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Erin Patterson denies fabricating that she bought mushrooms from an Asian grocer
Rogers turns to answers Patterson gave to medical staff about the source of the mushrooms contained in the beef wellington.
Rogers says Patterson did not mention an Asian grocer when she first spoke to Dr Chris Webster at Leongatha hospital on 31 July 2023 – two days after the lunch. Rogers says Patterson later mentioned the Asian grocer because she had time to come up with her story.
Patterson rejects this.
Rogers says Dr Connor McDermott, a toxicology registrar at the Austin hospital, asked Patterson if she had the original packaging of the dried mushrooms she says she bought from an Asian grocer.
Rogers says the “mushrooms contained in the beef wellingtons were not from an Asian grocer”.
“Disagree,” Patterson replies.
Rogers says she told a paramedic en route to Monash hospital that she had bought dried mushrooms from an Asian grocer in Melbourne and fresh mushrooms from Woolworths.
Patterson agrees she said this.
“I suggest this is a lie,” Rogers says.
“Incorrect,” Patterson says.
Patterson asked about mushrooms bought for beef wellingtons
Rogers shows Patterson the beef wellington recipe she told police she used at the lunch. It is contained in the RecipeTin Eats Dinner cookbook.
Rogers says on two occasions in the week before the meal Patterson bought 1.75kg of sliced mushrooms from Woolworths.
Rogers asks where the other kilogram of mushrooms went, as the recipe only asks for 700g of sliced mushrooms.
“I ate them,” Patterson says.
Rogers says this is a lie. Patterson rejects this.
Rogers puts to Patterson:
You never mentioned to the lunch guests that the beef wellington contained dried mushrooms from an Asian grocer.
Patterson:
We never discussed any of the ingredients.
Rogers says Patterson also never told her guests the beef wellingtons contained foraged mushrooms.
“I didn’t think they did at the time,” Patterson says.
Patterson questioned about beef wellington recipe
Prosecutor Nanette Rogers SC is cross-examining Patterson. She begins by asking questions about the beef wellingtons she prepared.
Rogers suggests Patterson choose to make the meals with individual eye fillets instead of a single piece of meat because she wanted to serve individual beef wellingtons. She says this allowed Patterson to include death cap mushrooms in the beef wellingtons of her guests but not her own.
Patterson rejects both assertions.
Rogers says in conversations prior to the lunch with her Facebook friends, Patterson did mention adding foraged mushrooms to the beef wellington.
I was not planning to add foraged mushrooms.
The jurors have returned to the court room in Morwell.
Erin Patterson, seated in the witness box, is dressed in a pink shirt.
Here’s a recap of what the jury heard on day 29 of Erin Patterson’s trial:
1. Under cross-examination, Patterson denied she was thinking of ways to cover her tracks after she discharged herself from Leongatha hospital against medical advice two days after the lunch.
2. Patterson disputed evidence by Ian Wilkinson, the sole lunch guest survivor, that she served the beef wellington for her guests on large grey plates and her own on a smaller orangey-tan coloured plate. Patterson said there was “no smaller plate”.
3. Patterson denied she made a sixth poisoned beef wellington for her estranged husband, Simon, in case he attended the lunch.
4. Patterson rejected the evidence of multiple witnesses including medical staff. This included disputing evidence by Leongtha hospital nurse Cindy Munro that Patterson said she did not want her children involved when staff said they needed to undergo medical testing.
5. Patterson recalled feeling “anxious” when medical staff at Leongatha hospital raised the possibility of death cap mushroom poisoning on 31 July 2023 – two days after the lunch. “I was anxious at the idea that we may have eaten those things [death caps],” she said.
Welcome to day 30 of Erin Patterson’s triple-murder trial
Erin Patterson will return to the witness box for a sixth day.
Prosecutor Nanette Rogers SC will continue cross-examining Patterson.
The trial, which is in its sixth week, will resume from 10.30am.
Patterson, 50, faces three charges of murder and one charge of attempted murder relating to a beef wellington lunch she served at her house in Leongatha in regional Victoria on 29 July 2023.
She is accused of murdering her in-laws, Don and Gail Patterson, and her estranged husband’s aunt, Heather Wilkinson. The attempted murder charge relates to Heather’s husband, Ian.
She has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The prosecution alleges Patterson deliberately poisoned her lunch guests with “murderous intent”, but her lawyers say the poisoning was a tragic accident.
