Lawyers for alleged triple murderer Erin Patterson have admitted she panicked and initially lied to Police as her lunch guests became gravely ill from the food she had served. The jury in the supreme court trial has heard that Ms Patterson served beef wellington lunch on different coloured plates to her own, triggering early suspicion in one of her guests. But the defence argues the deaths were a tragedy and terrible accident.
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00:00It was an unassuming lunch that took place at Erin Patterson's Leangatha home that would set off a chain of events that ended in the deaths of three of her guests.
00:13Crown Prosecutor Nanette Rogers told the jury Erin Patterson invited her ex-husband's relatives to lunch to ask their advice on whether to tell her children she had cancer.
00:23But the prosecution says medical records show there was no cancer and Ms Patterson held the lunch with the intention of deliberately poisoning her guests.
00:34According to the prosecution, the guests arrived around 12.30 and were served the Beef Wellington meals on four large grey plates, while Erin served herself on a different coloured plate.
00:46By around midnight, all four guests had fallen ill. In the morning, they all went to hospital.
00:51The court heard one guest, Heather Wilkinson, told her nephew and Ms Patterson's ex-husband, Simon,
00:58I noticed Erin put her food on a different plate to us. I wondered why that was.
01:04By Sunday night, doctors suspected death cap mushroom poisoning and began treatment.
01:09On Monday, Erin Patterson also took herself to hospital with symptoms.
01:14But when she was told she'd need to be treated for mushroom poisoning, the prosecution says she discharged herself.
01:21The prosecution argues analysis of Ms Patterson's phones showed that before the lunch, she had travelled to nearby lock and outrim,
01:30where there'd been sightings of death cap mushrooms, and that a dehydrator found with her fingerprints was discovered at a nearby tip.
01:39Defence lawyer Colin Mandy SC said Ms Patterson admitted foraging for mushrooms,
01:44but denies she ever deliberately sought out death cap mushrooms.
01:49The defence case is what happened was a tragedy and terrible accident, Colin Mandy said.
01:55She's innocent.
01:56Ms Patterson listened intently during today's proceedings,
02:00fighting back tears when her lawyer conceded she had lied about having cancer and other issues.
02:06From tomorrow, witnesses will start giving their evidence.
02:09Without theבן members.
02:10I'm going to start with a social media.
02:17I'm going to
02:20ask her.
02:21Let us know what's going on.
02:23Let us know what's going on.
02:26I'm so excited about that.
02:27I'm going to see what's going on.
02:32I'm going to ask her.