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Daily Mail
6 days ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
Mushroom murderer Erin Patterson's shocking new medical diagnosis that could see her escape a life sentence behind bars
Mushroom chef killer Erin Patterson may avoid a life sentence in jail after prison doctors diagnosed her with a rare psychological condition two years ago. Daily Mail Australia has been told doctors believed Patterson had Munchausen's Syndrome when she first arrived at the Dame Phyllis Frost Correctional Centre after her arrest in November 2023. Munchausen Syndrome is a psychological condition where someone pretends to be ill or deliberately produces symptoms of illness in themselves. It is done with the intention of 'assuming the sick role' so friends and family will care for them and make them the centre of attention. The condition could potentially save Patterson from being jailed for life if it's cited as a mitigating factor for the murders, although that outcome is unlikely. Patterson, 50, was convicted of the murders of her in-laws Don and Gail Patterson, and Gail's sister Heather Wilkinson, and the attempted murder of Heather's husband Ian. She admitted in court to lying about having been diagnosed with cancer to obtain sympathy from her intended murder victims. During her epic ten-week trial at the Latrobe Valley Law Courts in Morwell, the jury heard Patterson relished the attention she got from her in-laws by pretending to be sick. The court heard from sole survivor Ian Wilkinson that Patterson told her lunch guests she had undertaken a diagnostic test that showed a spot on a scan, which was a tumour. While Don Patterson was dying in Korumburra Hospital following the lunch, he told hospital staff Patterson had mentioned she had been diagnosed with ovarian cancer, the jury heard. But Patterson admitted she didn't have any medical appointments relating to cancer, despite telling Gail Patterson she was undergoing medical investigations. And in the witness box, Patterson told the jury she had lapped up the attention she received from her in-laws in response to her fictitious cancer diagnosis. 'I had initially thought I had an issue with my elbow, I'd had a lot of pain for a number of weeks, I thought I had a lump,' she told the jury. 'I had told Don and Gail about what I was worried about. I'd probably whinged a bit too much to Don and Gail about it and felt a bit embarrassed by that. 'They made me feel loved and cared for in the way that they were asking about my health and I didn't want that to stop, so I kept going.' On July 7, a jury found Patterson killed and attempted to kill her victims in cold blood. A date for Patterson's pre-sentence plea hearing is yet to be fixed, but is expected to take place sometime in August. Patterson had been defended at trial by top Melbourne barrister Colin Mandy, KC and Sophie Stafford. A plea hearing allows a convicted criminal to have submissions made on their behalf to try and mitigate a jail sentence. Patterson faces the prospect of a life sentence without parole unless she can persuade Justice Christopher Beale that there are compelling reasons for her eventual release. These reasons often revolve around remorse and an offender's 'insight' into the crimes that led to their conviction. A person who pleads not guilty and goes to trial traditionally receives a far more severe penalty than someone who spares their victims the burden of having to give evidence at trial. Often, a medical explanation for one's offending can help mitigate a sentence. Such mental conditions, when accepted by the court, routinely earn violent offenders discounts on their sentences. The Leongatha home of Erin Patterson where she lured her lunch guests to their deaths 'Verdins principles' - as they are known under Victoria's Sentencing Act of 1991 - reduce the offender's moral culpability and force a judge to consider the added 'hardship' jail will have on them. They are principles rolled out and relied upon by convicted criminals and their lawyers on a daily basis in Victoria. It remains unclear if Patterson intends to allow herself to be assessed by a forensic psychiatrist before her sentence. Both prison and police sources have suggested Patterson is unlikely to admit to any form of mental illness or change her story at plea in an effort to save her skin. 'She's a narcissist,' one source said. 'She loves the attention and I doubt she'll be falling on her sword now and making any kind of admissions.' Patterson remains locked up in solitary confinement for her own safety. There she spends almost 24-hours a day alone. Prison sources have since poured water on earlier reports that suggested Patterson had been working in the prison kitchen. 'She's not working anywhere. And she sure as hell isn't working in the prison kitchen. She gets all her food brought into her. She's not going anywhere anytime soon,' a source said. High profile Melbourne criminal lawyer George Balot, of Balot Reilly Criminal Lawyers, told Daily Mail Australia Patterson still faced significant challenges to earn herself a discounted sentence. 'Mitigating factors are details about the offender and their offence that tend to reduce the severity of their sentence for example the offender's previous good character, the likely effects of prison on the offender for example, if the offender has a medical condition that would be hard to manage in prison,' he said. 'Courts can consider factors such as the offender's mental health. 'Generally speaking ill health will be a factor tending to mitigate punishment only when it appears that imprisonment will be a greater burden on the offender by reason of their state of health or when there is a serious risk of imprisonment having a gravely adverse effect on the offender's health. 'Sentencing individuals with Munchausen Syndrome or Factitious Disorder is a difficult exercise because the condition is complex. 'Sentencing decisions consider the offender's potential for rehabilitation. 'While it is not a recognised medical diagnosis, the courts acknowledge the underlying personality disorder and its impact on behaviour when determining appropriate sentences. 'Also protective custody is normally mitigating if evidence shows conditions are harsh.' Patterson will be sentenced at a date to be fixed.
