia denounced the synagogue attack but said it was "irresponsible and inflammatory to link this anti-Semitic act with separate protest actions". "Such language inaccurately conflates Jewishness with support for Israel, and undermines the fight against real anti-Semitism," executive council member Ohad Kozminsky said. Opposition Leader Brad Battin said hate speech was the "root cause" of Jewish people feeling unsafe, as he pushed for police to review 'move on' laws and potentially recommend changes to the premier. "It is vital now that we stop these crimes in their tracks, we stop the violent speeches happening across the state and that will actually stop the actions that are happening and protect people," he said. The attacks drew international condemnation, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu demanding action against "rioters". Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said those responsible must face the full force of the law and federal opposition frontbencher Melissa McIntosh called for an urgent national cabinet meeting to discuss what happened. Australia's Jewish community is bracing for more anti-Semitic attacks as a task force is charged with doing whatever it takes to tackle hate. Calls for action have sharpened after four incidents in Victoria over the weekend, including a fire at East Melbourne Synagogue which forced worshippers to flee. "It's terrifying," Executive Council of Australian Jewry president Daniel Aghion told AAP. "I don't know where the next attack will be or when or how, all I can say is that it is statistically likely that it will occur. "So far, we have been lucky in that no one has died." He welcomed Victoria's new task force to tackle hate which will examine police powers, but said the state government took too long to act. He urged authorities to disallow weekly pro-Palestine protests in their current form and introduce changes such as protest zones. Some demonstrators at Sunday's rally in Melbourne reportedly chanted "Death to the IDF" (Israel Defence Forces). Australia's anti-Semitism envoy Jillian Segal said the synagogue attack was not a random incident because hatred and intimidation had been allowed to fester, calling for stronger policing and punishments. "Violent or intimidating protest activity which targets the Jewish community is not protest, it is anti-Semitism," she said in a statement. Sydney man Angelo Loras, 34, has been charged with setting fire to the East Melbourne Hebrew Congregation's front doors on Friday night, forcing about 20 people inside to flee. The attack came seven months after part of the Adass Israel Synagogue was destroyed. Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan met with synagogue leaders on Monday, pledging mental health support. She said there were no plans to ban the weekly pro-Palestine demonstrations because freedom of protest was a central tenant of democracy, while hitting out at the protesters' chanting as "odious, hateful behaviour". She was confident anti-vilification laws coming into force in September would give police more powers to crack down on extremist behaviour, as would future legislation to ban masks at protests. Rally organisers hit back at criticism, stressing they were opposed to the Israeli occupation of Gaza. "To combat anti-Semitism, Jacinta Allen needs to learn to distinguish between the IDF which is responsible for war crimes, and Australian Jews," a spokesperson said in a statement. Soon after the synagogue fire, Israeli restaurant Miznon was targeted by masked pro-Palestinian protesters. A window was smashed, tables flipped and chairs thrown as police directed them to leave the area, with one person arrested. Later the same night in the city's northeast, a group spray-painted cars with anti-Semitic "inferences" and set them alight. CCTV footage released by police shows figures in black hooded jumpers lighting the fires outside a Greensborough business, with detectives looking for five people seen fleeing on e-bikes. A fourth incident involved stencils used to spray paint offensive images on pillars and walls near a Holocaust museum in Elsternwick. The incidents have not been declared terrorist attacks, but Victoria Police is working with counter-terrorism officers to examine any links. The Jewish Council of Australia denounced the synagogue attack but said it was "irresponsible and inflammatory to link this anti-Semitic act with separate protest actions". "Such language inaccurately conflates Jewishness with support for Israel, and undermines the fight against real anti-Semitism," executive council member Ohad Kozminsky said. Opposition Leader Brad Battin said hate speech was the "root cause" of Jewish people feeling unsafe, as he pushed for police to review 'move on' laws and potentially recommend changes to the premier. "It is vital now that we stop these crimes in their tracks, we stop the violent speeches happening across the state and that will actually stop the actions that are happening and protect people," he said. The attacks drew international condemnation, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu demanding action against "rioters". Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said those responsible must face the full force of the law and federal opposition frontbencher Melissa McIntosh called for an urgent national cabinet meeting to discuss what happened.
