Australia - 3 dead after eating wild mushrooms, Leongatha, Victoria, Aug 2023 #10 *Arrest*

[Detechtive]

To add: We call these ‘sovereign citizen’ types cookers in Australia under the thinking that their brains are fried reading conspiracy theories.

I was trying to be less offensive with my descriptor! Ha! But I have met some of them and they are absolute nutters!

 

[MsMarple]

1m ago

Ms Atkinson initiated an investigation​

By Joseph Dunstan​

Ms Atkinson says she immediately called her manager about the mushroom poisoning.

"Because this was something that was quite unusual," she says.

She clarifies that she had never had a case of amatoxin poisoning before and says it "sounded very serious".

She says she contacted the food safety team because if there were mushrooms that were potentially poisoning people out in the community, they needed to be pulled from supermarket shelves.

 

[MsMarple]

1m ago

Simon Patterson hesitant to talk to the Health department at first​

By Melissa Brown​

Ms Atkinson says she contacted Simon Patterson that afternoon as he was listed as Don and Gail's next of kin.

She says he wasn't happy to speak to her. She says that happens sometimes when people are unsure who she is or where she's calling from.

She says she emailed him with the official Department of Health account and he was then happy to talk

 

[MsMarple]

1m ago

Ms Atkinson asks Simon if Erin foraged​

By Melissa Brown​

Ms Atkinson says she asked Simon Patterson whether Erin may have picked the mushrooms she'd used in the lunch herself and he said it wasn't something he'd ever known her to do.

Ms Atkinson says she later spoke to Erin. She says Erin told her she had started feeling sick around midnight after the lunch and then started having "explosive diarrhoea".

She says Erin said she started to feel better by Sunday afternoon so had a bowl of cereal but then felt worse.

She says Erin said she got her children ready for school on Monday and went to the hospital after dropping them off.

 

[MsMarple]

1m ago

Erin questioned about the lunch​

By Melissa Brown​

Ms Atkinson says Erin told her she'd never made beef Wellingtons before but had wanted to make something "fancy" for her guests.

She says Erin told her she wasn't sure which store she'd bought the mushrooms from, saying "she'd driven around a lot" during the April school holidays when her children were at holiday activities.

Ms Atkinson says she asked Erin whether they'd been frozen and was told they hadn't been, but had been purchased dried and they'd been stored in a Tupperware container.

She says Erin described the alleged packaging the mushrooms had been bought in, but said that she didn't have the packaging any longer.

She says she bought them for a pasta meal but when she opened them she thought they had smelt funny. She says Erin said she didn't use them all so stored the rest.

When asked whether that meant she'd used some, Ms Atkinson said it sounded that way.

 

[Deleted member 363451]

"Ms Atkinson says she asked Simon Patterson whether Erin may have picked the mushrooms she'd used in the lunch herself and he said it wasn't something he'd ever known her to do."

 

[MsMarple]

1m ago

Erin gives more details about the lunch to the health department​

By Melissa Brown​

Ms Atkinson says Erin claimed she needed a kilogram of mushrooms for the lunch recipe so she re-hydrated the dried mushrooms and added them to ones she bought from Woolworths.

Ms Atkinson says everyone had been served their meals individually.

The questioning turns to the children.

Ms Atkinson says Erin said the children were not there but that they'd eaten leftovers the next day.

But she says Erin said she scraped the mushrooms off because the children didn't like them.

 

[MsMarple]

1m ago

Court takes a break​

By Joseph Dunstan​

As the public health official details the conversations she had with Erin Patterson days after the lunch, Ms Patterson watches from the back of the courtroom.

There's no visible expression or audible reaction from her to the evidence.

The jury has now been given a break.

 

[Bats]

"Ms Atkinson says she asked Simon Patterson whether Erin may have picked the mushrooms she'd used in the lunch herself and he said it wasn't something he'd ever known her to do."

