Mushroom murder trial: CCTV reveals Erin Patterson’s nine second bathroom stop
Ms Patterson, wearing white pants and a grey jumper, was spotted making a nine-second bathroom stop at a regional service station the day after she hosted her fatal beef Wellington lunch.
Accused triple-murderer Erin Patterson was caught on security cameras making a nine-second bathroom stop at a regional petrol station the day after hosting her fatal beef Wellington lunch, before buying a couple of sandwiches and some sour lollies.
CCTV footage shown to the jury in Ms Patterson’s murder trial on Tuesday revealed she entered the Caldermeade BP about 3.19pm on July 30, 2023, wearing white pants and a grey jumper.
Ms Patterson, who has said she was suffering from diarrhoea at the time, went straight to the bathroom where she remained for nine seconds.
When she emerged, she went to the sandwich cabinet and selected a product, before browsing the aisles.
At about 3.21pm, she exited the service station and drove away in her red MG.
Ms Patterson has been charged with the murder of her estranged husband’s parents and aunt by allegedly deliberately feeding them death cap mushrooms in a beef Wellington on July 29, 2023.
She had also been charged with attempting to murder Simon Patterson’s uncle, who was present at the lunch but survived after a lengthy stay in hospital.
Ms Patterson has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
The jury has previously been told Ms Patterson told her children and medical professionals she had fallen ill with severe diarrhoea the day after she hosted the meal.
In the crown’s opening address, the jury was told Ms Patterson bought a “type of sour confectionary, a ham, cheese and tomato sandwich and a sweet chilli chicken wrap” while at the Caldermeade BP.
At the time the CCTV footage was captured, her lunch guests were rapidly declining in hospital.
Earlier on Tuesday, Ms Patterson’s barrister Colin Mandy SC attacked expert analysis tracing her phone to locations nearby known poisonous mushroom sites.
Digital forensic science expert Matthew Sorell told the trial Ms Patterson possibly visited Loch and Outtrim, where sightings of deadly mushrooms had been detected and posted online.
Dr Sorell was asked by Victoria Police to analyse the cell phone data of Ms Patterson relating to her movements to those areas across a two-year period.
He did this by extracting data revealing when her mobile phone linked with Telstra base stations, but noted that phones do not necessarily connect with the closest base station.
The data, he said, showed that Ms Patterson’s phone connected with base stations near Outtrim on May 22, 2023 – one day after post was made to the iNaturalist website identifying death cap mushrooms in the area.
He said the data also showed Ms Patterson may have visited the Loch area on April 28, 2023 – ten days after mushrooms were spotted there – but it was not a “strongly supported proposition”.
On May 22, 2023, he said Ms Patterson’s phone had “persistent connections” with the Loch base stations.
But Mr Mandy suggested there were “significant limitations” to Dr Sorell’s data, and said one aspect of the analysis was “entirely a matter of speculation”.
Considering the records from May 22, 2023, Mr Mandy suggested the data was “consistent with the phone never entering the Outtrim postcode”
“There are locations outside the Outtrim postcode where this set of records could conceivably come up, I agree with you on that point,” Dr Sorell replied.
“There’s a possibility it doesn’t enter that postcode area.”
The court was shown data from Ms Patterson’s phone on July 31, 2023, when her phone pinged the Outtrim base station between 8.55am and 8.58am. Dr Sorell said this could be a “possible visit” to Outtrim at that time.
However Mr Mandy suggested to Dr Sorrell that the Outtrim base station is “elevated above the valley” which allows for a better connection, and it did not definitively show Ms Patterson was nearby.
He indicated that a “possible visit” to Outtrim on July 31, 2023 was “entirely a matter of speculation”.
The matter is being heard in the Victorian Supreme Court, which is currently sitting 155km east of Melbourne in Morwell.
The trial continues on Wednesday.
More Coverage
Three-year Noalition: divorce set to last to next poll
Sussan Ley intends not to re-form a Coalition with David Littleproud before the 2028 election as she moves to seize on the Nationals’ shock split to promote up to nine additional Liberal MPs to her new opposition frontbench.
Federal split sparks Queensland Liberal National Party demerger debate
A Queensland Nationals MP has raised the spectre of the state’s Liberal National Party de-merging in the wake of the Coalition split, as LNP leaders insist it is business as usual.