Patterson's lawyers describe jury hotel arrangement as 'catastrophic'

Lawyers for Erin Patterson, convicted of murdering three relatives with a mushroom-laced meal, are challenging her conviction, labeling the jury arrangements during the trial's closing stages as "catastrophic." Patterson, who maintains her innocence, was found guilty last year of three counts of murder and one of attempted murder after serving a beef Wellington containing death cap mushrooms at a family lunch in 2023.

During her appeal hearing at the Supreme Court in Melbourne, Patterson's barrister, Richard Edney, argued that sequestered jurors were accommodated in the same hotel as the lead police investigator and staff from the Office of Public Prosecutions. Edney contended this arrangement undermined the principle that justice must not only be done but also be seen to be done, especially in a high-profile case.

However, Court of Appeal judges questioned Edney, seeking evidence of direct communication between the police, prosecutors, and the jurors. Edney conceded there was no proof of direct contact but suggested the possibility of "non-verbal" communication or jurors observing the homicide detective through motel windows. CCTV footage from the motel was not obtained, and court staff denied any impropriety.

The accommodation issue arose due to a shortage of hotel rooms in Traralgon, the town near Morwell where the trial took place. The jury ultimately convicted Patterson of murdering her in-laws, Don and Gail Patterson, and Gail's sister, Heather Wilkinson, and attempting to murder Heather's husband, Ian Wilkinson, the sole survivor of the fatal lunch. The prosecution is also seeking to remove the possibility of parole from Patterson's life sentence.

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We would describe the sequestration that occurred during it as catastrophic