Erin Patterson mushroom murder trial LIVE updates: Jury hears claims Erin Patterson’s estranged husband was ‘controlling and emotionally abusive’

By PAUL SHAPIRO AND WAYNE FLOWER FOR DAILY MAIL AUSTRALIA

Published: 01:32 BST, 15 May 2025 | Updated: 03:03 BST, 15 May 2025

Follow Daily Mail Australia’s live coverage of accused mushroom chef Erin Patterson‘s murder trial at Latrobe Valley Magistrates’ Court in Morwell, Victoria.

Jury hears Patterson’s estranged husband Simon was ‘mean and nasty’

Child protection practitioner Katrina Cripps told the jury she received a report about Patterson’s children on July 31 – two days after the lunch.

Ms Cripps said she visited the children and Patterson’s estranged husband Simon at the Monash Children’s hospital on August 2.

The jury heard Ms Cripps said she spoke to Patterson at 2.55pm – which was the first time she spoke to Patterson.

She said Patterson told her she has the children during the week and Simon had them on weekends.

Patterson told Ms Cripps the children talked about not wanting to stay at their dad’s on weekends anymore because he was ‘sleeping a lot’.

Patterson said Simon had become ‘mean and nasty’ after the issue of child support was raised, the jury heard.

Ms Cripps said Patterson told her Simon had been ‘controlling and emotionally abusive’, which caused her to doubt her ability as a mother and dented her self-esteem.

Patterson also told Ms Cripps she had given half her inheritance to Simon (pictured below).

The jury heard Patterson also spoke about a previous lunch and talked about who she invited to it

The jury heard Patterson, who is wearing a striped navy white top, told Ms Cripps she approached Gail Patterson and Heather Wilkinson at the Korumburra Baptist Church the week before the infamous July 29 meal.

Ms Cripps said Patterson said she found the recipe for her meal in a cookbook and she ‘wanted to do something new and special’ for lunch and bought chopped mushrooms from a local Woolworths and dried mushrooms from an Asian grocer.

Patterson said she used the dried mushrooms because she heard it would ‘add flavour’ to the beef Wellingtons.

Jury told there was ‘no evidence’ Patterson had cancer

Intensive care specialist Professor Andrew Bersten (pictured below) yesterday told the jury he reviewed all of Patterson’s medical files from several facilities and found no evidence she had cancer.

The jury also heard evidence from other key witnesses including the tip manager who found the discarded dehydrator and handed it to police.

The court also heard about a woman who died in May last year after cooking death cap mushrooms in a meal and eating the deadly fungi in a separate and unrelated incident.

A mushroom expert also told the jury how leftovers from the lunch were sent to the Royal Botanical Gardens for testing, but they almost got overlooked as the doctor had left work for the day.

She did manage to get a hold of the leftovers which she tested at her own home.

The trial continues today.

Patterson trial overview

Accused mushroom murderer Erin Patterson, 50, last week witnessed both her children’s recorded video evidence.

Patterson, who is accused of murdering her in-laws, Don and Gail Patterson, and Gail’s sister, Heather Wilkinson, after serving them a deadly meal laden with death cap mushrooms, became emotional after seeing video evidence from her son and daughter.

Patterson is also accused of attempting to murder Heather’s husband, pastor Ian Wilkinson who survived the lunch after spending several weeks in an intensive care unit.

The court heard Patterson’s estranged husband, Simon, was also invited but didn’t attend.

Witnesses told the jury Patterson ate her serving from a smaller and differently coloured plate than those of her guests, who ate from four grey plates.

Patterson told authorities she bought dried mushrooms from an unnamed Asian store in the Monash area of Melbourne, but health inspectors could find no evidence of this.

The health department declared the death cap poisoning was ‘isolated’ to Patterson’s deadly lunch.

Multiple witnesses including Simon Patterson, Ian Wilkinson and other family members have given emotion-charged evidence to the jury.

Medical staff have told the jury of the horrifying symptoms the dying lunch guests and Ian Wilkinson suffered.

Patterson’s movements at hospital and her abrupt departure have also been aired in court as the trial continues this morning.

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Erin Patterson mushroom murder trial LIVE updates: Jury hears claims Erin Patterson’s estranged husband was ‘controlling and emotionally abusive’

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