I don't know why but I thought he had foraged for mushrooms with her previously.

Woops, my bad!

 

[Deleted member 363451]

1m ago

Erin gives more details about the lunch to the health department​

By Melissa Brown​

Ms Atkinson says Erin claimed she needed a kilogram of mushrooms for the lunch recipe so she re-hydrated the dried mushrooms and added them to ones she bought from Woolworths.

Ms Atkinson says everyone had been served their meals individually.

The questioning turns to the children.

Ms Atkinson says Erin said the children were not there but that they'd eaten leftovers the next day.

But she says Erin said she scraped the mushrooms off because the children didn't like them.

Why didn't she just purchase 1 kg of fresh mushrooms from Woollies? How would she know how many kg of dry mushrooms she initially dried?

 

[Deleted member 363451]

I don't know why but I thought he had foraged for mushrooms with her previously.

Woops, my bad!

"A close friend of the Patterson family told Daily Mail Australia she was known for going wild mushroom foraging around Victoria’s Gippsland region along with her ex-partner Simon and other relatives and was “very good” at it."

'Knew what to pick': Source's bombshell claim about mushroom cook

A new development in the case of the deadly mushroom poisoning that claimed three lives in Victoria has exposed the woman who cooked the lunch as an experience forager.

www.skynews.com.au

 

[MsMarple]

1m ago

Ms Atkinson resumes giving evidence​

By Melissa Brown​

Court is back from the afternoon break.

Ms Atkinson says she attended a group meeting with the Deputy Chief Health Officers, members of the Food Safety Unit and the department's media team.

She told them the information she'd gained from Erin and they decided to get the local council to start inspecting Asian stores for mushrooms.

She says they wanted more information about the shallots Erin used as well.

The court hears the department wanted to rule out that the shallots weren't daffodil bulbs that can sometimes be sold in fruit and vegetable sections.

 

[MsMarple]

2m ago

Texts between Ms Atkinson and Erin Patterson​

By Melissa Brown​

Ms Atkinson says she tried to call Erin again but couldn't get through.

She says she then sent Erin a text, which was answered.

She says there were a number of texts exchanged between Aug 1 and 4.

The first text included Ms Atkinson asking her questions about the drinks they had at the lunch, the shallots she used, the packaging the mushrooms were in.

She also asked for the names of the roads she was parked in or landmarks when she went to the Asian grocery stores.

She says Erin responded:

"Hi Sally. Sure i will try to get that information all to you as soon as possible … I’m just dealing with trying to manage and look after the kids in hospital here and a bit snowed under trying to manage that."

 

[MsMarple]

2m ago

The questions the health department asked Erin Patterson​

By Melissa Brown​

Ms Atkinson says she tried to contact Erin again on Wednesday, Aug 2, leaving a voice message saying she had further questions.

She says she didn't hear back from Erin so sent another text message with the following questions at 9.29am:

1 - Can you please confirm that it was definitely only the one other time you cooked with the dried mushrooms when you first opened them? None else reported symptoms or issues when consumed then?

2. Please advise what drinks were served at lunch

3. Please confirm what kind of shallots were iused in the beef Wellington. Were they spring onions or the small individual shallot type onions please.

4. Did you possible use your card to purchase the mushrooms and cah you please check your bank statements for the shop - that would be amazingly helpful

 

[MsMarple]

1m ago

Health department says Erin Patterson seems to change story​

By Melissa Brown​

Ms Atkinson says she then heard from child protective services who said they had an appointment to visit Erin.

She says she asked the officer to call her when she was with Erin because she was having trouble getting back in contact with her.

She says the officer Katrina Cripps (who we heard from earlier in the trial) did call and handed over the phone to Erin. She says Erin told her they had water, tea and coffee.

She says Erin told her the mushrooms had not been used in any previous meal because they "smelt funny" and she thought they'd overpower the pasta type dish she was making.

Ms Atkinson says this information was different than what Erin had previously said.

