11 h. ago I could hear gasps in the courtroom as the 'mushroom poisoner' finally took the stand and revealed why she survived

For five weeks, the fate of Erin Patterson has hinged on a single, contested question: how did she survive the toxic meal that left three of her guests dead and the fourth in a near-fatal coma?

Events

22 h. ago Australian woman accused of mushroom poisoning admits possible online search for deadly fungi

Erin Patterson is on trial for allegedly killing three family members with poisonous meal

Events

39 h. ago Andre Russell hits back over Kohli’s Test comments: ‘It’s different being from West Indies’

Cricketing superstar has no regrets over career in shorter format with lack of Test opportunities in the West IndiesAndre Russell has a favourite six. One that he thinks of when his head hits the pillow at night. Out of all the cloud-busting strikes that have flown from his blade in the last 15 years, all the boundary-clearing smites across the globe, delivered with dead-eyed assassin temperament under his trademark bleached mohawk. One shot stands out. One six to rule them all.“The one off Hardik Pandya at the Wankhede in the 2016 World Cup,” he says. “That one was just massive. Perfect swing. Right out of the middle.” There’s a moment of silence before Russell blows out his cheeks at the memory. “That one was crazy.” You can look it up and decide for yourself, watch the umpire Richard Kettleborough’s chuckle of astonishment as the ball soars into the top tier of Mumbai’s famous stadium and he signals the obvious. Yeah, that’s a six all right. Continue reading...

Events

59 h. ago Mushroom trial mother accused of poisoning her in laws dumped a kitchen item used to make death cap lunch, court hears

Erin Patterson, 50, said she disposed of the food dehydrator at a local tip because she feared she would be blamed for making her relatives ill and her children would be taken from her.

Events

69 h. ago 'Mushroom poisoner' mum's astonishing explanation for fatal family lunch

Erin Patterson is on trial for murder after allegedly serving a dish containing toxic death cap mushrooms to her in-laws and their 66-year-old sister in Victoria in July 2023

Events

3 d. ago ‘Is that how you poisoned my parents?’: Erin Patterson tells mushroom trial husband confronted her over dehydrator

Triple murder accused, who denies deliberately poisoning anyone, tells court she dumped dehydrator used to dry foraged mushrooms due to feeling ‘scared’ of child protection officers seeing itWho are Erin Patterson and the other key figures in Australia’s mushroom trial?Erin Patterson has told a court her estranged husband asked her if she had used a dehydrator to poison his parents, and admitted resetting her phone out of fear police would discover photos she had of foraged mushrooms.In her third day in the witness box, Patterson also said she thinks there is a “possibility” that foraged mushrooms were unintentionally added to her beef wellington mixture as she tried to improve its “bland” flavour, and lied to her lunch guests about having cancer because she was embarrassed about planned weight loss surgery.Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email Continue reading...

Politics

3 d. ago Beef Wellington mushroom 'poisoner' admits fatal lunch contained death caps

Erin Patterson denies three counts of murder and one of attempted murder after allegedly serving up a family meal which contained poisonous mushrooms at her home in Victoria, Australia

Events

4 d. ago Erin Patterson talks about family rift at fatal mushroom lunch trial

Accused, 50, describes fractured family dynamic and struggles with low self-esteem in court testimony

Events

5 d. ago An Australian woman on trial for triple murder testifies over mushroom poisoning

The woman accused of murdering three members of her ex-husband’s family by serving them poisonous mushrooms has taken the stand at an Australian court on Monday as the highly publicized triple murder trial nears its conclusion

Events

2 w. ago A life saved and what Erin Patterson allegedly confided to friends: week four of the mushroom lunch trial

Sole surviving lunch guest watches on as Victorian supreme court hears how hospital staff ‘thought he was going to die’ from death cap mushroom poisoningWho are Erin Patterson and the other key figures in Australia’s mushroom murders trial?Ian Wilkinson sat in the Victorian supreme court, only metres from the woman accused of trying to murder him, as one of the men who helped save his life gave evidence.Prof Stephen Warrillow, the director of intensive care at Austin Health, had already spoken about the deaths of three people from death cap mushroom poisoning and the particular characteristics of their illnesses; “rapidly progressive deterioration”, the organ failure and of it being “non-survivable”. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Michelle Keegan coordinates with husband Mark Wright as they enjoy a family lunch in Hampstead with baby daughter Palma

Michelle Keegan and Mark Wright were in high spirits as they took their baby daughter to Villa Bianca restaurant in Hampstead, London on Tuesday. 

Politics

3 w. ago Erin Patterson murder trial live: ‘probably impossible’ for death cap mushrooms to come from supermarket as they cannot be cultivated, expert tells trial

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. Follow live updatesKey figures in the mushroom lunch trialLawyer Sophie Stafford asks Dr Thomas May about incidents involving death cap mushroom poisoning.She points to a poisoning that was a subject of a Victorian coroner’s report from May 2024. Continue reading...

Events

3 w. ago Distinguishing between edible and poisonous fungi is difficult, mushroom expert tells Erin Patterson trial

Victorian court hears from mycologist who identified death cap mushrooms growing near Patterson’s home in GippslandKey figures in the mushroom lunch trialAn internationally renowned mushroom expert who discovered death caps near Erin Patterson’s home has started giving his evidence in her triple murder trial.Dr Thomas May, a mycologist or scientist specialising in fungi, appeared in Patterson’s trial on Tuesday.Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email Continue reading...

Politics

4 w. ago Why was 'mushroom poisoner' so reluctant to let her lunch guests into the pantry before they ate beef wellington that killed them?

Erin Patterson, 50, is accused of murdering her former in-laws, Don and Gail Patterson and Gail's sister, Heather Wilkinson, who all died after eating a beef wellington cooked by Patterson at her home.

Events

4 w. ago Daughter of 'mushroom poisoner' reveals what mum told her before fatal lunch that killed three

Erin Patterson has denied deliberately poisoning a beef wellington in an attempt to kill four members of Simon Patterson’s family in Victoria, Australia

Events

4 w. ago Erin Patterson’s daughter says accused mushroom poisoner was ‘very good’ cook, murder trial hears

Patterson’s son tells jury eye-fillet steak from leftovers of fatal lunch was ‘some of the best meat I’ve ever had’Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastErin Patterson’s children ate the leftovers of her beef wellington lunch after their mother and relatives fell ill eating the same meal the previous day, a court has heard.Videos of interviews the siblings gave separately to police on 16 August 2023 have been shown to the jury in Patterson’s triple murder trial. Continue reading...

Events

4 w. ago Australian 'mushroom poisoner' sent her children to the movies before serving up toxic beef Wellington lunch that killed her guests, court hears

Erin Patterson , 50, is accused of murdering the parents and aunt of her estranged husband with a poisonous beef Wellington in July 2023.

Events

last month New Mail podcast reveals Erin Patterson's reaction to testimony of Ian Wilkinson, the sole survivor of mushroom poisoning that killed his wife and friends

Pastor Ian Wilkinson took to the witness box for the first time on Monday, with court reporter Wayne Flower recounting the atmosphere inside the courtroom and Patterson's reaction to his entrance.

Events