Erin Patterson has been sentenced in Melbourne for the mushroom lunch that killed three people and left a fourth fighting for his life.
The hearing, delivered by Justice Christopher Beale in the Supreme Court is historic as it is the first time in the Australian state of Victoria that cameras have been allowed to broadcast a sentencing live.
Justice Beale said the decision reflected both the enormity of the case and the extraordinary public interest it has attracted.
On July 29 2023, Patterson served beef Wellington at her Leongatha home. It was later found to contain toxic death cap mushrooms, among the most lethal in the world.
Three guests - Don and Gail Patterson, and Heather Wilkinson - died. The fourth, Ian Wilkinson, survived after weeks in hospital and a liver transplant.
Patterson was arrested in November 2023 and went on trial in April this year. Over 11 weeks, jurors heard evidence that included forensic confirmation of death cap mushrooms, Patterson’s internet searches on toxic substances and false claims she had cancer.
On July 7 2025, after six days of deliberation, the jury convicted her on three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder.
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