Mushroom killer must stay in jail forever for ‘truly dreadful’ crime, appeal court told
An Australian court has been told that the crimes of mushroom murderer Erin Patterson were "truly dreadful" and that she should never be allowed to leave prison.
The Australian Crown prosecutors have appealed a sentence deemed "manifestly inadequate" in the case of Erin Patterson, a 51-year-old who was convicted of murdering three relatives and attempting to murder another by serving them a beef Wellington containing death cap mushrooms. Patterson was sentenced to life in prison but can be eligible for parole after 33 years.
Her crime occurred in Victoria, Australia, in 2023. Patterson, who appeared in Court of Appeal via video link from prison, faces a challenge from her legal team to overturn her convictions. The Court of Appeal in Melbourne has reserved its decision, which could take weeks or months to announce. Patterson's victims include her in-laws Don and Gail Patterson, both 70, as well as Gail's sister Heather Wilkinson, 66, who all died from what prosecutors described as "shocking illnesses" caused by the poisoning.
The sole survivor, Heather Wilkinson's husband Ian Wilkinson, has not fully recovered from his ordeal.
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