"The initial conversation seemed to indicate she'd used some of them in the first dish and ... now she was saying that she had not. But she wasn't very clear," Ms Atkinson said.

She says Erin confirmed she'd used the small onion type shallots, not spring onions.

She says Erin said it would be ok to collect leftover food from her house.

 

[MsMarple]

1m ago

Erin answers questions about the Asian grocery store​

By Melissa Brown​

Ms Atkinson says Erin again could not tell her any information about where the Asian grocery store may be other than it was "strip shopping" in either Oakleigh or Clayton.

She said Erin described the packaging as though it had been repackaged by the store, rather than commercial packaging, with handwriting on a white label.

Ms Atkinson asked if she went to a fast food drive-through or a coffee shop as she again tried to locate the store, and Erin said no.

She says she directly asked Erin if she foraged for the mushrooms and Erin said no.

 

[MsMarple]

1m ago

Council officers get involved​

By Melissa Brown​

Ms Atkinson says Erin told her she made individual beef Wellingtons and that the only way people could have had the same portion was if they'd shared some of the food from their own plate.

Ms Atkinson says she relayed the information she received from Erin to the department's Food Safety Unit, which got in contact with Woolworths, while the council was contacted to visit Asian grocery stores in Clayton, Oakleigh and Mount Waverley.

More text messages about Erin's shopping trips are then read to the court, including about she bought discounted eye fillet for the meal and made other trips over several days.

Ms Atkinson says that was different information than what Erin previously told her because she'd said she got all the ingredients on the Friday evening.

 

[katydid23]

1m ago

Dr Beer finishes giving evidence​

By Melissa Brown​

Colin Mandy SC is asking Dr Beer if he could exclude any other contributing factors to Don Patterson's death.

Dr Beer tells the court that if someone has significant co-morbidities, they’re not going to deal with the amanita toxins as well as someone who is healthy.

However, he says he found no significant co-morbidities.

He's now finished questioning Dr Beer and he's finished giving evidence.

That's a weak question by the defense, IMO. If someone has eaten Death Caps at lunch, and is hospitalised that same night, what other causes of death could there be?

He said 'contributing factors' ----so does he imply that if one of the poison victims had high blood pressure or diabetes, then the lunch wouldn't really be the COD?

 

[Scuffy35]

1m ago

Erin answers questions about the Asian grocery store​

By Melissa Brown​

Ms Atkinson says Erin again could not tell her any information about where the Asian grocery store may be other than it was "strip shopping" in either Oakleigh or Clayton.

She said Erin described the packaging as though it had been repackaged by the store, rather than commercial packaging, with handwriting on a white label.

Ms Atkinson asked if she went to a fast food drive-through or a coffee shop as she again tried to locate the store, and Erin said no.

She says she directly asked Erin if she foraged for the mushrooms and Erin said no.

So far we have heard her mention four different possible places of purchase of dried mushrooms from an Asian grocery store, in three different ways:

Oakleigh or Clayton.
Oakleigh or Mount Waverley,
Oakleigh or Glen Waverley

 

[katydid23]

1m ago

Ms Atkinson asks Simon if Erin foraged​

By Melissa Brown​

Ms Atkinson says she asked Simon Patterson whether Erin may have picked the mushrooms she'd used in the lunch herself and he said it wasn't something he'd ever known her to do.

Are we getting contradictory testimony? Didn't we get some previous info that said Erin and Simon
enjoyed foraging for shrooms?

Ms Atkinson says she later spoke to Erin. She says Erin told her she had started feeling sick around midnight after the lunch and then started having "explosive diarrhoea".

She says Erin said she started to feel better by Sunday afternoon so had a bowl of cereal but then felt worse.

She says Erin said she got her children ready for school on Monday and went to the hospital after dropping them off.

I wish they would nail down 'what time' it was that Erin learned about her lunch guests being in the hospital.