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Erin Patterson 'reluctant' for guests to look in her pantry
Ian and Heather were picked up by Don and Gail “a little after 12” from their house before travelling to Erin’s house on 29 July 2023, the court hears.
The four lunch guests arrived at Erin’s house at about 12.30pm, Ian says.
Arriving at Erin’s house, Ian says Heather remarked “oh, Simon’s car’s not here”.
Don or Gail said Simon Patterson was not attending the lunch, Ian says (a reminder that Simon is Don and Gail’s son, and Ian and Heather’s nephew).
Erin then met the four guests and they went into the kitchen and lounge room area in the house:
There was general conversation … then we started conversing about the house.
Erin mentioned there was a pantry behind the wall:
Heather was very interested in pantries at the time because we’d just built one at home.
On hearing about the pantry, she started walking towards it … Gail started following.
Ian says Erin was “very reluctant” about the visit to the pantry. He says Erin then followed Heather and Gail to the pantry.
Ian says he did not follow because he thought Erin may have been embarrassed about mess in the pantry.
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Ian Wilkinson says he and wife became ill that evening
Erin and Simon’s son and his friend then returned home which cut short the conversation about Erin’s illness, the court hears.
Ian then led the guests to prayer for Erin.
He recalls leaving Erin’s house at about 2.45pm as he and Heather had guests coming over at 3pm.
Ian and Heather went to bed at about 10.30 or 11pm that evening, jurors are told.
He says before they had fallen asleep Heather “abruptly” got up from bed and vomited in the laundry:
I felt alright when Heather initially got up. But it wasn’t very long after that I also felt the need to go and vomit.
The couple were vomiting and had diarrhoea through the evening, the court hears.
He says he and Heather did not return to bed that night as they needed to stay close to the toilets in the house.
Erin told four guests she had 'life-threatening' cancer, court hears
Ian is then asked what happened after the meal:
After the lunch, Erin announced that she had cancer. She said that she was very concerned because she believed it was very serious, life-threatening.
She was anxious about telling the kids. She was asking our advice about that.
Erin spoke about a diagnostic test which showed a tumor, Ian says.
Ian Wilkinson tells court he ate entire meal at fatal mushroom lunch
Ian says the five people said grace before they began to eat lunch.
He says he and his wife, Heather, ate the entire meal.
Gail, Erin’s mother-in-law, ate her vegetables and half of her beef wellington, the court hears.
Don ate his meal and his wife Gail’s leftover half, Ian says:
There was talk about husbands helping their wives out by eating extra food. Heather mentioned we should have shared a beef wellington because she felt the meal was a bit on the large side for her. That’s the reason I remember who ate what – because of that little exchange.
Ian says he can’t recall how much of the meal Erin ate. But he says he cannot remember comments about Erin not eating much.
Gail had prepared a cake and Heather had brought a fruit platter to the lunch, the court hears.
Ian says not much of either was consumed as the guests were “fairly full” from the main course.
He says it was a “help yourself” serving arrangement for the cake and fruit, with plates on the table.
Ian says he cannot remember if the same plates from lunch were used.
Erin took ‘odd’, differently coloured plate to her place at the table, Ian Wilkinson tells court
Ian Wilkinson describes the individual beef wellingtons served to the lunch guests:
It was very much like a pasty... it was a pastry case and when we cut into it, there was steak and mushrooms.
He says the dish was “entirely encased” in pastry.
Prosecutor Sarah Lenthall asks Ian about the plates Erin used to serve the food:
There were four large, grey dinner plates and one smaller plate – a different colour. It was an orangey-tan sort of colour.
Gail picked up two of the grey plates and put them on the table, Heather picked up two of the grey plates and put them on the table.
Erin picked up the odd plate and placed it on the table … she took it to her place on the table.
Erin Patterson plated all of the food, survivor of mushroom lunch says
The four guests then joined Erin in her garden where they discussed some of her plants.
Once inside again, Ian Wilkinson says lunch preparations began.
He says he saw Erin mashing potatoes and putting food on plates. He says he did not see any other food being prepared.
The jury is shown a photo of Erin’s dining room table, with a kitchen bench to the left.
Ian says Erin was on the kitchen side of the bench while she was putting food on plates. Gail and Heather were on the dining room side of the bench, leaning against it.
He says both women offered to help Erin plate the food.
The offer was rejected. He says Erin plated all of the food.
On the plates served to the guests were mashed potatoes, green beans and an individual beef wellington each.
Ian says he did not see where the beef wellingtons came from before they were placed on the plates.
Erin Patterson 'reluctant' for guests to look in her pantry
Ian and Heather were picked up by Don and Gail “a little after 12” from their house before travelling to Erin’s house on 29 July 2023, the court hears.
The four lunch guests arrived at Erin’s house at about 12.30pm, Ian says.
Arriving at Erin’s house, Ian says Heather remarked “oh, Simon’s car’s not here”.
Don or Gail said Simon Patterson was not attending the lunch, Ian says (a reminder that Simon is Don and Gail’s son, and Ian and Heather’s nephew).
Erin then met the four guests and they went into the kitchen and lounge room area in the house:
There was general conversation … then we started conversing about the house.
