'very uncommon' for accused to carry gatherings, says ex-husband

[ad_1] Simon Atkinson and Katy Watson BBC Information, Morwell

<img sizes="(min-width: 1280px) 50vw, (min-width: 1008px) 66vw, 96vw" srcset="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/240/cpsprodpb/b129/live/e2e05770-2639-11f0-93bd-c5a382591772.png.webp 240w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/320/cpsprodpb/b129/live/e2e05770-2639-11f0-93bd-c5a382591772.png.webp 320w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/b129/live/e2e05770-2639-11f0-93bd-c5a382591772.png.webp 480w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/640/cpsprodpb/b129/live/e2e05770-2639-11f0-93bd-c5a382591772.png.webp 640w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/800/cpsprodpb/b129/live/e2e05770-2639-11f0-93bd-c5a382591772.png.webp 800w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/cpsprodpb/b129/live/e2e05770-2639-11f0-93bd-c5a382591772.png.webp 1024w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1536/cpsprodpb/b129/live/e2e05770-2639-11f0-93bd-c5a382591772.png.webp 1536w" src="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/b129/live/e2e05770-2639-11f0-93bd-c5a382591772.png.webp" loading="eager" alt="Paul Tyquin Artist's sketch of Erin Patterson" class="sc-4abb68ca-0 ldLcJe"/> Paul Tyquin Erin Patterson has pleaded not responsible to the costs

The estranged husband of a girl who served a toxic mushroom lunch to her household says it was "very uncommon" for her to carry social gatherings at residence.

Simon Patterson was invited to the deadly meal ready by Erin Patterson - however determined to not attend the day earlier than.

Mr Patterson is the primary witness within the trial of Ms Patterson - who's charged with the homicide of three relations and the tried homicide of one other, with the case centring on a beef wellington lunch at her home in July 2023.

Ms Patterson, 50, has pleaded not responsible and her defence workforce says she "panicked" after unintentionally serving poison to relations she cherished.

Three folks died in hospital within the days after the meal, together with Ms Patterson's former in-laws, Don Patterson, 70, and Gail Patterson, 70, in addition to Gail's sister, Heather Wilkinson, 66. Native pastor Ian Wilkinson survived after weeks of therapy in hospital.

The jury has been proven textual content messages exchanged between Simon and Erin Patterson the day earlier than the lethal mushroom lunch.

Mr Patterson stated he felt "too uncomfortable" about attending the lunch.

Erin Patterson responded: "That is actually disappointing. I've spent many hours this week getting ready lunch for tomorrow... It is vital to me that you just're all there tomorrow and that I can have the conversations that I have to have."

<img sizes="(min-width: 1280px) 50vw, (min-width: 1008px) 66vw, 96vw" srcset="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/240/cpsprodpb/2f1d/live/d188f050-25bb-11f0-8f57-b7237f6a66e6.png.webp 240w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/320/cpsprodpb/2f1d/live/d188f050-25bb-11f0-8f57-b7237f6a66e6.png.webp 320w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/2f1d/live/d188f050-25bb-11f0-8f57-b7237f6a66e6.png.webp 480w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/640/cpsprodpb/2f1d/live/d188f050-25bb-11f0-8f57-b7237f6a66e6.png.webp 640w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/800/cpsprodpb/2f1d/live/d188f050-25bb-11f0-8f57-b7237f6a66e6.png.webp 800w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/cpsprodpb/2f1d/live/d188f050-25bb-11f0-8f57-b7237f6a66e6.png.webp 1024w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1536/cpsprodpb/2f1d/live/d188f050-25bb-11f0-8f57-b7237f6a66e6.png.webp 1536w" src="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/2f1d/live/d188f050-25bb-11f0-8f57-b7237f6a66e6.png.webp" loading="lazy" alt="Map of the state of Victoria in southeast Australia, showing the location of Melbourne, Leongatha and Morwell." class="sc-4abb68ca-0 ldLcJe"/> The prosecution alleges Ms Patterson invited the group to lunch "on the pretence she'd been identified with most cancers".

The court docket in Morwell, regional Victoria, heard that between the couple's marriage in 2007 and separation in 2015, there have been plenty of durations of separation and reconciliation - together with Erin Patterson leaving her husband and their child son in the course of a street journey throughout Australia in 2009.

Mr Patterson needed to drive from Townsville to Perth - a distance of about 5,000 km (3,100 miles) - alone with the kid, he advised the court docket.

The couple met in 2002, whereas each working at Monash Metropolis Council, the place Mr Patterson was a civil engineer.

Requested about his spouse, Mr Patterson stated: "Erin could be very clever.

"A few of the issues that attracted me to her within the first place is certainly her intelligence. She's fairly witty and will be fairly humorous."

