Doctor’s death cap poisoning warning played to jury after son, daughters of guests at fatal beef Wellington lunch testify: Trial day seven, as it happened

That concludes today’s evidence. Supreme Court judge Christopher Beale has dismissed the jury until tomorrow. We will have more for you in our next coverage. Here’s a wrap of what happened today:

• A statement from church member Angela Child read to the court said she had seen Ian and Heather Wilkinson soon after the lunch and that the pair had raved about the beef Wellington prepared by Erin Patterson, describing it as delicious and beautiful.
• Matthew Patterson, the son of Don and Gail Patterson and brother of Simon Patterson, told the court he had called Erin Patterson two days after the lunch to ask her about the source of the mushrooms. “She mentioned they were fresh mushrooms from Woolies and dried mushrooms from a Chinese grocer or supermarket,” he said.
• A statement by a Health Department official said no cancer diagnosis had been registered for Erin Patterson. This conflicted with testimony given in court on Tuesday by Ian Wilkinson that Erin Patterson had told her guests at the lunch that she had cancer.
• Dr Chris Webster told the jury that when Erin Patterson arrived at Leongatha Hospital reporting gastro symptoms, he told her she would require treatment. However, she discharged herself, against medical advice, and left the urgent care centre. “I was surprised,” he said. “I had just informed her that she had been potentially exposed to deadly death cap poison.”
• Webster said he also urged Erin Patterson to get her children checked. “Erin was reluctant to inform the children. I said it was important. She was concerned that they were going to be frightened,” he told the court.
• When asked about the source of the mushrooms, Webster said Erin Patterson gave him a short response. “Single word answer: ‘Woolworths’,” Webster told the jury. “I said there’s a concern from Dandenong Hospital of death cap mushroom poisoning.”

The trial will continue tomorrow.

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Award-winning photographer Jason South has taken these photos of Dr Veronica Foote, Dr Chris Webster and Ruth Dubois – the daughter of Ian and Heather Wilkinson – outside court, after each of them gave evidence today.

Dr Veronica Foote.Credit: Jason South

Dr Chris Webster.Credit: Jason South

Ruth Dubois, the daughter of Ian and Heather Wilkinson.Credit: Jason South

Dr Veronica Foote is detailing Erin Patterson’s second visit to the urgent care centre at Leongatha Hospital, about 10.30am on July 31, 2023.

Foote told the jury that Erin had reported having eaten the same meal as her lunch guests – Gail and Don Patterson and Heather and Ian Wilkinson – and said she had suffered diarrhoea since the night of July 29, 2023.

Don Patterson (left), Gail Patterson, Heather Wilkinson and Ian Wilkinson were poisoned by a mushroom meal.

Foote said Erin told her she had used mushrooms from “Safeway in Leongatha” as well as fungi from an Asian grocer that she had purchased in April of that year.

The jury heard that Erin’s abdomen was soft and her heart rate was slightly elevated.

“Stress and anxiety can make a heart rate go up, being unwell and dehydrated can make a heart rate go up,” Foote said.

Foote said blood tests taken about 10.15am did not show any metabolic acidosis or electrolyte disturbance in Erin, which she thought was reassuring.

The jury heard that about 10.40am, Erin again told Foote that she wanted to leave the hospital.

“We had informed her that her children needed to go to Monash Medical Centre to be assessed. She wanted to leave the hospital to go to their school to pick them up and take them to Monash Medical Centre,” Foote said.

Foote said she had advised Erin that she could become unwell very quickly, and that it was not safe for her to pick up the children and drive them to the medical centre herself.

She said she had asked her whether Simon Patterson, Erin’s estranged husband, could drive them there.

“I asked whether her … husband was able to pick the children up and take them to Monash. Mrs Patterson told me that she didn’t think that was in the best interests of her children,” she said.

Foote said she offered to call the children’s school and ask if there was a welfare officer that could take them to Monash Medical Centre. However, before that could be done, Erin got a phone call from Simon, and agreed he would pick up the children.

About 10.45am, Foote said she spoke to a toxicology registrar at the Austin Hospital, who recommended that Erin be treated with intravenous fluids and antibiotics. She said the registrar called back about 10 minutes later and was put on the phone to Erin to ask her about the mushrooms.

