12.57pm
Where did the mushrooms come from? A phone call from the hospital
By
As the jury was shown a photograph of the lunch leftovers, encased in pastry, Crown prosecutor Nanette Rogers, SC, spoke about how the police took the beef Wellington to the hospital to help doctors determine what was wrong with the guests.
Rogers said Erin Patterson gave the police the code to the gate and told them the leftovers could be found in a brown Woolworths paper bag, either in the red-lidded bin located outside the house.
Officers found approximately three bags piled on top of each other. The leftovers, which looked like a meat-filled pastry, were at the bottom of the bottom bag, Rogers said.
Police then took the leftovers to Leongatha Hospital.
The jury heard that at 10.23am, Erin received a phone call from Matthew Patterson, the son of the Don and Gail.
Matthew explained that he was with Don in the intensive care unit, and the toxicologist had inquired where the mushrooms in the meal had come from.
Rogers said Erin responded that there were two sources of mushrooms, fresh mushrooms from Woolworths and dried mushrooms from a Chinese grocer or supermarket within the Oakleigh area.
1.09pm
Doctor concerned for Erin Patterson and her children
By
The jury is being told more about Erin Patterson discharging herself from Leongatha Hospital.
Prosecutor Nanette Rogers, SC, told the jury that Dr Chris Webster was concerned about Patterson’s health, and made three phone calls using the urgent care centre phone to the accused’s mobile phone. All three calls went through to message bank, Rogers said.
Prosecutor Nanette Rogers, SC (centre), outside court on Wednesday.Credit: Jason South
“He left a voicemail message each time requesting that she return to hospital for treatment. In the third voicemail, Dr Webster said apologetically that he would have to call the police to ask for their assistance in getting her to return to hospital, as he was concerned about her health,” Rogers said.
Later, Webster called both the CEO and director of medical services for Gippsland Southern Health Service to inform them of the situation.
Rogers said that Erin later presented to Leongatha Hospital a second time. She told a nurse that she had diarrheoa and nausea but no vomiting.
“It was at this stage that the accused told [Dr Webster] that her two children had eaten the beef Wellington leftovers. She specified that her two children ate the meat, but not the mushroom or pastry surrounding the meat,” Rogers said.
Webster told Erin that she needed to get the children so they could be treated.
“At that point, the accused became emotional and said, ‘Is this really necessary? They don’t have symptoms’, and she also said they did not eat mushrooms. ‘I just don’t want them to be panicked or stressed’,” Rogers said.
“Dr Webster was blunt and said that they could be assessed, in life, or dead. He also said he thought that the choice was an obvious one.”
Erin Patterson then complained of pain when opening her bowels. Her heart rate and blood pressure were elevated, Rogers told the jury.
Erin reported that she’d started experiencing nausea on July 29, 2023, the day of the lunch, and that she had diarrhoea all through the following day, but it had eased that evening. Erin reported she had diarrhoea again on the morning of July 31, and could not count how many times she had been to the toilet.
Erin Patterson is facing trial after pleading not guilty over a fatal mushroom lunch. Today, Nanette Rogers, SC, will present the prosecution’s case against Patterson.
www.theage.com.au
www.bbc.com