BBC News
12-07-2025
- BBC News
Mushroom killer: How 'super sleuth' Erin Patterson became true crime obsession
For years, from behind a computer screen, Erin Patterson built up a reputation in an online true crime community as a "super sleuth".Today, she herself has become a true crime three people died – and another fell gravely ill - after eating toxic-mushroom-laced beef Wellingtons at her home in rural Victoria two years ago, her entire life was put under a have descended from around the world to cover her lengthy murder trial, spectators have queued daily to nab a spot in the courtroom, and thousands of people have picked apart details of the case despite a jury earlier this week finding her guilty on all charges, the frenzy of speculation and depth of fascination has only intensified."It has shades of Macbeth," criminal psychologist Tim Watson-Munro told the BBC. It was in one of Australia's smallest courtrooms that its biggest trial in recent history took 11 weeks, seven documentary-making teams cast their lens on the tiny town of Morwell. Podcasters here were a dime a dozen. Journalists vied for the six seats reserved for media inside the court each day. Even one of Australia's best-loved authors, Helen Garner, frequently dropped by the Latrobe Valley Law Courts, fuelling rumours that she is preparing to write another with the sea of tripods outside the building most mornings of the trial was a queue of camp rain, frost or fog, court watchers – predominantly women, often rugged up in beanies and encased in sleeping bags – watched for the moment the glass doors would inside, they would lay a line of belongings – scarves, water bottles, notepads, bags – outside the courtroom entry to reserve their spot. Tammy Egglestone commuted for more than an hour to reach Morwell most days of the trial. "I'm a bit of a true crime fanatic," she was in court when it heard evidence that Patterson was once just like had been an active member in a Facebook group focussed on the crimes of Keli Lane, a woman who was found guilty of killing her two-day-old daughter in one of Australia's most notorious cases. In 2018, Lane became the subject of a major podcast after writing to a journalist claiming to have been wrongly convicted and begging her to Patterson's trial, one of her online friends Christine Hunt said she was renowned among her peers for her nimble researching and tech skills."She was a bit of a super sleuth," she said. "She was highly regarded in that group." But as her case unfolded in Morwell, Patterson was also put on trial in the court of public became water-cooler talk in workplaces around the country, gossip among friend groups, and the ultimate topic of debate of people theorised over a motive for the crime, provided commentary on bits of evidence, and even alleged corrupt forces were behind the case – much of the discussion unfounded, almost all of it in breach of laws designed to give defendants a fair filled social media feeds. On Google Maps, someone created a restaurant listing at Patterson's home address. Others shared trial bingo cards they had created for those following it closely. Throughout the week the jury was considering their verdict, sequestered in a hotel to protect them from the maelstrom, the question everyone had was: what were they thinking?"What are they doing in there?" one lawyer was overheard asking in a Morwell café on day four of deliberations. With jury members bound by strict secrecy requirements, we will never know."In the US, they can interview jurors after a trial," criminal psychologist Tim Watson-Munro told the BBC. "We can't get into the heads of jurors in Australia… so it's really hard to know what they're thinking has been and why they've come to that conclusion."That leaves a massive vacuum for members of the public to fill with their speculation. People like Ms Egglestone pondered: if the poisoning was intended to kill, wouldn't Patterson have planned and executed it better?"I've come in here [as] Switzerland," Ms Egglestone clarified, calling the discourse around the case "very pitchforky"."You know, [it's] she's guilty, she's guilty, she's guilty."And a lot of them are using hindsight reasoning. 'If I was in that situation, I wouldn't do this, this and this.' Well, you don't know what you would do in that situation."But people like her were drowned out by the hordes proclaiming Patterson said it was her lies that convinced them. Some claimed the evidence showed a clear lack of empathy and concern for those who died."What really gave her away was wearing white pants when she had 'gastro' and needed to go to hospital for it!" one person posted, referring to CCTV footage of her movements in the days after the lunch, which was played at the trial. Already, the case has inspired a television special, a silver screen drama series, a bevy of podcasts, several documentaries and a handful of books."It has those typical cliché things that make true crime sell," Ms Egglestone said, explaining why she and flocks of others have become obsessed with the case."The fact that she did take out family members... [she's] white, female, financially