About 30 minutes later, Foote got a phone call from a toxicology registrar at Monash Medical Centre who was involved in treating the other lunch guests, and requested that Foote send the leftovers from the beef Wellington meal served at the lunch to Monash Medical Centre.

Foote said the registrar asked her to take a photo of the sample, which was inside a Woolworths branded paper bag, for identification.

CCTV footage played to the jury shows a brown paper bag on the counter of the triage area of the urgent care centre at Leongatha Hospital.

In the video, Foote, wearing surgical gloves and a mask, can be seen taking out a dark brown substance and a larger bit of food encased in what appears to be pastry from the bag and placing them on an apron on the table before taking photos and returning them to back into the bag.

The jury heard that about 12pm, Foote asked that Erin be put on IV fluids and given a liver protecting drug, and organised a transfer for her to Monash Medical Centre.

Foote has concluded her evidence for today. She is expected to continue giving evidence on Thursday.

The next witness is Dr Veronica Foote, a doctor at Leongatha Hospital.

Foote said the hospital’s director of nursing had told her that Erin Patterson had attended the urgent care centre about 8.05am on July 31, 2023.

Dr Veronica Foote.Credit: Jason South

The jury heard that when nurse Kylie Ashton had told Erin to go into a cubicle to be assessed, Erin wanted to leave the hospital.

Ashton asked Foote to speak to Erin as she stood near the hospital’s main entry point.

“She was on her way out,” Foote said.

Foote relayed staff concerns to Erin about her health and explained it was their medical advice that she should stay and be assessed.

The jury heard that Erin told her she wasn’t able to stay and needed to go home to make some preparations for her animals and children, and that she would return to the hospital.

“I thought she said she would return within 30 minutes or so,” Foote said.

CCTV footage from about 8.10am on July 31, 2023, was played to the jury. It shows two glass doors at the ambulance entry to the urgent care centre.

In the footage, Foote can be seen speaking to Erin, who is wearing a red jumper, white pants and sandals. She is carrying a black backpack and a handbag. Half of her face is covered by a mask.

After some conversation, nurse Kylie Ashton can then be seen asking Erin to sign a discharge against medical advice form at a nearby desk before Erin walks out through the double glass doors.

After a brief afternoon break, Dr Chris Webster provided further details about his phone call with police after Erin Patterson returned to Leongatha Hospital, when he asked officers to retrieve any leftovers from the beef Wellington lunch.

He told the jury he was on the phone to police and informing them that they no longer needed to look for Erin when it occurred to him to ask about the leftovers.

Webster said that he then thought it would be best to ask Erin if it was OK for the police to break into her home.

Asked by Supreme Court Justice Christopher Beale if Erin had said earlier in the conversation which bin the leftovers were in, Webster said she did not specify.

“When she said that they would find them in the bin I assumed that they would be in existence,” he said.

Webster has now concluded his evidence and been excused as a witness.

Under cross-examination by defence barrister Colin Mandy, SC, Dr Chris Webster said he was feeling concerned about the mushrooms in the beef Wellington meal when Erin Patterson presented to the Leongatha urgent care centre on July 31, 2023.

Webster said Heather Wilkinson had told him the day before that she and her husband Ian had eaten a beef Wellington.

Dr Chris Webster outside the court on Wednesday.Credit: Jason South

He had also spoken to Dr Beth Morgan at Dandenong Hospital, who had informed him there were concerns that Don and Gail Patterson could be suffering from death cap mushroom poisoning.

He said Erin gave a short response when he asked her about the source of the mushrooms.

“Single word answer: Woolworths,” Webster told the jury.

“I said there’s a concern from Dandenong Hospital of death cap mushroom poisoning.”

Before leaving, Dr Chris Webster said he spoke to Erin Patterson one final time at Leongatha Hospital, while she was in the same room that Ian and Heather Wilkinson had been in before they were transferred to Dandenong Hospital.

Pastor Ian Wilkinson.Credit: Jason South

“I inquired as to the whereabouts of her children, and she informed me that they were at the school. I stressed the importance of getting the children to a medical facility for assessment. Erin was reluctant to inform the children. I said it was important. She was concerned that they were going to be frightened. I said they can be scared and alive, or dead,” Webster said.

