Erin Patterson: Doctor details when hospital first suspected death cap mushroom poisonings

The youngest daughter of Don and Gail Patterson has broken down in the witness box as she gave evidence at the triple-murder trial of her sister-in-law.

The youngest daughter of Don and Gail Patterson has broken down in the witness box as she gave evidence at the triple-murder trial of her sister-in-law.

Ms Patterson, 50, is accused of deliberately poisoning a beef wellington dish intending to kill four members of her estranged husband Simon Patterson’s family on July 29, 2023.

The mother-of-two, who has pleaded not guilty to three counts of murder and one count of manslaughter, maintains she did not deliberately or intentionally serve the poisoned meal.

Taking the stand on Wednesday, Anna Tarrington’s, voice began to falter and she began to tear up as she detailed a phone call with her mother following the lunch.

“I phoned mum on Saturday afternoon after the lunch it was approximately 5pm,” the youngest Patterson child said.

“She said it went well, they had beef wellington and, it was too much for mum so dad finished hers.”

Don and Gail Patterson fell ill about 12 hours after the lunch. Picture: Supplied

Ms Tarrington told the jury she was notified the next day by her older brother, Simon Patterson, that their parents were in hospital.

Mr Patterson, she said, told her Don, Gail, Ian and Heather were in hospital after spending the night with vomiting and diarrhoea while Erin was also sick but “soldiering on” at home.

She told the jury she stayed in Gail’s hospital room that night, where they discussed that Ms Patterson had brought up a “medical issue” over the lunch.

“I took her to the bathroom many times,” she said.

Under cross-examination, Ms Tarrington confirmed she had grown close with Ms Patterson when they both were pregnant at the same time.

She agreed Ms Patterson and her parents remained supportive and on good terms after the separation, and that Simon and Erin had loaned her about $400,000 for her home.

Doctor details mushroom suspicion after lunch

A toxicologist involved in treating Ms Patterson’s lunch guests has detailed when hospital staff first began to suspect death cap mushroom poisoning.

Called to give evidence on Wednesday, emergency registrar Mark Douglas was called to give evidence about his involvement in treating the lunch guests on July 30.

Dr Douglas was working as the on-call toxicologist, when he received a call from Dr Beth Morgan at Dandenong hospital for advice after Don Patterson presented with “abnormalities in both the liver and blood tests”.

Erin Patterson is facing trial. Picture: NewsWire/ David Crosling

He told the court it was suspected death cap mushroom poisoning could be the cause, but the presentations of the other three lunch guests and clinical guidelines did not indicate the antidote Silibinin should be given.

He said he advised Dr Morgan to continue begin Don with liver protecting medicines, monitor Gail’s condition and check in with the medical teams looking after Ian and Heather. 

By the following morning, after Gail’s condition began to worsen, Dr Douglas said they decided to begin treating with Silibinin.

“At that stage there were several other potential causes,” he said.

“The feeling was that we should start the treatment for amanita phalloides (poisoning).”

On Tuesday, Dandenong hospital’s Dr Morgan told the jury of Ms Patterson’s triple-murder trial on Tuesday afternoon Don and Gail Patterson were transported from Korumburra Hospital the day after the lunch, due to Don’s condition worsening.

Don Patterson, the court was told, had eaten half of his wife’s beef Wellington dish served at Erin Patterson’s house in the early afternoon of July 29, 2023.

He began experiencing gastrointestinal symptoms about midnight, with Gail falling ill about an hour later.

Dr Beth Morgan gave evidence of Don and Gail’s treatment. Picture: NewsWire/ David Crosling

Dr Morgan said she first began treating Don about 10pm, with earlier staff initially believing his illness was “most likely due to food poisoning”.

But she said after treatment did not deliver any improvement in his condition, the hospital’s toxicologist, Dr Douglas, suggested amanita phalloides mushroom poisoning could be a concern.

Don was administered medication, including N-acetylcysteine, which Dr Beth said is used to protect the liver during paracetamol overdose.

Simon’s parents Don and Gail Patterson, both 70, and Gail’s sister Heather Wilkinson, 66, died in hospital in the week after the gathering.

Ms Wilkinson’s husband, Korumburra Baptist Church pastor Ian Wilkinson, fell gravely ill but recovered.

“The defence case is that what happened was a tragedy, a terrible accident,” her barrister Colin Mandy SC said.

The trial, before Justice Christopher Beale, continues.