stable, you know. And they're all church people."For David Peters, seemingly benign circumstances surrounding the crime – and the fact it was in his local area – drew him in: "The fact that it was a family sitting down to do something you would consider to be safe - have a meal - and then the consequences of that meal..."Several people tell the BBC the case reminds them of the frenzy over Lindy Chamberlain's notorious trial in 1982. She was falsely convicted of murder after her infant daughter Azaria was taken from an outback campsite by a no coincidence that both of those cases centre around women, criminology researcher Brandy Cochrane tells the world has long been fascinated by women who kill – in no small part because it contradicts their traditional "caring" gender role, they explain. Those stereotypes also cast a shadow on Patterson's time in court. "She's expected to act in a particular way, and she's not," says Dr Cochrane, a lecturer at Victoria University."It's like, 'Oh, obviously she's guilty, she's not crying the whole time' or 'Obviously she's guilty, she's lied about this'. The legal system in and of itself treats women very differently."Away from the ghoulish spectre of the trial, there's anger – albeit dwindling – among the communities where the victims are from over the way the case has been dissected, local councillor Nathan Hersey tells the and Gail Patterson and Heather Wilkinson were respected and adored by many in the South Gippsland region, he says, but it feels like they've been forgotten."This has been an extremely high-profile case that's brought a lot of attention, often unwanted through to our local community."[And] some people haven't had that humanity… they've certainly lost focus that for people, there is a loss, there is grief."
ABC News
10-07-2025
- Health
- ABC News
Community kitchen on the chopping block as Latrobe Health Assembly forced to close
When a bushfire entered the Hazelwood coal mine on February 9, 2014, it blanketed the neighbouring community of Morwell in toxic smoke for 45 days, leaving 11 dead and causing an environmental and health disaster. It prompted two Victorian government inquiries that resulted in a report containing 18 recommendations to help the community rebuild. Now, a decade after the embers have cooled, one of the last institutions set up to manage the fire's legacy in the Latrobe Valley is closing its doors. Established by the inquiry, the Latrobe Health Assembly has delivered more than 200 locally driven projects, such as programs for childhood development, chronic disease, and food insecurity. These programs are now in doubt, as the assembly failed to receive the necessary investment from this year's state budget. Latrobe Health Assembly chair Tanya Rong said the abrupt end to the assembly's work was devastating. "It was a shock," she said. The state government's 2014 Hazelwood mine fire inquiry found that a complex fire emergency and a serious public health emergency faced the Latrobe Valley. The inquiry and its report made 18 recommendations on how to improve the health of the region, including tackling the higher rates of chronic illness and lifestyle disease. The Latrobe Health Assembly was established in 2017 as part of the response and has worked to improve the health outcomes for the local community. Ms Rong said having a community-led focus was a key aspect of the assembly's success. "We really are the voice of the community," she said. "We enable a platform for the community to have a voice over the decisions that affect them, certainly with health decisions, and we were given the budget to find new ways of improving the health and wellbeing in the Latrobe Valley." The need for such programs is stark, with recent data showing the Latrobe Valley continues to be over-represented when it comes to chronic illness and disease. Gippsland Primary Health Network data shows the region continues to experience higher rates of mental health conditions, avoidable deaths due to cancer and heart-related illnesses, and significant disadvantage compared to the rest of Victoria. The assembly has delivered programs such as community health nurses in primary schools, the ABC youth program, and the wellbeing and emotional support cafe to improve mental health support for Valley residents. It is now using its remaining cash reserves to wind up, which will take the assembly through to the end of December this year, with those core programs due to end. "We have more than 25 projects currently running in the community, so it's a huge, significant impact that we are going to be withdrawing those," Ms Rong said. One of the programs affected by the funding cuts is the People's Kitchen, run by Morwell Neighbourhood House. The kitchen program has been running since 2023, tackling food insecurity by packaging up to 150 home-cooked, nutritious meals for people in need. The program was able to significantly upscale its operations thanks to its partnership with the Latrobe Health Assembly. The manager of Morwell Neighbourhood House, Tracie Lund, is also a community member of the health assembly, and said the abrupt termination of the assembly's funding meant the People's Kitchen was now in doubt. Ms Lund said it came at a time when more residents were looking for support due to cost-of-living pressures. "It means we won't be able to supply as many meals while we're doing that background work to resource more funding," she said. A Victorian government spokesperson said the government acknowledged the assembly's work and was continuing to deliver ongoing investments across the region with the Gippsland Regional Local Public Health Unit.
