Multiple charges dropped as fatal mushroom lunch trial begins

Erin Patterson, the woman at the centre of Australia’s high-profile “mushroom lunch” case, has had three attempted murder charges dropped as her trial begins in Victoria’s Latrobe Valley Magistrates Court.

The 50-year-old pleaded not guilty to charges related to the deaths of her former in-laws, Don and Gail Patterson, both aged 70, and Gail’s sister, Heather Wilkinson, 66. The three died in hospital days after allegedly eating a beef wellington laced with poisonous mushrooms at a family lunch hosted by Patterson in Leongatha on July 29, 2023.

Patterson is also facing an attempted murder charge over the alleged poisoning of Heather Wilkinson’s husband, Ian Wilkinson, 68, who survived the lunch.

On Tuesday, trial judge Justice Christopher Beale informed the jury that three separate attempted murder charges linked to Patterson’s estranged husband, Simon Patterson, had been withdrawn. He instructed jurors to disregard those charges entirely.

“You may be aware from previous coverage that the accused was charged in relation to her ex-husband,” Justice Beale said. “Those charges have been dropped, and you must put them out of your mind.”

Patterson, dressed in a pink and white striped long-sleeved shirt, sat quietly in the dock as the jury of 15 was empanelled. Jurors were briefed on courtroom procedures, including the selection of a foreperson, COVID-19 precautions, and the roles of parties involved in the trial.

Patterson first entered pleas of not guilty to the murder and attempted murder charges in May 2024. The trial, expected to draw significant public attention, will continue on Wednesday with further evidence and testimony.

Images: A Current Affair