Inmate reveals shocking Erin Patterson claim inside Dame Phyllis Frost Centre

An inmate locked up next to mushroom cook killer Erin Patterson has made astonishing claims about what she said and did behind bars.

Erin Patterson’s cell was number 29 inside the Murray unit at Melbourne’s maximum security women’s prison.

Next to the mushroom cook killer at the Dame Phyllis Frost Centre on the city’s northern fringe was headmistress rapist Malka Leifer in cell 28.

Samantha Azzopardi, the career conwoman and child kidnapper, was in cell 32 and notorious catfish stalker Lydia Abdulmalek was in cell 30.

It was a who’s who of some of Victoria’s most notorious female criminals but Patterson was among the most hated, according to an inmate who recently left the unit and spoke with news.com.au on condition of anonymity.

The inmate, who kept detailed diary notes about every incident and every personality behind bars, said Patterson was blamed for making a fellow prisoner so sick she was “vomiting everywhere” and had to be seen by the medical team.

Patterson — who a jury this month found guilty of murdering three of her in-laws with a beef wellington laced with death cap mushrooms — had to be moved to another unit after the incident, the former inmate claims.

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Erin Patterson arriving in the back of a prison transport vehicle at Latrobe Valley Magistrate's Court in Morwell, Australia on May 12, 2025. Picture: Martin Keep / AFP

CCTV of Erin Patterson discharging herself from hospital after the deadly mushroom lunch.

“This is something I wrote in my notes,” the former inmate told news.com.au. “I was talking with (another inmate) and asked if I could borrow her mayonnaise.

“She just laughed and joked about me ‘poisoning it like Erin Patterson did’.

“I was like ‘What the f***?’ and she told me the story about how prison officers found mayonnaise in Erin’s room that was allegedly used to poison (one of the inmates).

“She went to medical and was vomiting everywhere. She was saying that the mushroom lady’s cell was searched and they found chemistry books with pages tagged including sections on natural remedies.

“This was all part of the investigation into the poisoning (of the inmate).”

But the former inmate who spoke with news.com.au has a theory about the alleged poisoning behind bars. She believes Patterson wasn’t responsible.

“Erin Patterson was moved to the Gordon unit while the investigation for poisoning took place.

The former inmate kept a diary note dated the 29th of July, 2024. In it she writes that prison guards found “two bottles of mayonnaise in Erin’s clothes basket” when they searched her room.

A justice department spokeswoman said: “There is no evidence to support that there has been any contaminated food or suspected poisonings at Dame Phyllis Frost Centre.”

But the former inmate who spoke to news.com.au said the incident “100 per cent happened”.

Mushroom chef ‘entitled, rude’ behind bars

The former inmate gave some insight into where Patterson fits in the pecking order at Dame Phyllis Frost Centre. She said she is right down the bottom.

“She has not climbed — she is hated and will need to be monitored by staff constantly,” the former inmate said.

“Nobody gives a shit about what she’s done. They hate her because she’s entitled, arrogant, demanding and rude.

“The thing with Erin that I noticed when I lived with her is that she is super intelligent, likes to make people feel like they’re dumb. She is very manipulative.

A room inside the maximum security Dame Phyllis Frost Centre.

The maximum security prison north of Melbourne will be Erin Patterson’s home.

“She gets fixated on things and doesn’t see the mistakes that she makes. She mimics and makes fun of people, looks down at people.

“She is exactly like Malka Leifer. Hopefully they get a cell next to each other, that would be great to watch.”

News.com.au exclusively revealed earlier this year that Leifer was being given perks in prison that no other inmate was getting.

The 58-year-old, who was in charge of the ultra-orthodox Addas Israel School in Elsternwick when she sexually abused students in her care, was jailed for 15 years in 2023.

A former inmate said: “Malka has a microwave in her room, cooking equipment in her room, gets special orders every Thursday.

“Some things I can’t even explain to you. If she wants something, she gets it. She wanted an airfyer and had members of the Jewish community to write authorities about it. She gets whatever she wants.”

The former inmate said Leifer has the ability to bake challah — a braided bread that the Jewish community eats for Shabbat, the Jewish Sabbath, which is observed every Saturday.

She said Patterson is very similar to Leifer.

Malka Leifer is locked up at the Murray unit next to Erin Patterson. Picture: David Crosling

Samantha Azzopardi is also locked up there.

“She is crazy smart,” the former inmate said.

The mother-of-two is said to spend time behind bars “knitting for her kids”.

Simon Patterson, her ex-husband, did not attend the lunch that killed his family members.

During the mushroom cook killer’s trial, the jury heard Patterson and her husband had separated in 2015 but spent much of the following years maintaining an amicable relationship.

Continuing to co-parent their two children, the couple remained friends and attended family events together and took family holidays.

But, the jury was told, their relationship began to sour in the latter half of 2022.

The court is likely to reconvene in the next month to begin the process of sentencing Patterson for the three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder.

Originally published as Inmate reveals shocking Erin Patterson claim inside Dame Phyllis Frost Centre