Prosecutors in Australia are challenging the sentence handed down to Erin Patterson, who was convicted of murdering three relatives with a poisoned mushroom meal. They have officially appealed the sentence, arguing it is “manifestly inadequate”.
Patterson, 51, was recently given a life sentence with a minimum term of 33 years, one of the longest sentences ever imposed on a woman in Australia. This means she will be in her 80s before she can even be considered for parole.
Last week, Patterson’s legal team indicated their intention to appeal her conviction, though the grounds for this appeal have not yet been detailed. The appeal process requires them to convince the court that there were legal errors in the original trial.
The case garnered significant public attention, leading to a media frenzy with journalists, podcasters, and documentarians flocking to the small courthouse in Morwell, Victoria, where the trial took place.
Patterson was found guilty of murdering her late husband’s parents, Don and Gail Patterson (both 70), and Gail’s sister, Heather Wilkinson (66). The poisonings occurred in 2023 after Patterson served them beef Wellington laced with death cap mushrooms at her home.
Heather Wilkinson’s husband, Ian, a pastor, survived the meal but suffered severe health issues requiring weeks in hospital and continues to deal with the long-term effects.
Notably, Patterson’s estranged husband, Simon, had been scheduled to attend the lunch but cancelled at the last moment. It emerged during the trial that he had long suspected his wife of attempting to poison him, having previously fallen gravely ill after her meals, leading to a coma and the surgical removal of a significant portion of his bowel.
During the sentencing, Justice Christopher Beale acknowledged the severity of Patterson’s crimes, calling them the worst of their kind. However, he cited the “harsh prison conditions” she faced, including 15 months in solitary confinement and the likelihood of further isolation for her safety, as factors influencing his decision on parole eligibility. He noted that her notorious status and high media profile would likely keep her at significant risk from other inmates for years to come.
Justice Beale further elaborated on Patterson’s current confinement in a maximum-security facility, where she spends 22 hours a day in isolation due to her “major offender status,” with no interaction with other prisoners.