Perth Now
7 hours ago
- Perth Now
Mushroom cook a multi-millionaire
Over the course of a weeks-long murder trial, Erin Patterson was described as many things; a multi-millionaire and generous in-law, a devoted mother-of-two and a cold-blooded killer. The unassuming Victorian woman drew the world's attention after three of her husband's family died from a poisoned meal and a fourth fought his way back from death's door. Details about Patterson's life were revealed by those who knew her best as the Supreme Court trial played out in the regional town of Morwell over the last four months. She had pleaded not guilty to three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder, with her defence arguing the poisoning was a tragic accident. Erin Patterson maintained she did not intentionally harm anyone. Brooke Grebert-Craig. Credit: Supplied At trial, prosecutors argued Patterson intentionally sourced death cap mushrooms, the most poisonous known fungi, and included them in the beef wellington lunch intending to kill or at least seriously injure her four guests. Don and Gail Patterson, her husband Simon Patterson's parents, and Gail's sister Heather Wilkinson died in the week after the lunch on July 29, 2023. Gail's husband Ian Wilkinson recovered after a lengthy stay in hospital. On X, jurors returned to the Latrobe Valley law court and returned unanimous guilty verdicts on all four charges following X days of deliberations. Erin Patterson's parents in law Don and Gail Patterson. Supplied. Credit: Supplied During the trial, jurors heard Patterson first met her husband in the early 2000s when they were both working at the Monash city council. She was an administrative assistant engaged by animal welfare charity the RSPCA while Simon was a civil engineer at the council. Giving evidence, Simon said they got to know each other as part of a 'fairly eclectic' group of friends from the council before developing a romantic relationship. 'Erin is very intelligent. I guess some of the things that attracted me to her in the first place was definitely her intelligence. She is quite witty and can be quite funny,' he said. She remains married to Simon Patterson. NewsWire / David Geraghty Credit: News Corp Australia The jury heard Patterson had worked as an accountant and as an air traffic controller at Melbourne's Tullamarine airport prior to meeting Simon. Patterson told the court she met Simon in 2004 and they began dating in July the following year. She said she first met his parents, Don and Gail Patterson, in about March or April 2005 while on a camping trip with Simon and a few friends and they stopped in at his parents. Patterson described herself as a 'fundamentalist atheist' and initially sought to convert Simon, a devout Christian, but ' things happened in reverse and I became a Christian'. She pointed to a 'spiritual experience' while on that camping trip when they attended a service at Korumburra Baptist Church where Simon's uncle, Ian Wilkinson, was pastor. I'd been approaching religion as an intellectual exercise up until that point,' Patterson said. 'But I had what I would call a religious experience there and it quite overwhelmed me.' Ian Wilkinson survived the lunch. NewsWire / Diego Fedele Credit: News Corp Australia The Korumburra Baptist Church where Mr Wilkinson has been pastor for two decades. NewsWire / Josie Hayden Credit: News Corp Australia Simon told the court a month after their wedding on June 2, 2007, the pair set off on a cross-country trip. 'We planned, before we married, to pack up everything, get a four-wheel drive and drive across Australia and camp in tents, which we did,' he said. Their wedding was held under a marquee at Don and Gail's Korumburra home, with Simon's cousin, David Wilkinson, walking her down the aisle. Patterson told the jury her parents did not attend as they were on a holiday crossing Russia by train. By late 2007, Simon said, they settled down in Perth where he found work at a local council. The jury heard their first child, a son, was born in January 2009, with Patterson describing the birth as 'very traumatic'. On the stand, she said she developed a mistrust of doctors and questioned if they knew what they were doing. The couple also took a number of international holidays, including to New Zealand and Africa. Supplied. Credit: Supplied Patterson said Don and Gail came to stay with them after the birth, saying Gail was 'really supportive, and gentle and patient with me'. 'I remember being really relieved that Gail was there because I felt really out of my depth,' she said. A few months later the family packed up again heading north and covering the top end of Australia. After months of travel, Patterson said she'd had a 'gutful' and elected to fly back to Perth from Townsville leaving Simon and their son to drive back. 