Victoria’s Court of Appeal dismissed Erin Patterson's attempt to overturn her murder and attempted murder convictions and ruled that she will never be released from prison. The three-judge panel agreed with prosecutors that her initial sentence, which permitted possible freedom after 33 years, was inadequate for such shocking criminality. Patterson was convicted of poisoning her in-laws Don and Gail Patterson, along with Gail’s sister Heather Wilkinson and surviving pastor Ian Wilkinson, by serving beef Wellington laced with death cap mushrooms. The court rejected all seven appeal grounds raised by the defense, including arguments about hotel bookings for the jury and disputed mobile phone…
Key points
The three-judge appeal panel unanimously rejected all seven grounds raised by Erin Patter…: The three-judge appeal panel unanimously rejected all seven grounds raised by Erin Patterson's legal defense team.
Pastor Ian Wilkinson survived the mushroom poisoning after spending several weeks in the…: Pastor Ian Wilkinson survived the mushroom poisoning after spending several weeks in the hospital with ongoing health issues.
Patterson has a 28-day window to decide whether to seek an appeal before the High Court o…: Patterson has a 28-day window to decide whether to seek an appeal before the High Court of Australia.
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Australian mushroom murderer loses appeal to overturn convictions and gets harsher sentence
- Published
Australia's mushroom killer has failed to overturn her murder convictions on appeal, with the court also ruling that she never be released from prison.
Erin Patterson, 51, was found guilty of murdering three relatives and attempting to kill another when she served them a toxic mushroom-laced meal in 2023. Her life sentence included a non-parole period of 33 years.
In Victoria's Court of Appeal on Friday, three judges threw out her appeal against her convictions and agreed with the prosecution that her sentence was inadequate, as it allowed for the possibility of freedom.
Patterson's crimes were "extraordinarily cold and calculated" and had to be "denounced in the strongest terms," they said.
"We have concluded that the case involved such shocking criminality that it is inappropriate to fix a non-parole period," Justice Peter Kidd told the court, on the panel's behalf.
After a high-profile trial last year, a jury found Patterson guilty of murdering her in-laws, Don and Gail Patterson, and Gail's sister Heather Wilkinson, by serving…
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