The sole survivor of Erin Patterson’s deadly mushroom lunch has thanked police for bringing the truth to light after she was handed three life sentences for her murders.
Patterson, 50, kept her eyes closed for much of Monday’s hearing but stared straight ahead as Victorian Supreme Court Justice Christopher Beale confirmed she would be eligible for parole after 33 years.
The sentence makes Patterson – who remained emotionless throughout Monday’s proceedings – Victoria’s longest-serving female prisoner.
Beale found her crimes were horrendous, but said the fact she would likely spend most of her sentence in solitary confinement warranted the granting of a non-parole period.
Outside court after the sentence, sole survivor Ian Wilkinson thanked police, particularly the Homicide Squad and Detective Stephen Eppinstall.
“They made a professional, efficient and effective investigation into what happened at the lunch,” he said, in his first public comments since the deadly events of nearly two years ago.
“They brought to light the truth of what happened to three good people.
He did not comment on Patterson’s sentence but instead praised people from across Australia and the world who had offered their support during the ordeal.
“I thank the people of the Leongatha and Korumburra communities in particular,” he says.
“Your thoughtfulness and care has been a great encouragement to us.”
He also thanked the health workers and services who treated him, his wife and Don and Gail Patterson.
“I’d like to encourage all those involved to keep turning up and serving others,” he says.
“Our lives and the life of our community depends on the kindness of others.
“I would like to encourage everybody to be kind to each other.”
Wilkinson finished with a plea to the media to respect his family’s privacy as they continued to grieve and heal.
“Thank you for listening. I hope you all have a great day,” he said.
Beale accepted Patterson deliberately served beef Wellingtons that were laced with death cap mushrooms to four lunch guests in July 2023.
Her former in-laws Don and Gail Patterson, 70, and Gail’s sister Heather Wilkinson, 66, all died after consuming the meal, while Heather’s husband Ian was left seriously ill but survived.
Patterson continues to deny any ill intentions, claiming it was a terrible accident. But in July, a Supreme Court jury found her guilty of three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder.
Beale accepted there was no proven motive for the crime, adding it was not his job to speculate about why Patterson committed the murders.
But he found he had concocted an elaborate story to cover up her crimes, including lying about a dehydrator and where she sourced the mushrooms.
The judge also believed Wilkinson, who described how the killer served the individual beef Wellingtons on grey plates to her lunch guests while her own meal was on a small orange-tan plate.
He found Patterson disposed of the plates after the lunch and then lied about them not existing during her evidence.
Beale described Patterson’s offending as the worst category of murder, noting the betrayal towards people she considered family.
“Their suffering was protracted,” the judge said.
“Your crimes have harmed a great many people.”
He said the severity of her crimes warranted the maximum sentence for both murder and attempted murder.
But Beale accepted that, given the extensive media coverage of the case, Patterson’s notoriety would continue and she would likely remain in solitary confinement for years to come.
Patterson was returned to the maximum-security prison Dame Phyllis Frost Centre in Melbourne’s west shortly after Monday’s hearing.
She and her legal team have 28 days to decide to appeal her sentence.
-with AAP
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