The mushroom poisoning in Vic.... I am gripped - Part 2

[ImustLearn2Cook]

Hi everyone, Aussie Mumsnetter here. As some have requested a new thread be started by an Aussie I decided to do it.

I am still gripped by this case and like many, I am awaiting updates of new information.

Will a matching donor for a liver for Ian be found soon? I hope he makes a full recovery.

Will he be able to shed new light on the lunch they all shared?

And of course is she guilty of deliberately poisoning them or was it an innocent mistake?

Good to have an update, though it’s not a surprising development.

Wasn’t her ex seriously ill last year and someone ‘close to him’ was in an article (link posted on here) saying that they had their suspicions about that?

Thank goodness that they have enough evidence to charge her.

I'm not sure an insanity plea will fly if they can prove the case against her ex too. It is an extended period of time. She can't claim a psychotic break or temporary insanity. Unless she does have documented MH issues over that period and was seeing professionals.

Got a news notification on the phone that she had been charged (I’m in Ireland) . It’s been in the news here as well.
bang to rights. I’m hearing that in my head in a Terese Willis accent.

Yes, there were hints earlier this year that she had tried to kill him before.

I don't think she'll be able to plead insanity. She can try but I don't think it will turn out well for her. This seems very methodical. She took the time to cook her ex his meals (whatever they were) waited a couple of years, took the time to cook her guests an elaborate meal of beef wellington, drove to a rubbish tip (apparently the one that was farthest from her home) and dumped a dehydrator which I'll assume is evidence. Then when interviewed, tried her hardest to get those tears going but sadly will not be nominated for next year's Oscar awards.

I suffer from psychosis and when I'm unwell I can barely make a sandwich let alone do all the things she has as my head is way too erratic. So I'll be very surprised if she's able to pull that card.

I wonder if she will admit it or if there will be a whole trial.

I would put good money on there being a whole trial

which is going to be very hard for her legal team indeed, due to the sheer amount of bollocks she’s said publicly,

It looks as though the police waited until they had enough strong evidence to also charge her with attempted murder of her estranged husband. As it is more than one count, it would indicate they know or at least strongly suspect the stomach issues were from previous attempts to poison him.

I don't know what the law is in Aus but insanity is a very tough case to prove in the UK and rarely used, possibly the best she could hope for would be whatever the equivalent of diminished responsibility is......but I can't see a jury going for that.

Maybe a dv defence? Although as I understand it they were separated so he was out of her life?

her lawyers will be working very hard right now to one up with some sort of defence

could they make a case she can’t have a fair trial because of the media speculation? Would they do a trial without jury in that case?

one would hope that she would save her kids the trauma of a trial though

She was trying to get back with him, he was saying no, and dv doesn’t make folks murder his entire family. Especially when they also didn’t support him getting back with her.

True - but I’m sure she’s considering every angle.

Not surprised about most of the charges, but the ones for earlier attempts are interesting.

Those poor children.

Is the case sub judice now in Australia? I presume so and we will not hear much until the trial, if there is one - due either to a guilty or insanity ( if accepted) plea.

That bloke on the podcast Casefile will be doing a series on this eventually.

Just following here. Well seeing as she’s tried to murder her ex husband 3 times it can’t have been that he was involved in this.

I hope that she pleads guilty (doubtful) and doesn’t go down the insanity route.

Wow that is an update and a half today. She's going down.

Perhaps she is, but I wouldn't be certain of anything in a jury trial.

However I reckon she will always be known as the mushroom serial killer.

I've never understood the whole insanity thing. I mean anyone who considers murder to be an acceptable action is surely insane. I can see how killers with a diagnosed disorder like schizophrenia can use the insanity card, but others, I don't understand tbh. Look at Brady - not considered insane at trial but ended up in Broadmoor.

At a very basic level it’s about having the capacity to understand the difference between right and wrong.. to be able to make the decision to act or not based on that knowledge.

Yeah, insanity is a pretty unlikely defence option. You need to prove extensive history of mental illness and that you had no idea what you were doing at the time.

Am thinking the media circus surrounding this won't prevent her having a jury trial. She's been taken to Morwell, which is the closest County Court (so, the closest court that does jury trials) although that's probably just to discombobulate her further. I'd guess she'll eventually be tried in Melbourne.

I can think of other cases here that attracted similar international attention (ie, the monster who murdered Jill Meagher in 2015). There was a march of 30,000 odd people to show solidarity about violence against women- and they didn't hesitate to put him in front of a jury.

One of the local tv news channels had a caption on the screen saying "Not Mushroom for Doubt"- I shouldn't laugh but 😂

Omg. I can’t laugh even though it’s inviting us to do so due to the awful circumstances.

It is awful, but it's effectively what these threads have been saying all along.

Those of us who were saying she looks guilty as hell were slapped down- but she looked so fishy from the get go- all the nonsense about Asian shopkeepers -and not remembering where the store was- dumping the dehydrator- and the trying to squeeze tears out while looking heavenwards- it all looked so suss.
Her mouth was like a runaway train.

No wonder most defence lawyers try to say to clients ''keep quiet, say nothing''.