3 h. ago Mushroom lunch’s sole surviving guest details deadly meal and its aftermath as trial of Erin Patterson continues

Ian Wilkinson, whose wife was among three who died, tells Victorian court the triple murder accused ‘just seemed like a normal person to me’Who are Erin Patterson and the other key figures in Australia’s mushroom murders trial?The only surviving guest of the beef wellington lunch at Erin Patterson’s house has told her triple murder trial he was happy and excited about being invited for the meal.Ian Wilkinson, the pastor at the Korumburra Baptist church, is the sixth witness in the supreme court trial at the Latrobe Valley law courts in Morwell.Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email Continue reading...

Events

3 h. ago Erin Patterson mushroom murder trial LIVE updates: Bombshell claim as barrister questions key piece of evidence:' There was NO smaller plate'

Follow Daily Mail Australia's live coverage of accused mushroom chef Erin Patterson's murder trial here.

Events

3 h. ago Erin Patterson mushroom murder trial LIVE updates: Barrister questions key piece of evidence: 'There was NO smaller plate'

Follow Daily Mail Australia's live coverage of accused mushroom chef Erin Patterson's murder trial here.

Events

4 h. ago Erin Patterson trial live: medical staff reveal differing severities of illness of each guest at fateful mushroom lunch

Australian woman has pleaded not guilty to charges of murder and attempted murder relating to a lunch she served at her Leongatha home in 2023. Follow live updatesWho are Erin Patterson and the other key figures in Australia’s mushroom murders trial?Ian Wilkinson says late wife Heather ‘fairly excited’ about lunchThe examination now turns to the invite for the mushroom lunch.There was no reason for the lunch.... We were very happy to be invited. It seemed like maybe our relationship with Erin was going to improve.Just seemed like a normal person to me... when we met, seemed quite friendly. We never had arguments or disputes.She just seemed like an ordinary person. Continue reading...

Science

4 h. ago Erin Patterson trial live: mushroom cook plated all beef wellingtons despite family offering to help, only survivor of lethal lunch tells court

Australian woman has pleaded not guilty to charges of murder and attempted murder relating to a lunch she served at her Leongatha home in 2023. Follow live updatesWho are Erin Patterson and the other key figures in Australia’s mushroom murders trial?Ian Wilkinson says late wife Heather ‘fairly excited’ about lunchThe examination now turns to the invite for the mushroom lunch.There was no reason for the lunch.... We were very happy to be invited. It seemed like maybe our relationship with Erin was going to improve.Just seemed like a normal person to me... when we met, seemed quite friendly. We never had arguments or disputes.She just seemed like an ordinary person. Continue reading...

Society

6 h. ago Erin Patterson mushroom murder trial LIVE updates: Detail about deadly lunch that brought survivor to brink of tears on the witness stand

Follow Daily Mail Australia's live coverage of accused mushroom chef Erin Patterson's murder trial here.

Events

6 h. ago Erin Patterson trial live: mushroom cook was ‘very reluctant’ for guests to look in pantry, surviving guest of lethal lunch tells court

Australian woman has pleaded not guilty to charges of murder and attempted murder relating to a beef wellington lunch she served at her Leongatha home in 2023. Follow live updatesWho are Erin Patterson and the other key figures in Australia’s mushroom murders trial?Ian Wilkinson says late wife Heather ‘fairly excited’ about lunchThe examination now turns to the invite for the mushroom lunch.There was no reason for the lunch.... We were very happy to be invited. It seemed like maybe our relationship with Erin was going to improve.Just seemed like a normal person to me... when we met, seemed quite friendly. We never had arguments or disputes.She just seemed like an ordinary person. Continue reading...

Events

25 h. ago ‘I’ve been hiding powdered mushrooms in everything’: Erin Patterson’s Facebook messages revealed

Victorian trial hears from online friends who say murder accused discussed her dehydrator and asked for advice on cooking beef wellingtonWho are Erin Patterson and the other key figures in Australia’s mushroom murders trial?Erin Patterson’s estranged husband has denied asking her “is that what you used to poison them?” in the days immediately after a deadly mushroom lunch.Patterson, 50, faces three charges of murder and one charge of attempted murder relating to the beef wellington lunch she served at her house in Leongatha in South Gippsland in 2023.Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email Continue reading...

Politics

27 h. ago Erin Patterson trial live: mushroom cook described estranged husband as ‘coercive’ and in

Australian woman has pleaded not guilty to charges of murder and attempted murder relating to a beef wellington lunch she served at her Leongatha home in 2023. Follow live updatesWho are Erin Patterson and the other key figures in Australia’s mushroom murders trial?Our justice and courts reporter, Nino Bucci, was in the court room in Morwell last week for the first week of Erin Patterson’s murder trial.Catch up on his report on the first week of the trial: Continue reading...

Society

28 h. ago Alleged mushroom murders trial: husband denies asking Erin Patterson ‘is that what you used to poison them?’

Simon Patterson cross-examined by estranged wife’s lawyer as Victorian supreme court trial enters second week Erin Patterson trial LIVEWho are Erin Patterson and the other key figures in Australia’s mushroom murders trial?Erin Patterson’s estranged husband has denied asking her “is that what you used to poison them?” in the days immediately after the deadly mushroom lunch.Patterson, 50, faces three charges of murder and one charge of attempted murder relating to a beef wellington lunch she served at her house in Leongatha in South Gippsland in 2023.Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email Continue reading...