Requested about how his spouse obtained on along with his mother and father, Don and Gail Patterson, Mr Patterson stated: "She particularly obtained on with dad. They shared a love of information and studying on the planet."

Together with his voice faltering, Mr Patterson added: "I believe she cherished his light nature."

He stated Ms Patterson held a college diploma in enterprise and accounting, and was additionally certified as an air site visitors controller having labored at Melbourne's Tullemarine airport.

'Chatty' relationship unravelled

Mr Patterson painted an image of a relationship peppered with durations of separation - the primary throughout the first two years of marriage - at one level turning into emotional and asking for tissues.

After the ultimate separation there was a number of communication by textual content message he stated, together with "banter" and speak about politics, he stated.

However there was a change within the relationship in 2022 when Ms Patterson was "upset" when her husband listed himself as separated on his tax return.

The "chatty nature" of their relationship "just about stopped" after this, Mr Patterson stated - with communication now solely concerning the "sensible administration" of their household life.

Carrying a navy swimsuit, white shirt and purple tie, he advised the court docket that Ms Patterson acquired a "substantial inheritance" from her grandmother which Mr Patterson estimated at A$2m ($1.3m; £964,000) - although it was not paid in a lump sum and was "dribbled out" by the executors of the property.

The jury has heard that there isn't a dispute that the lunch of beef wellington, mashed potatoes and inexperienced beans contained demise cap mushrooms and precipitated the friends' diseases.

Whether or not Ms Patterson supposed to kill or trigger very severe damage is the principle difficulty within the case, the choose has advised the jury.

The court docket heard the couple had married in 2007 and had two kids collectively - although separated completely in 2015 .

They'd remained "amicable" together with sharing household holidays, although there was a falling out over youngster assist funds in 2022, the jury was advised.

Through the prosecution's opening assertion on Wednesday, lead defence barrister Nanette Rogers stated the jury would hear proof that Ms Patterson had travelled to a location, close to her residence in Leongatha, the place demise cap mushroom sightings had been logged on a naturalist web site.

And within the days after the lunch, she took plenty of steps to "conceal" what she had accomplished, the prosecution alleged.

There'd be proof that she lied to investigators concerning the supply of the mushrooms within the dish - saying some had come from an Asian grocery in Melbourne and he or she had by no means foraged wild ones. And he or she made a visit to a neighborhood dump to get rid of a meals dehydrator prosecutors say she used to arrange the poisonous meal.

Ms Patterson's barrister has stated she didn't intentionally serve poisoned meals to her friends.

"The defence case is that she panicked as a result of she was overwhelmed by the truth that these 4 folks had turn into so sick due to the meals she had served them."

'Erin served herself her meals on a colored plate'

The court docket heard how Mr Patterson spoke to his father the morning after the lunch and found each his mother and father had been up since midnight with vomiting and diahorrea and that that they had referred to as an ambulance.

And after attempting to name his aunt and uncle, Heather and Ian Wilkinson, he went to their residence when they didn't reply.

"Ian answered the door. He regarded gray and spooked," Mr Patterson recalled. "Yeah, he was struggling.

"I stated 'How are you?' He stated 'Not good'."

Mr Patterson then noticed Heather Wilkinson sitting on the sofa, he advised the court docket.

"She regarded fairly criminal. She had a container as a spew bucket, " he stated.

After Mr Wilkinson left the room, Heather spoke to him, he confirmed, underneath questioning from prosecutor Dr Rogers.

"We did not have a lot dialog, however she was puzzled and he or she stated 'I seen Erin served herself her meals on a colored plate which was completely different to the remaining'."

"I acknowledged I would heard her, however didn't progress it as a dialog," he added.

As a result of he had been advised an ambulance would have taken an hour to reach, Mr Patterson drove the couple to hospital within the Wilkinsons' automotive when Heather Wilkinson raised the topic as soon as extra.

"She talked about the colored plate once more, She requested me 'Is Erin in need of crockery? Is that why she would have this completely different colored plate that she served herself with?" Mr Patterson stated.

"I can not bear in mind the precise phrase nevertheless it was one thing like that.

And what did you reply, the prosecutor requested?

"I stated sure, Erin would not have that many plates and which may be the explanation."

Mr Patterson turned emotional once more, describing going to see his mother and father at Korumburra hospital the place they have been in the identical room however separate beds.

"Dad was considerably worse than mum. He was actually struggling," he stated preventing again tears..

"He was mendacity on his facet. He was hunched fairly noticeably, with a extremely discoloured face, struggling to talk.

"Talking was an effort, taking the vitality to talk was an effort and his voice was strained in a method that he wasn't proper inside. He was in ache."