3.17pm
‘Our thoughts are with the respective families’: Victoria Police
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Victoria Police has issued a statement acknowledging the jury’s decision.
“Our thoughts are with the respective families at this time and we acknowledge how difficult these past two years have been for them,” the statement said.
“We will continue to support them in every way possible following this decision.
“We would also like to acknowledge the work of homicide squad detectives over the course of this complex investigation, as well as the significant support received from a number of other areas across Victoria Police.”
3.26pm
‘Erin had no expression, no reaction at all’: Outside court, a town reacts
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“Erin had no expression, no reaction at all,” said Angela Ely, a member of the public who had attended court during the past five weeks.
Ely had not prepared for the emotion of the verdict: she felt excitement in the line to get into courtroom four, but sadness overwhelmed her when she saw others break down.
Media gather outside court on Monday.Credit: Jason South
“There’s no winners. The kids, it’s so sad,” she said.
Debbie Oldham, from Traralgon, said it would’ve been a shock either way.
Sitting in the court when the verdict was handed down, she said she thought she was guilty in the beginning, but was impressed with the defence response.
“Their closing arguments were impressive and persuasive, got me from thinking guilty to sitting on the fence.”
3.33pm
How the world’s media outlets reported the verdict
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Erin Patterson’s trial, which concluded almost two years after the fatal lunch, has attracted global interest. Here’s how some of the world’s leading media outlets reported the guilty verdicts:
Reuters: The 10-week trial attracted huge global interest, with media descending on Court 4 at the Latrobe Valley law courts in Morwell, the nearest court to Patterson’s home where she had requested to be tried, despite being warned of lengthy delays. State broadcaster ABC’s daily podcast on proceedings was consistently among the most popular in Australia during the trial, while several documentaries on the case are already in production.
Media await the verdict outside the Latrobe Valley law courts.Credit: Jason South
AP: The jury in the Supreme Court trial in Victoria state returned a verdict after six days of deliberations, following a ... trial that gripped Australia. Patterson will be sentenced at a later date.
The Telegraph, London: One shopkeeper (from Loch near where Patterson foraged for mushrooms), who did not want to be named, sighed. “It’s been very hard to read for a lot of us.” With the trial over, they said, “Everyone can then focus on what matters – that we’ve lost three locals who, by all accounts, were very much loved. In Korumburra Baptist Church, where survivor Ian Wilkinson still takes the weekly Sunday service at 10.30am, a different message awaits visiting media or curious passersby. Matthew 7:15 – Be on your guard against false prophets; they come to you looking like sheep from the inside but on the outside they are really like wild wolves.
Go here to read more from our national blog.
After six days of deliberations, the jury found the mother of two, 50, guilty of three charges of murder and one of attempted murder over the fatal beef Wellington lunch she served in July 2023.
www.theage.com.au