Erin mentioned there was a pantry behind the wall:
Heather was very interested in pantries at the time because we’d just built one at home.
On hearing about the pantry, she started walking towards it … Gail started following.
Ian says Erin was “very reluctant” about the visit to the pantry. He says Erin then followed Heather and Gail to the pantry.
Ian says he did not follow because he thought Erin may have been embarrassed about mess in the pantry.
Heather Wilkinson’s diary shown to court
The court is shown a photo of Heather’s diary. A handwritten entry on 29 July reads “Erin’s for lunch 12:00”.
Ian Wilksinson says the couple needed to be ready at midday for Don and Gail to pick them up for the lunch.
Underneath is the word “fruit”. Ian says this refers to the fruit platter he and Heather were planning to take to Erin’s house.
On the morning of 29 July, Ian says he had breakfast but cannot recall what he ate. He says it was a “typical breakfast meal” and he “probably had a nice bowl of porridge”.
Ian Wilkinson says late wife Heather ‘fairly excited’ about lunch
The examination now turns to the invite for the mushroom lunch.
Ian recalls Heather telling him at church that they had been invited to Erin’s home for a meal in July 2023.
He says Heather was “fairly excited” about the invitation:
There was no reason for the lunch.... We were very happy to be invited. It seemed like maybe our relationship with Erin was going to improve.
Ian says the pair were “very happy” to accept the lunch invite.
He says at first the couple thought they were the only people invited.
They later found out that Heather’s sister, Gail and her husband, Don had also been invited.
Erin’s estranged husband, Simon, was also invited to the lunch, the court hears.
‘Just seemed like a normal person’
Lenthall asks how Ian Wilksinson would he would describe Erin:
Just seemed like a normal person to me... when we met, seemed quite friendly. We never had arguments or disputes.
She just seemed like an ordinary person.
Lenthall turns to his observation of Simon and Erin’s marriage. He says he had a “couple” of conversations with Simon about the pair’s marriage challenges when they lived separately for periods of time.
Ian says he did not often visit Erin’s house. He says he had only eaten with Erin previously for wider family gatherings like Christmas parties and family occasions.
‘More like acquaintances,’ Ian Wilkinson says of Erin Patterson
Ian says he met Erin through his nephew, Simon Patterson (Erin’s estranged husband).
He is asked about his relationship with Erin:
I would say our relationship was friendly, amicable. It didn’t have much depth. We were more like acquaintances. We didn’t see a great deal of each other.
He says when Erin attended their church, they would have “casual conversation”.
Ian says Heather had a “very similar” relationship with Erin:
Heather would have seen Erin more than me, talked to her more than me. But we didn’t consider that the relationship was close.
Ian Wilkinson testimony begins
Prosecutor Sarah Lenthall has begun her examination of Ian Wilkinson.
He tells the court he is the pastor at the Korumburra Baptist Church.
Ian met his wife Heather in 1976 and they later had four children, the court hears.
Heather, 66, was teaching English to migrants when she died in 2023, Ian says.
Ian Wilkinson, only survivor of fatal lunch, to testify next
The next witness is Ian Wilkinson, who survived the mushroom lunch served by Erin on 29 July 2023.
Court shown receipt for dehydrator that Erin Patterson bought
The prosecution has called Darren Fox, the owner and manager of an appliances store in Leongatha.
He says in November 2023 an employee told him she believed she had sold Erin Patterson, who lives in Leongatha, a food dehydrator.
Fox says store records showed Erin had purchased a Sunbeam food lab electronic dehydrator.
The court is shown a tax invoice which says “deliver to” Erin, dated 28 April 2023.
The jurors have entered the courtroom.
The next witness in the Erin Patterson murder trial will be called shortly.
Our reporter Nino Bucci was in court yesterday in Morwell, where the supreme court is sitting for the trial. Here is his report:
Recap: testimony from day five
As we wait for the trial to start today, here’s a recap of four things jurors heard on Monday:
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Erin’s estranged husband, Simon, denied asking her “is that what you used to poison them?” in the days immediately after the lethal mushroom lunch. It was alleged he was referring to the food dehydrator, the court heard, although it was not clarified who “them” referred to.
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The court was shown a Facebook message Erin wrote in 2023 before the lunch, according to her online friend Daniela Barkley. It read: “I’ve been hiding powdered mushrooms in everything. Mixed into chocolate brownies yesterday, the kids had no idea.”
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A Facebook friend of Erin recalled her describing her estranged husband, Simon, as “coercive” and her in-laws as “demanding”. The three Facebook friends who gave evidence did not meet her in person but communicated in online true crime groups, online chats and phone calls.
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The same witness, Christine Hunt, said Erin was “well regarded” in the Facebook group and known as a good researcher, describing her as a “super sleuth.”
Welcome to day six of Erin Patterson’s murder trial
We’re expecting today’s evidence to begin at 10.30am when more witnesses will testify.
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, in July 2023.
She is accused of murdering her in-laws, Don and Gail Patterson and the aunt of her estranged husband, Heather Wilkinson. The attempted murder charge relates to Heather’s husband, Ian.
She has pleaded not guilty to the charges. The defence’s case is that the events were an accident and Patterson never intended to harm her lunch guests.