'It had been a good holiday but I'd had enough. I wanted to sleep in a real bed,' she said. The jury heard this led to the couple's first separation, in late 2009, for 'about six months' with Patterson and their son living in a rental while Simon lived nearby in a caravan. 'What I understood from Erin was that she was struggling inside herself,' Simon said. The couple underwent marriage counselling and the family reunited after Simon moved to the wheatbelt town of York for work as a council civil engineer. For a time, the couple also lived in Quinninup, in Western Australia's southwest, and Patterson started a second hand book shop in Pemberton which she operated in 2011 and 2012. Giving evidence, Simon said there were a few other periods of short separation while the pair lived in Western Australia before they returned to Victoria in 2013. Patterson's second child, a girl, was born in 2014, and the couple purchased a home in Korumburra to be close to Simon's family the same year. Simon's sister, Anna Terrington, said she developed a strong bond with Patterson because they were both pregnant at the same time. She gave evidence their children, born three days apart, were known in the family as 'the twins'. Anna and Josh Terrington, with sibling Matthew Patterson (right). NewsWire/Ian Currie Credit: News Corp Australia Many of Simon's family members called in the trial described Patterson as a devoted mother to her two children. The couple separated for a final time in late 2015, the jury heard. Asked about the separation, Patterson said she believed the key issue in their relationship was communication but that Simon and her remained close and co-operative in the following years. 'Primarily what we struggled with over the entire course of our relationship … we just couldn't communicate well when we disagreed about something,' she said. 'We could never communicate in a way that made each of us feel heard or understood, so we would just feel hurt and not know how to resolve it.' Patterson told the court after their separation, she remained close to Simon's parents and continued to attend family events. 'It never changed. I was just their daughter-in-law and they just continued to love me,' she said. A court sketch of Erin Patterson during the trial. NewsWire / Paul Tyquin Credit: News Corp Australia The jury heard Patterson received a large inheritance after her grandmother's death in 2006, with disbursements paid out twice annually until 2015. Simon agreed Patterson was 'very generous' with the money, with the couple lending hundreds of thousands of dollars to each of his three siblings and their partners interest free. 'We wouldn't have been able to do it without those inheritances,' he said. 'Money has not been the most important motivation to either Erin or me in our decisions.' He said he believed it totalled roughly $2 million. Patterson also received another large inheritance in 2019 after her mother's death split her estate between her two daughters. The jury heard Patterson used part of this money to buy a block of land at Gibson St, Leongatha, where she built her family home and the location of the deadly lunch. Living on the 3 acre block in the small dairy town, Patterson said she kept animals including sheep and goats. Erin Patterson's home in Leongatha. NewsWire / Diego Fedele. Credit: News Corp Australia Despite their separation four years earlier, Patterson titled both the Gibson St property and a home in the Melbourne suburb of Glen Waverley as shared ownership with her husband. Simon told the court he viewed this at the time as a sign Patterson remained committed to the family unit and was hopeful they would reconcile. He said he believed Patterson had struggled with her self-image for many years although she never explicitly said this to him. On the stand, Patterson said she had body-image issues since childhood and struggled with her weight. 'I tried every diet under the sun,' she said. 'When I was a kid, mum would weigh us every week to make sure we weren't putting on too much weight.' Patterson told the court she had engaged in binge eating and purging since her 20s but no one knew. The jury heard from three witnesses who came to know Patterson in 2020 through an online true crime Facebook group that splintered off into a social chat during the Covid pandemic and continued into 2023. Non-profit manager Christine Hunt said Patterson had made a name for herself in the group as a 'super-sleuth', able to dig up details about true crime cases they discussed. Stay at home mum Daniela Barkley said she believed Patterson to be a wonderful mother, but recalled she vented about problems with Simon and his family. Daniela Barkley said she formed the view Simon was not a nice man from Patterson's posts. NewsWire / Diego Fedele Credit: News Corp Australia A series of messages Patterson sent to the group between December 6 and 9 in 2022, captured her complaining about her husband and his family. 