The Guardian
09-07-2025
- The Guardian
Erin Patterson trial was Victoria supreme court's largest media matter in recent history, court data reveals
The Erin Patterson trial was the Victorian supreme court's biggest case in terms of media interest in recent history, with more than 250 journalists registering for court updates on the trial. On Monday a jury found Patterson guilty of murdering three relatives and attempting to murder a fourth with a deadly beef wellington lunch laced with death cap mushrooms almost two years ago. The media coverage has been consistent and extensive during the two-and-a-half months of the trial and has dominated media outlets this week. The cast of characters covering the trial included nine authors, seven podcast producers, seven documentary crews and a television drama series, a spokesperson for the court told the media on Wednesday. Sign up to get Guardian Australia's weekly media diary as a free newsletter The ABC announced last week that Toxic, 'a layered and intricate series' exploring the events surrounding the beef wellington lunch, had been commissioned from producer Tony Ayres. Hachette will publish Recipe for Murder, a book by Duncan McNab, in October, with Allen & Unwin releasing The Mushroom Murders by Greg Haddrick shortly after. The supreme court said 252 journalists' and outlets' emails were on the court's media list, while 190 journalists were provided the audio-only livestream details to listen to the hearing in the Latrobe Valley law courts in Morwell. After the verdict was handed down on Monday, an additional seven international media outlets made contact with the court as the story travelled to the UK, US, New Zealand and beyond. 'These figures make the trial the biggest matter media-wise the court has managed in recent history,' a spokesperson said in an unusual statement from the judicial system which also praised the coverage as largely fair and accurate. 'Given the significant volume of trial material published and broadcast, the court was overall pleased with the quality and diligence of media reporting during the trial.' However, there were some misfires in the reporting of R v Erin Patterson, which were only made public after the verdict. During the trial a small number of inaccuracies were corrected. The court was actively monitoring trial coverage, alongside the parties, to safeguard the trial's integrity, the spokesperson said. 'As with all matters, media were reminded they must report fairly and accurately and only report information that was presented to the jury.' Justice Christopher Beale issued 16 directions to remove content, including four against individuals on social media. Most of the directions were for alleged potential breaches of sub judice contempt law. The court was concerned by the media outlets, commentators, and individuals on social media who purported to be covering the case and providing 'updates' but who were not registered with the court, did not attend hearings and had not been warned of the legal responsibilities. They had 'no understanding of their legal responsibilities or the trial's complexities,' the spokesperson said. 'At least one such outlet has been referred to the Office of Public Prosecutions for contempt as a result.' Sign up to Weekly Beast Amanda Meade's weekly diary on the latest in Australian media, free every Friday after newsletter promotion The Kyle and Jackie O Show has been referred for possible prosecution for contempt after comments made on air during the trial, including Kyle Sandilands saying, 'Just lock that bitch up.' Beale also considered whether to take action for contempt against a 'Psychology of Serial Killers' event and Mamamia podcasters for statements allegedly made during the trial. 'I remind media and podcasters that ignorance of the law is no excuse, and I remind them that the court's media team will continue to monitor coverage of this trial to safeguard the trial's integrity,' Beale said last month in the absence of the jury. The supreme court said the fascination with the mushroom trial, which was 'dissected in popular culture', meant ensuring a fair trial was particularly challenging. '[It] should serve as a reminder why the principle of sub judice exists – to ensure every person who appears in court is afforded a fair trial,' the spokesperson said. In a personal note to journalists, the court acknowledged those who had attended who 'put your lives on hold as much as the jury and parties did'. 'I've never seen such a volume of work that you all produced every day – you should be very proud and I hope you're getting a well-deserved break soon.'