Events

30 h. ago Erin Patterson trial live: estranged husband Simon gives evidence in mushroom murder trial

Australian woman has pleaded not guilty to charges of murder and attempted murder relating to a beef wellington lunch she served at her Leongatha home in 2023. Follow live updatesWho are Erin Patterson and the other key figures in Australia’s mushroom murders trial?Nanette Rogers SC is now re-examining Simon.Simon says his mother agreed to not read the messages sent from Erin to reduce anxiety she had been diagnosed with encephalitis. Continue reading...

Events

32 h. ago Erin Patterson trial live: estranged husband Simon to resume evidence in mushroom murder trial

Australian woman has pleaded not guilty to charges of murder and attempted murder relating to a beef wellington lunch she served at her Leongatha home in 2023. Follow live updatesWho are Erin Patterson and the other key figures in Australia’s mushroom murders trial?The jury has entered the courtroom for day five of the trial.Erin Patterson’s lawyer, Colin Mandy SC, is continuing his cross-examination of Simon Patterson, Erin’s estranged husband.The court was shown text messages where Simon and Erin communicated about her “forgotten” invitation to her mother-in-law’s 70th birthday. Simon said at this point in time there was “tension” in Erin’s relationship with his parents and between the pair.Simon told the court Erin had “struggled” with mental illness and postnatal depression after the birth of their first child.Simon said his estranged wife “hates” hospitals as he was asked about her discharging herself from Leongatha hospital against medical advice following the lunch. Continue ...

Events

3 d. ago Deliberate poisoning or a tragic accident? The question at the heart of Australia’s mushroom murders trial

Jury hears of a collapsed marriage, cancer claim and mushroom foraging in week one of the trial of Erin PattersonWho are Erin Patterson and the other key figures in Australia’s mushroom murders trial?On the afternoon of 29 July 2023, five people sat down to lunch in the dining room of a house in Leongatha, a small town in the South Gippsland region of Australia’s south-east.Erin Patterson owned the house, and the guests were her parents-in-law, Don and Gail Patterson; Gail’s sister, Heather Wilkinson; and Ian Wilkinson, Heather’s husband. Continue reading...

Events

4 d. ago Erin Patterson never checked on sick guests after fatal mushroom lunch at her house, estranged husband says

Simon Patterson tells trial the lack of inquiries ‘intrigued’ him

Events

4 d. ago The phone app playing an unlikely role in Australia’s mushroom murder trial

What exactly is iNaturalist? The 17-year-old citizen science project that has been referenced in an Australian murder trial

Events

4 d. ago Erin Patterson never checked on sick guests after fatal lunch at her house, estranged husband says

Simon Patterson tells trial the lack of inquiries ‘intrigued’ him

Events

4 d. ago Erin Patterson turned ‘extremely aggressive’ in dispute with estranged husband, mushroom murders trial hears

Simon Patterson tells Victorian court of ‘inflammatory messages’ his wife sent to his parents amid a financial disputeErin Patterson trial – live updatesWho are Erin Patterson and the other key figures in Australia’s mushroom murders trial?Erin Patterson was “extremely aggressive” during a financial dispute with her estranged husband about their children, a Victorian court has heard, as more message exchanges between the former couple were revealed.Patterson, 50, faces three charges of murder and one charge of attempted murder relating to a beef wellington lunch she served at her house in Leongatha in South Gippsland in 2023. Continue reading...

Events

4 d. ago Erin Patterson's deadly mushroom murder trial told of the family row over a birthday party invite

Erin Patterson argued with her estranged husband about a late invite to his mother's birthday party in the months before she allegedly murdered her. 

Events

4 d. ago Erin Patterson trial live updates: mushroom cook had ‘tension’ with inlaws and struggled with mental illness, estranged husband says

Australian woman has pleaded not guilty to charges of murder and attempted murder relating to a beef wellington lunch she served at her Leongatha home in 2023. Follow live updatesWho are Erin Patterson and the other key figures in Australia’s mushroom murders trial?‘Important you’re all there’: Erin Patterson urged husband to reconsider skipping mushroom lunch, murder trial hearsJurors have been shown messages between Simon and Erin between 14-15 October 2022 exchanged on the app Signal.Simon says there was “a lot of tension” in his relationship with Erin at this point. He says her relationship with his parents was also tense.Hey are you coming to mum’s Birthday lunch.I’m not too sure how your dad could have been confused..... Seems that my invite tomorrow is a bit of an afterthought and not even from your parents so I might pass thanks...What I recon is everybody forgot to actually invite me to this thing and I feel very very hurt about that..I’m sorry for shouting at you this afte...

Society

4 d. ago Erin Patterson trial live updates: estranged husband Simon Patterson’s evidence continues in mushroom cook’s murder case

Australian woman has pleaded not guilty to charges of murder and attempted murder relating to a beef wellington lunch she served at her Leongatha home in 2023. Follow live updatesWho are Erin Patterson and the other key figures in Australia’s mushroom murders trial?‘Important you’re all there’: Erin Patterson urged husband to reconsider skipping mushroom lunch, murder trial hearsMandy questions Simon about a conversation he had with his father, Don, on 30 July when he was hospitalised after the mushroom lunch.Mandy says at this point Don had been “distressed, physically for a long period of time”. Continue reading...

Society