Defence barrister Colin Mandy, SC, has now begun his cross-examination of Webster.

The jury is now being played a recording of the 000 call that Dr Chris Webster made after Erin Patterson discharged herself against medical advice from Leongatha hospital on July 31, 2023.

In the phone call, Webster expressed concern that a patient had left the hospital after being potentially exposed to toxins from mushroom poisoning.

“I have the address of the patient,” Webster told the operator.

Asked for the patient’s name, Webster said: “The last name is Patterson. P-A-T-T-E-R-S-O-N. Erin, E-R-I-N,” Webster said.

Webster said Erin had presented to hospital sometime after 8am.

“There were five people that ate a meal on Saturday and two of them are at intensive care in Dandenong Hospital. Two have been transported to Dandenong Hospital from Leongatha Hospital. Erin presented this morning with symptoms,” he said.

“It was time for the nurse to begin observations and I was managing the other critically unwell patients so I had a brief chat to her about where the mushrooms were obtained, and while I was attending the other patients the nurse informed me she had discharged herself against medical advice.”

Webster provided Erin’s phone number and told the operator he was happy to be contacted.

At 9.48am, Webster became aware that Erin had returned to Leongatha hospital.

“I was the one that encountered her,” he said. “There’s a security shield [at the urgent care centre] and I spoke to her through the narrow space through the security shield.”

Webster asked her if anyone had ingested the beef Wellington, and Erin responded that her children had eaten meat from the leftovers but not the pastry or the mushrooms.

Shortly after, Webster got a phone call from police informing him that they were at Erin’s house in Leongatha. He told them Erin was back at the hospital and requested the officers collect any leftovers from the beef Wellington.

“I had no idea [if there were any leftovers] but I figured there was a chance,” he said.

Webster asked Erin if she would give permission for police to go inside her home, and she said they would find some leftovers in the bin.

Erin Patterson arrived at the urgent care centre in Leongatha and reported gastro symptoms. Dr Chris Webster recognised her as the person who had cooked the beef Wellington meal.

Almost as soon as she arrived, Webster said he started questioning her about mushrooms. There was a concern of death cap mushroom poisoning, he said.

“Where did you get the mushrooms?”

Erin Patterson is on trial for triple murder and attempted murder.Credit: The Age

Webster told the jury that he explained to Erin that she would require treatment. A while later, he was informed that Erin had discharged herself, against medical advice, and left the urgent care centre.

“I was surprised,” he said. “I had just informed her that she had been potentially exposed to deadly death cap poison.”

Webster said he tried to ring Erin three times and left voicemail messages each time.

“I was apologetic and informed the voicemail that I would have to contact the police for her safety and request they bring her down to hospital,” he said.

After the attempts to contact Erin failed, Webster said he spoke to the hospital’s chief executive and director of medical services to explain the situation and flag that he would be contacting the police.

Dr Chris Webster has returned to the witness box to continue his evidence after a break for lunch.

The jury heard that on the afternoon of July 30, 2023, a doctor contacted Webster by SMS informing him that Don and Gail Patterson had been sent to Melbourne due to high lactate levels.

Webster said that at the time, Ian and Heather Wilkinson’s lactate levels were “mildly elevated” but he did not consider sending them to Melbourne at that stage.

Dr Chris Webster, who initially treated Ian and Heather Wilkinson, resumed testimony on Wednesday afternoon.Credit: Jason South

“The heart rate, temperate and pressure, vital signs were stable. Intravenous fluid was being provided without complications and there were signs they were responding well to the initial treatment,” he said.

Webster later finished his shift and returned home for the night. He got a phone call from a nurse at 6.30am on July 31, 2021, about Ian and Heather’s condition. They had continued to suffer from vomiting and diarrhoea.

Webster said his advice was to continue with the same management.

About 40 minutes later, Dr Beth Morgan, the overnight medical registrar at Dandenong Hospital who was treating Don and Gail, called Webster to inform him that her patients had returned “grossly abnormal liver function tests”.

“They were concerned about the possibility of death cap mushroom poisoning,” he said.

The jury heard that Webster had taken blood samples that he had sent to Wonthaggi for testing, but he did not see the results until after Ian and Heather had been transported to Dandenong Hospital.