The Guardian
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
The mushroom murders resemble an Agatha Christie plot – and film studios, publishers and streaming platforms know it
Agatha Christie and Alfred Hitchcock knew the power of a meal gone fatally wrong. From poisoned tarts to deadly dinner parties, their murder mysteries had the knack of transforming the domestic into the diabolical. Now, real life has delivered its own gothic culinary thriller – and the literary and entertainment worlds are eating it up. The conviction of Erin Patterson, the Victorian woman found guilty of murdering three members of her estranged husband's family – and attempting to murder a fourth – with a homemade beef wellington laced with death cap mushrooms, has created an international media maelstrom. Publishing houses, streaming platforms, film studios and podcast producers are circling the story like salivating wolves closing in to make a killing. Even before the jury delivered its guilty verdict on Monday, Australia's national public broadcaster, the ABC, confirmed it was turning the Patterson poisoning into a TV drama. Its co-creator Tony Ayres (The Survivors, Clickbait) told Deadline that Toxic would 'go beyond the surface – to reveal, not just sensationalise', and he was working closely with the ABC journalist Rachael Brown, co-podcaster of Mushroom Case Daily, the ABC's most successful podcast in a decade. It is one of some half a dozen podcasts that covered the murder trial daily, with reporters from around the world flocking to the Latrobe Valley law courts. These podcast series are now expected to delve deeper into the forensic science behind mushroom toxicity, the ethics of food preparation, and the cultural fascination with domestic crime. This Sunday, Seven is promising a Spotlight Special, with a criminal barrister, a forensic psychologist, a former detective, and journalists dissecting the trial and the convicted poisoner's motives. And Nine has confirmed a deal with its streaming platform Stan for Death Cap, a documentary that Screen Australia promises will showcase 'exclusive access into the investigation and trial' and examine 'how one lethal lunch can shatter the myth of small-town security in Australia'. Comparisons to the 2004 Netflix hit The Staircase, based on the true case of Michael Peterson, an American novelist accused of murdering his wife who was found dead at the bottom of the stairs in their North Carolina home in 2001, abound. Toni Collette who played the victim in The Staircase, is being touted on social media as an ideal actor to play Patterson. New Idea threw local names Magda Szubanski, Mandy McElhinney and Jacki Weaver into the mix, along with Hollywood heavyweights Melissa McCarthy and Kathy Bates, and Baby Reindeer's Jessica Gunning. With one of Australia's most lauded novelists Helen Garner spotted in the Morwell court public gallery, there has been speculation that another gripping work of nonfiction, along the lines of This House of Grief, her 2014 work about the trial of Robert Farquharson, convicted of crashing his car into a dam and killing his three sons, is in the works. And Allen & Unwin has already announced it will publish The Mushroom Murders, a nonfiction work by the Underbelly creator Greg Haddrick – 'with details not previously published' – in November. Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion With global media outlets including CNN, the BBC and Al Jazeera covering the verdict, the story's reach has been unprecedented for an Australian criminal case. 'It resonated with an audience all over the world,' the UK Daily Mail journalist Caroline Cheetham, who gained a cult following with her The Trial Of Erin Patterson podcast, told the ABC. 'It just feels so totally off the wall, bizarre, crazy, bonkers.' With so many spin-off projects already confirmed, the Erin Patterson saga may now become one of the most dramatised true crime stories in recent memory. Whether ethical questions, about how the tragic deaths of Gail and Don Patterson and Heather Wilkinson have become entertainment fodder, will be examined remains to be seen.
