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?

Can any Australian mumsmetters explain the family tax thing. How does it work?

Are they better off being together? Rather than separated. That is different from here as there are often more benefits for single parents.

Again how does child support work in Australia? Especially of thats what he was told to pay. Do they take into account money from the joint properties if they are rented out.The joint assets as they are still married. How many nights with each parents?
It was low for a reason maybe.

I thought he came across as truthful for sure, but that's almost what I mean; he doesn't portray her as abusive, unreasonable, violent, etc. Their relationship before that point could not be characterised as victim/abuser.

He described her as generous, a good mum, someone who liked and respected his parents, even if the relationship was fracturing.

They were in a dispute at that moment about the money side of things, and he describes her as "aggressive" in her communications. However the only evidenced communication (the text to his parents) that can support that allegation would certainly be uncomfortable for him and awkward, but they're not aggressive to an outsider. He says there's another text message though, so perhaps that one tells a different story.

By saying he's not a perfect victim I wasn't meaning to malign him-- I just meant he's not the trope, and so she isn't either.

I didn't think you were maligning him. I've just seen a fair few posts on other forums saying how awful he is, which surprised me, given the circumstances.

He seemed extremely level and as if trying to be very fair and precise re Erin's character, and probably bearing in mind his children will hear and read about all of this at some point.

But the abuse to me seems to be coming from her. She is controlling, and manipulative, and a gaslighter. It's quite common for abusers, in my personal experience, whether overt or covert, to accuse their victims of their behaviours. So her mentioning coercive control fits.

I'm sure he was not perfect, and most probably quite annoying, like most people, and it was an odd choice to marry a Baptist if you're faithless...

On this thread there are posters saying he did it, or he was in it with her. I find that pretty hard to take given the overwhelming amount of evidence that we already know about. The forensic experts' evidence will be interesting.

The ABC has included a helpful timeline of what's known so far here:

The key people, timeline and evidence in Erin Patterson's mushroom murder trial - ABC News

Ian's on the stand.... watching the live updates.

Me too. In bed feeling like crap, so it's good timing in a weird way.

Poor Don ate his portion and also half of Gail's! Yet she still died from half a BW. Awful.

www.abc.net.au/news/2025-05-06/erin-patterson-mushroom-murder-trial-live-blog-tues/105257526?utm_campaign=abc_news_web&utm_content=link&utm_medium=content_shared&utm_source=abc_news_web

Gosh, the defence has so little to go on, quibbling now about whether the plates were on a tray as Ian said in his original statement or just on the kitchen bench prior to being taken to the table for poison lunch.

The poor fellow has been intubated and given a liver transplant since then and lost his wife, and his not a home decor specialist.

I was really surprised by the size of the dehydrator; I'd pictured plastic trays.

Me too, it's a much bigger, more $$$ piece of equipment than I expected.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-05-06/erin-patterson-mushroom-murder-trial-live-blog-tues/105257526

Blimey. For one thing, why is the Defence hammering Ian over whether or not Erin said she had cancer, when both sides have accepted that was a lie?

And the colour of the plates? How many witnesses are required to say they were grey?

"Mr Mandy suggested there were in fact no grey plates"

"Ian disagrees and says he remembers 4 grey plates".

This is descending into farce.

The short answer is, it's complicated.

Family Tax Benefit is calculated on the 'family' income. If one or both partners list themselves as separated on their tax return, the recipient of the Family Tax Benefit (typically the mother) has to provide a new assessment of the family income- which will no longer include her husbands/ex partners income.

That triggers an assessment by the Child Support Agency. I've no idea why Simon's supposed payments were assessed as being so low! Perhaps Erin simply became upset at the change in circumstances?

I'm actually going through this process myself! But since I don't have a property portfolio I imagine the details differ.

Yet another part of this case that isn't quite making sense.

The reason for the plates thing is that in closing statements (when the lawyer kind of makes their case) they cannot make an argument that they have not put to a witness. So they can say a witness is lying, or misremembering, and because the jury has had the chance to assess the witnesses response when this is put to them, the jury is in a better position to decide who they agree with :) it can make for an unnatural feeling to cross examination though!

@Yazzi Ah ok, that makes sense now you've put it in such words.

Poor Ian though. No wonder people shy away from being defence witnesses & being cross-examined, necessary as it is.

The details of their reaction to the mushrooms are just so distressing to read. Don ate half Gail's portion as well! So, so awful! And them all praying together about her (completely made up?) cancer claims, ughhh.

I've just seen Ian W's diagram of the seating for that lunch. She sat opposited Don and watched as he ate one and a half portions of her Beef Wellingtons. Then let them pray for her fake cancer diagnosis.

Even if it were true she did accidentally include Death Cap mushrooms, which I don't believe, she has still murdered them by not telling the hospital(s) at any point that they were foraged mushrooms. It is possible some of the others might have been saved with timely treatment for DCs. Heinous.

Yeah can you imagine the survivor's guilt Gail would've had if she'd survived knowing she gave Don half of her meal?

Do we know how they managed to save Ian? Was it just luck or because he's male and ate less than Don? Or perhaps she gave him less mushrooms as she didn't really have anything against him and his wife but needed to make them sick as well?

Ian had a liver transplant. Given some people wait years for organ transplants, it was lucky that was available at the time. As for why the others deteriorated too fast for that to be an option, who knows.

A friend, now sadly deceased, had a double lung transplant and the cocktail of drugs he had to take to stop rejection caused multiple problems in themselves. I see organ transplants as something that extends your life rather than a cure if you see what I mean. Poor Ian.

I didn't think of that. If it was accidental you'd imagine her brain would've gone straight to "Oh shit, I might’ve foraged something nasty". If she'd spoken up straight away the medics wouldn't have wasted time thinking they were treating gastro.

You missed your calling as a prosecutor! I hope this point is made in court.

I have read that Don also had a transplant, but still died.

I hadn't heard that about Don. How tragic.

A lot happened today, copying ABC link

www.abc.net.au/news/2025-05-07/erin-patterson-mushroom-murder-trial-live-blog-evidence/105262422

Those are very chunky sums of money lent by Erin…

She barely knew Heather and Ian, it seems to mad that she'd include them in a murder plan