Erin Patterson trial: Alleged poisoner’s emotional reaction in court

Alleged triple-murderer Erin Patterson has reacted emotionally as a doctor gave details of the illnesses her husband’s family suffered.

Alleged triple-murderer Erin Patterson has reacted emotionally as medical details of the deaths of members of her husband’s family were aired in court.

Ms Patterson is facing trial after pleading not guilty to the murders of Don Patterson, Gail Patterson, Heather Wilkinson and the attempted murder of Ian Wilkinson.

Prosecutors allege she deliberately poisoned a lunch on July 29, 2023 with death cap mushrooms, while her defence argues the poisoning was an unintentional tragic accident.

Alleged poisoner Erin Patterson reacted emotionally in court. Picture: NewsWire / Paul Tyquin

On Friday, Austin Health director of intensive care Stephen Warrillow was called to give evidence about the trajectory of the four lunch guests’ health.

Seated in the back of the courtroom, Ms Patterson went red in the face and her jaw began trembling.

The jury was told Mr Patterson and his wife arrived at the Austin Hospital in the afternoon of July 31 “critically ill and suffering multiple organ failure”.

Heather and Ian arrived the following day, both also critically ill.

Professor Warrillow told the court that Mr Patterson, Gail and Ms Wilkinson received maximal care but continued to deteriorate over the coming days.

Mr Patterson received a liver transplant but got “relentlessly worse, unfortunately”, while Gail and Ms Wilkinson were deemed too ill for a transplant.

Gail and Ms Wilkinson both died on August 4, while Mr Patterson died the following day, each death found to be caused by amanita poisoning.

Ian Wilkinson was supported by family. Picture: NewsWire/Ian Currie

Lunch survivor Mr Wilkinson sat in the body of the court with his arms crossed and flanked by his family as Professor Warrillow described his recovery.

“There was some slow but important improvement over the next few days,” he said.

“It was very slow because he was coming from a situation of extreme physical illness.

“We thought he was going to die, he was very close.”

Mr Wilkinson was extubated on August 14 and released from hospital to rehabilitation on September 11.

Professor Warrillow told the court that staff undertook investigations to determine whether there could be any other cause for the illnesses, finding no other explanations.

The cause of death for Don, Gail and Heather was listed as multiple organ failure secondary to death cap mushroom poisoning.

Professor Warrillow said the hospital did not have a test to specifically confirm Amanita toxin poisoning.

Phone linked to alleged poisoner ‘reset’: court

A Samsung phone allegedly handed over by Ms Patterson was found to contain “no usable data” after it was factory reset, according to a forensics officer.

Giving evidence at the trial on Thursday, Victoria Police senior digital forensics officer Shamen Fox-Henry was quizzed by prosecutors on a Cellebrite report prepared for the phone.

Forensic computer expert Shamen Fox-Henry told the court the phone was reset. Picture: NewsWire / Diego Fedele

He told the court Cellebrite was a digital forensic software and extraction tool used by the Victoria Police to analyse and examine digital devices.

Prosecutor Jane Warren suggested the jury would hear evidence later in the trial that the Samsung device was handed to investigators by Ms Patterson on August 5, 2023.

Mr Fox-Henry confirmed the report stated the phone was examined by a cybercrime squad officer two days later on August 7.

He told the court the report indicated “no usable data was extracted” from the phone.

Questioned by Ms Warren on why there was no data, he told the jury “based on this report, the device was factory reset”.

Ms Patterson has pleaded not guilty. Picture: NewsWire/ David Crosling

The jury was then shown the report that contained a table stating the phone was “wiped locally by user” three times on March 12 at 4.53pm, August 1 at 11.09am and August 5 at 12.20pm.

A fourth entry stated the phone was “wiped remotely by user” on August 6 at 5.16pm – when the device was in police custody.

Returning to the witness box on Friday, Mr Fox-Henry explained the date and time listed in the report was the “date and time on the device at the time of each event”.

After prosecutor Jane Warren said the did not have any more questions for Mr Fox-Henry, Justice Beale interjected.

“Ladies and gentlemen, for reasons I don’t need to trouble you with, that's as far as we go today,” he said.

“So I look forward to seeing you on Monday and have a good weekend.”

At the start of the trial, Crown prosecutor Nanette Rogers SC said it was alleged the Samsung phone handed to police was not her primary phone.

“Unbeknownst to police, the mobile phone which the accused eventually provided to police during the execution of the search warrant was Phone B,” she told the jury.

“Connected to the SIM for number ending 835, which the accused had set up on 3 August 2023, four or five days after the lunch.”

Nanette Rogers SC is leading the Crown’s case against Ms Patterson. Picture: NewsWire / David Geraghty

Ms Rogers told the court it was alleged Ms Patterson’s phone records indicate she was still using her “SIM for number ending 783 in Phone A” at the time of the police search warrant on August 5.

“This is the phone and phone number that the accused had been using since 12 February and throughout the period immediately preceding and during the lunch,” she said,

“This phone and SIM card have never been recovered by the police.”

The trial continues.

Originally published as Erin Patterson trial: Alleged poisoner’s emotional reaction in court