Mushroom trial: CCTV shows doctor inspecting beef Wellington from Erin Patterson’s bin
A Leongatha doctor photographed samples of beef Wellington fished out of Erin Patterson’s bin by police who had been dispatched to her home for a welfare check, the court has heard.
A Leongatha doctor photographed samples of beef Wellington fished out of Erin Patterson’s bin by police who had been dispatched to her home for a welfare check, the Victorian Supreme Court has heard.
Two doctors on Wednesday detailed Ms Patterson’s five-minute hospital visit in which she reported to have diarrhoea after hosting lunch for relatives of her ex-husband, before discharging herself against medical advice to “do some things for her animals and children”.
The court heard one of the doctors tried to call Ms Patterson three times on her mobile phone after she left the premises due to concerns for her wellbeing, before calling triple-0 and sending officers to her home to ensure she was safe.
She returned to Leongatha Hospital about 90 minutes after leaving.
Ms Patterson has been charged with the murders of Gail Patterson, Don Patterson, and Heather Wilkinson, accused of deliberately serving them a beef Wellington dish laced with poisonous mushrooms during the 2023 lunch.
She also faces an attempted murder charge in relation to Baptist Church pastor Ian Wilkinson, who survived eating the meal after a lengthy hospital stay.
The court on Wednesday heard emotional evidence from two children of Gail and Don Patterson, who testified to caring for their parents in the days after the fatal lunch.
Written statements from Korumburra Baptist Church staff, who claimed Ms Wilkinson told them the beef Wellington was “delicious” in the hours after she was poisoned, were also read aloud in court.
General practitioner Chris Webster on Wednesday told the court that he was “surprised” when Ms Patterson discharged herself from the Leongatha Hospital against medical advice.
“I had just informed her that she’d been exposed to a potential deadly death cap mushroom poisoning and I thought that being in hospital would be a better place for her to be,” Dr Webster said.
He recalled trying to call her three times and leaving her three separate voicemails after she left the hospital. In the third voicemail, he apologetically informed her he would be calling the police, he said.
The audio of the triple-0 call was played for the court.
“I have a concern regarding a patient that presented here earlier that has left the building and is potentially exposed to a toxin from mushroom poisoning,” Dr Webster is heard telling police.
Specialist GP Veronica Foote told the court she had urged Ms Patterson to stay, warning her that she “could become very unwell” and required further medical assessment.
Dr Foote confronted Ms Patterson in the airlock of the hospital exit to convince her to stay.
CCTV footage showed Erin – wearing a mask, a red jumper, an over-the-shoulder bag and a backpack – having an animated conversation with Dr Foote and nurse Kylie Ashton, before signing a discharge against medical advice form.
She returned to the hospital about 90 minutes later, presenting with a “high” pulse but normal temperature and blood pressure, Dr Foote said.
Once she had returned, Dr Webster received a call from police saying they were at Ms Patterson’s home. He told the officers she was back in the urgent care department, but asked them to search her home for leftover beef Wellington.
“Strike while the iron is hot; the police are there,” he told the court. “I asked Erin if she would give permission for the police to break into her house if they had to and she said they would be able to find some leftovers in the bin.”
The leftovers were delivered to the hospital, and Dr Foote examined them in the triage area.
Security footage shown to the jury showed her putting on purple gloves, taking samples of the food out of a brown Woolworths bag, and laying them out on an A4 sheet of copy paper.
She initially took three small brown pieces of meat and laid them down, before taking out a larger, pastry-wrapped slab of Wellington.
She captured photos of the food on her phone, before putting the Wellington back in the Woolworths bag and taking her gloves off.
The court heard the samples were to be sent to Monash Medical Centre for further examination.
Two of Don and Gail Patterson’s adult children – Anna Terrington and Matthew Patterson – also gave evidence on Wednesday, detailing their experiences seeing their deteriorating parents in hospital.
In a teary testimony, Ms Terrington told the court she spoke with her mother just after the lunch at Erin’s house, and recalled Gail “said it went well”.
“She said they had beef Wellington,” Ms Terrington said, adding that Gail told her the meal was “too much for her” and Don had finished her portion.
Ms Terrington said she received a message from her brother and Erin’s estranged husband, Simon Patterson, in a group chat with their other siblings, telling her their parents were in hospital. She recalled Simon Patterson told her Erin Patterson had diarrhoea also, but was “soldiering on at home”.
Ms Terrington stayed with Gail Patterson through the night of July 30, 2023, and “took her to the bathroom many times”.
Under cross-examination, Ms Terrington was grilled about her relationship with Erin Patterson. The pair had given birth about three days apart, the court heard, and their children were known as “the twins”.
Erin Patterson had also done a Bible reading at Ms Terrington’s wedding. “Eighteen years ago, yeah,” Ms Terrington said, when asked.
Both Ms Terrington and Matthew Patterson, under cross-examination, agreed they had accepted interest-free $400,000 loans from Simon and Erin Patterson to assist with paying off their mortgages.
Matthew Patterson told the court he had called Erin Patterson to find out where she bought the mushrooms from while he was at the Dandenong Hospital with his father.
“She mentioned that there were fresh mushrooms from Woollies and there were dried mushrooms from a Chinese grocer or supermarket,” he said.
Two Korumburra Baptist Church employees gave evidence recalling Heather Wilkinson describing Erin Patterson’s meal as “delicious” in the hours after she was poisoned.
Angela Child and Jenny McPhee, in written statements read aloud in court, described attending a meeting with Heather and Ian Wilkinson at their home at 3pm, directly after they had lunch at Erin’s home.
“We went inside and Heather told us they had a lovely lunch,” Ms Child, the church treasurer, wrote in her statement. “She told me they had beef Wellington and described it as delicious and beautiful”.
Secretary Jenny McPhee, said Heather was “playfully teasing Ian about how much he had eaten”. “Heather was happily talking about the delicious meal,” Ms McPhee wrote in her statement.
Ms McPhee said: “When I left Heather and Ian they were happy and not sick in the slightest.”
The trial continues.
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