At 10:18 on Monday, Erin Patterson was led from courtroom four inside Melbourne's Supreme Court building to begin a life sentence in prison. Her slow shuffle took her directly past two rows of wooden benches squeezed full of journalists, each scrutinising Patterson's exit for any final detail.
Upstairs in the public gallery, observers craned their necks to get a last glimpse – possibly for decades, perhaps ever – of the seemingly ordinary woman who is one of Australia's most extraordinary killers. Also watching her was Ian Wilkinson, the only survivor of Patterson's famous mushroom meal in 2023, a cruel murder plot the judge decried as an 'enormous betrayal'.
Mr. Wilkinson had for months walked in and out of court without uttering a public word. He always wore a black sleeveless jacket to keep warm in the winter chill, having never fully recovered from the death cap mushrooms that took his wife and two best friends. But on Monday he paused on the courthouse steps to speak to media for the first time. He calmly thanked police who 'brought to light the truth of what happened to three good people' and the lawyers who tried the case for their 'hard work and perseverance'.
There was praise too for the medics who saved his life and tried desperately to halt the other lunch guests' brutal decline. For the 71-year-old, it is now back to the house he had shared with Heather, his wife of 44 years, who raised their four children before becoming a teacher and mentor.
'Our lives and the life of our community depends on the kindness of others,' he said, imploring the public for compassion as he continues to navigate his grief. Patterson was given a life sentence for her heinous acts, yet Wilkinson remains hopeful for the future of his family, urging people to respect their need for privacy during this painful time.
Upstairs in the public gallery, observers craned their necks to get a last glimpse – possibly for decades, perhaps ever – of the seemingly ordinary woman who is one of Australia's most extraordinary killers. Also watching her was Ian Wilkinson, the only survivor of Patterson's famous mushroom meal in 2023, a cruel murder plot the judge decried as an 'enormous betrayal'.
Mr. Wilkinson had for months walked in and out of court without uttering a public word. He always wore a black sleeveless jacket to keep warm in the winter chill, having never fully recovered from the death cap mushrooms that took his wife and two best friends. But on Monday he paused on the courthouse steps to speak to media for the first time. He calmly thanked police who 'brought to light the truth of what happened to three good people' and the lawyers who tried the case for their 'hard work and perseverance'.
There was praise too for the medics who saved his life and tried desperately to halt the other lunch guests' brutal decline. For the 71-year-old, it is now back to the house he had shared with Heather, his wife of 44 years, who raised their four children before becoming a teacher and mentor.
'Our lives and the life of our community depends on the kindness of others,' he said, imploring the public for compassion as he continues to navigate his grief. Patterson was given a life sentence for her heinous acts, yet Wilkinson remains hopeful for the future of his family, urging people to respect their need for privacy during this painful time.
