Erin Patterson mushroom murder trial LIVE updates: Survivor of fatal lunch chokes back tears as he speaks about ordeal for first time – and Erin Patterson’s reaction

By PAUL SHAPIRO AND WAYNE FLOWER FOR DAILY MAIL AUSTRALIA

Published: 01:24 BST, 6 May 2025 | Updated: 03:35 BST, 6 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.

Fatal lunch survivor chokes back tears as he tells court what he thought of Erin Patterson

Accused killer Erin Patterson showed no emotion while pastor and sole survivor of her deadly mushroom lunch, Ian Wilkinson, struggled to hold back tears as he told the jury about when he married his deceased wife Heather in 1979.

Ms Wilkinson (pictured below with Ian) was one of three people who died after consuming a meal prepared by Patterson which contained death cap mushrooms.

Mr Wilkinson told the jury he thought Patterson seemed like an ‘ordinary person’.

‘We were more like acquaintances, we didn’t see a lot of each other,’ Mr Wilkinson said.

Mr Wilkinson said there were periods when Patterson did not come to church very often, but other times she attended for ‘much more frequent periods’.

‘We spoke casually, (as) family, “how are you going?” That sort of conversation,’ he said.

‘We didn’t consider the relation was close, (she) just seemed like a normal person. When we met things were friendly, we never had arguments or disputes, she just seemed like an ordinary person.’

Mr Wilkinson also said he had only had a meal with Patterson a few times mainly at family and Christmas events.

Pastor’s anguish as he recalls details of the fatal meal and the different coloured plates it was served on

The jury has been shown for the first time a photograph of where the deadly meal was served, before Ian Wilkinson told the court what happened prior to the lunch.

The suvivor of the fatal mushroom meal, who told the jury what he ate the day before and morning of the lunch, said Don and Gail Patterson collected he and his wife Heather about 12pm and they arrived at Erin Patterson’s home about 12.30pm.

On arrival, Heather realised Simon Patterson’s car wasn’t at the home. Mr Wilkinson said he believed Don or Gail then told them their son Simon, who is Erin Patteron’s estranged husband, was not attending.

Erin (court sketch pictured below) met her visitors and took them inside where they entered the dining area.

‘There was general conversation, and then we started conversing about the house,’ Mr Wilkinson told the jury.

The court heard one of the attendees suggested the group go outside to look at the garden, where they walked before returning to the house.

Mr Wilkinson said he saw potatoes being mashed by Erin Patterson but steadfastly maintained he never saw any other food being prepared.

‘I saw Erin plating up the food,’ he said.

Mr Wilkinson said Erin was on the kitchen side of the bench, Gail and Heather were leaning on the bench and he and Don were standing away while Erin plated the food.

He said there were offers given to Erin to help plate up, but the ‘offer was rejected’.

He said Erin ‘plated all of the food’.

Mr Wilkinson recalled the meal consisted of mash potato, green beans and beef Wellington.

He said he didn’t see where the beef Wellington came from, but the items were served individually.

‘It (the beef Wellington) was very much like a pastie, it was a pastry case and inside was steak and mushrooms, there have been gravy available on the table,’ he said.

‘I could see them (the plates) between Heather and Gail, there were four large grey plates, one smaller plate – a different colour, an orangy-tan color.

‘Gail picked up two of the grey plates and took them to the table, Heather picked up two of the grey plates and took them to the table, Erin picked up the odd plate and put it at her place at the table.’

Mr Wilkinson recalled where everyone sat and marked it down for the jury.

He said Don sat opposite Erin at the end of the table, and he sat at the head of the table with Heather to his left and Gail on the right next to her husband.

He held back tears as he vividly recalled that the three deceased loved ones and himself ate from the grey plates while Erin ate from the ‘orange plate’.

Mr Wilkinson told the court the group said Grace before eating.

Mr Wilkinson recalled that he ate the entire meal as did his wife Heather.

Gail ate half of her beef Wellington and all of her vegetables.

Don ate his beef Wellington and the other half of Gail’s.

Heather mentioned ‘we should’ve shared’ because she thought the meal was too large.

But Mr Wilkinson couldn’t say how much of the meal Erin ate.

‘I don’t remember any comments, like “oh you didn’t eat much”,’ he said.

He said after lunch the group shared cake and a fruit platter.

‘Not much cake was consumed, not much fruit was consumed, we were all very full from the main course,’ he said.

Sole survivor said deceased wife was ‘excited’ for lunch invitation

Mr Wilkinson told the jury he thought he and his wife Heather’s relationship with Erin Patterson was ‘going to improve’ after they were invited to what became the fatal lunch.

Mr Wilkinson said Erin invited him through Heather a week or two before the fateful meal.

He said the invite was made to Heather while at church.

‘She was fairly excited, and she said “good news”, sort of thing,’ he told the court of his wife’s reaction to the offer.

‘There was no reason given for the lunch.’

Mr Wilkinson said he was ‘very happy’ to be invited.

‘It seemed to me our relationship with Erin was going to improve,’ he said.

Wilkinson initially thought only he and Heather had been invited but later learned Don Patterson, his wife Gail, and their son Simon, who is Erin’s estranged husband, were also invited.

Heather kept the lunch appointment for 12pm on July 29, 2023, noted in her diary, which was shown to the jury.

Jury hears how employee remembered selling key evidence item to Patterson

Erin Patterson has appeared in front of the jury wearing what appears to be the same pink and white stripped shirt she wore on the first day of the murder trial.

The owner of Leongatha business Hartley Wells Betta Home Living, Darren Fox, was the first witness to give evidence.

Mr Fox said a staff member told him in November 2023 that she believed she sold a dehydrator to Patterson (pictured below).

‘We investigated to see that that was the case,’ Mr Fox said.

Mr Fox said he conducted a search of sale records and retrieved a tax invoice which showed Patterson purchased a Sunbeam Food Lab dehydrator for $229 at 12.17pm on April 28, 2023.

Mr Fox told the jury he believed the phone number linked to the invoice was Patterson’s and the dehydrator was taken at the time of purchase.

Fatal mushroom lunch survivor to enter witness box for the first time

The lone survivor of Erin Patterson’s deadly mushroom-laden beef Wellington lunch will for the first time tell the jury his perspective of the now infamous meal.

Pastor Ian Wilkinson spent months in hospital after eating the meal which killed his wife, Heather, and Erin’s in-laws, Don and Gail Patterson.

Mr Wilkinson (pictured below entering court) almost died but ultimately survived the ordeal and is now ready to tell his side of the story to the jury.

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Erin Patterson mushroom murder trial LIVE updates: Survivor of fatal lunch chokes back tears as he speaks about ordeal for first time – and Erin Patterson’s reaction

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