'I'm sick of this s--t I want nothing to do with them. I thought his parents would want him to do the right thing but it seems their concern about not wanting to feel uncomfortable and not wanting to get involved in their son's personal matters are overriding that so f--k em,' one message read. Patterson told the jury she regrets the messages, but her defence noted they needed to be viewed in the proper context of a woman venting to her support network. Giving evidence, Simon told the jury they remained friendly and committed to co-parenting their two children but he first noticed a change in their relationship in late 2022. He said he believed this was after Patterson noticed he'd been listed as separated for the first time in his tax return and he understood the change to have financial implications. Simon Patterson was the first witness called in the trial. NewsWire / Luis Enrique Ascui Credit: News Corp Australia Patterson disagreed, saying while there was a change in the relationship, it occurred weeks later after Simon began to refuse to contribute to their children's schooling and medical costs. 'I wasn't upset, because him listing himself as single on his tax return meant I now have the opportunity to claim family tax benefit that I had been denied before,' she said. Simon said after the tax return, Patterson had filed a child support claim and he'd been instructed by authorities not to pay for things until a financial agreement was reached. Both agreed tensions had cooled down by the end of 2022 but their relationship became 'functional' after this point. She will return to court at a later date.
Perth Now
10 hours ago
- Perth Now
Photo sums up mushroom cook's misery
Erin Patterson's home was covered in black tarps as she awaited a verdict in her high-profile triple murder trial last week - only for her clear hopes of acquittal to be dashed on Monday. Over the span of four months, the 50-year-old faced trial in the regional Victorian town of Morwell after pleading not guilty to the murders of three members of her husband's family and the attempted murder of a fourth. Just days before 12 jurors were sent out to begin their deliberations on June 30, thick black plastic was installed around her home in Leongatha, about 45 minutes from Morwell. The move seemingly revealed Ms Patterson's hopes of a verdict in her favour and a desire to avoid the media attention on her return home. But on Monday, jurors returned a guilty verdict on all three counts of murder and the one count of attempted murder. Erin Patterson's house is blacked out with wrap. NewsWire / Diego Fedele. Credit: News Corp Australia It is understood supporters installed the tarp ahead of the verdict this week. NewsWire / Diego Fedele Credit: News Corp Australia The case centred around a lunch Ms Patterson hosted on July 29, 2023, at her home in Leongatha, in Victoria's southeast, where she served beef wellingtons containing death cap mushrooms. Prosecutors had alleged Ms Patterson deliberately sought out and included the deadly fungi intending to kill or at least seriously injure her four guests. Her defence argued the case was a tragic accident, Ms Patterson had also fallen ill and she did not want to harm anyone. Simon's parents, Don and Gail Patterson, and Gail's sister, Heather Wilkinson, died in early August 2023, from multiple organ failure linked to death cap mushroom poisoning. Ms Wilkinson's husband Ian was gravely ill, but recovered from the poisoning. As the trial began to wrap up, supporters of Ms Patterson got to work wrapping the fence of her Leongatha home in black plastic sheets. The plastic appears to block anyone seeing into the verandah and car port to the home where Ms Patterson hosted the deadly lunch. A 'legal notice', pinned to the gate, read: 'Please be advised that the owner of this property hereby gives notice to all members of the media or any person employed or contracted to any media organisation, that you are not permitted to enter any part of this property as marked by the boundary fence'. Jurors in the trial were sequestered at a hotel for the duration of their deliberations, with their phones confiscated by court staff and access to the outside world limited. Three crosses at the entrance to the township of Korumburra. NewsWire/Ian Currie Credit: News Corp Australia
