Key occasions
Here’s a recap of what the jury heard nowadays
The trial has been adjourned for the day. Here is a recap of what the jury heard on day 22 of Patterson’s trial:
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The defence confirmed the court docket a extra detailed document of Facebook team messages between Patterson and her on-line pals from December 2022. In one message, Jenny Hay, who up to now testified within the trial, messaged the crowd: “What morons!”. She used to be responding to Patterson announcing her in-laws instructed her they wouldn’t adjudicate a dispute between her and husband Simon. Patterson’s legal professional, Colin Mandy SC, stated the broader context of the messages confirmed the crowd individuals had been venting about problems of their lives.
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The defence instructed the court docket the kid observed in CCTV pictures from Subway in Leongatha hours after the lunch used to be now not Patterson’s son. Det Leading Sen Const Stephen Eppingstall, the officer in control of the investigation, rejected this, announcing he believed it used to be Patterson’s son and that it used to be a “matter for the jury”.
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Mandy puzzled Eppingstall about gadgets police didn’t snatch from Patterson’s house. Eppingstall rejected an offer through Mandy {that a} picture confirmed a Samsung cell, dubbed “Phone A”, that police stated used to be by no means positioned. He stated if the tool used to be a telephone it could had been seized through police.
Court adjourns for the day
Justice Christopher Beale has instructed the jury the court docket will adjourn moderately previous nowadays.
The trial is predicted to renew from 10.30am day after today.
Jury proven messages between Erin and Don Patterson
Mandy then presentations the court docket messages between Patterson and her spouse’s father, Don.
The messages are between 1 January 2022 to 15 January 2022, the court docket hears.
The first message from Don is on 1 January 2022:
Sorry to listen to about your again issues. Hope and pray it will get higher briefly.
It used to be nice to talk to the youngsters this morning …
Patterson replies at the similar day:
Hi Don. Thanks on your empathy and care about my again. Yes, I had a horrible day the previous day and the night time sooner than …
In any other message, Patterson messages Don about Covid on 7 January 2022, the court docket hears.
26 energetic instances in Korumburra and 51 in Leongatha. please watch out when out and about as a result of there’s such a lot virus in our neighborhood at this time.
Mandy asks if the context of the messages display that the crowd individuals had been venting about problems of their lives.
Eppingstall says:
That’s truthful to mention.
Defence legal professional tells court docket Facebook team chats proven to jury didn’t come with context
Mandy presentations the court docket Facebook messages from a bunch chat with Patterson and her on-line pals from December 2022.
The prosecution up to now confirmed the messages to the jury. Mandy says the messages proven to the court docket previous within the trial didn’t come with the context of the dialogue with Patterson’s pals.
One message presentations a reaction to Patterson allegedly announcing her in-laws may now not “adjudicate” her dispute with Simon.
Jenny Hay, who up to now testified within the trial, replies: “What morons!”
Defence legal professional says boy observed on Subway CCTV isn’t Patterson’s son
Mandy turns to CCTV pictures of Patterson shedding her son at Subway in Leongatha at the night time of the lunch. The pictures used to be performed previous within the trial.
Mandy says this isn’t Patterson’s son who’s observed within the pictures. He presentations the jury a photograph of Patterson’s son, who can’t be named for criminal causes. Patterson’s son is together with his grandfather, Don, within the picture.
He then presentations a nonetheless from the CCTV symbol which he says isn’t Patterson’s son.
“That is not [Patterson’s son],” Mandy says.
Eppingstall says he believes it’s Patterson’s son and says this is a “matter for the jury”.
Detective disputes defence statement ‘Phone A’ visual in picture from Patterson’s house
Mandy says there have been some gadgets police didn’t snatch all the way through the hunt of Patterson’s Leongatha space.
Eppingstall on Wednesday stated there have been 3 telephones that police believed Patterson used – two Samsungs and a Nokia. He stated that one of the crucial Samsungs, known as “Phone A”, had by no means been recovered.
Eppingstall says a Nokia telephone, used within the days after the hunt, used to be now not seized through police.
Mandy presentations Eppingstall a photograph from the hunt which presentations a nook living room in Patterson’s house.
He says a black object is the cell phone, dubbed “Phone A”, that Eppingstall stated police by no means positioned.
Eppingstall says he does now not settle for this. He says if it had been a telephone, “I think we would have found it”.
Patterson used to be ‘always accompanied’ all the way through police seek of her house, court docket hears
Mandy turns to query Eppingstall in regards to the seek police carried out of Patterson’s Leongatha house on 5 August 2023.
Eppingstall concurs Patterson used to be now not warned in regards to the seek advice from.
He says he used to be the officer with Patterson for almost all of the hunt. Eppingstall says when he had to step away, any other officer can be with Patterson.
Eppingstall says Patterson used to be “always accompanied” however used to be ready to stroll round all the way through the hunt. He says Patterson retained a cell phone along with her all the way through the hunt and had preparations to make for her kids.
Patterson used to be left on my own in a room to name a legal professional, the court docket hears.
Jury returns from lunch smash
The jury has returned to the court docket in Morwell.
The court docket has adjourned for a lunch smash.
The trial will resume from 2.15pm.
iNaturalist webpage proven to jury in screenshots will have modified since 2022, court docket hears
Mandy takes Eppingstall to a screenshot from December 2024 of the iNaturalist web page that used to be proven to the jury on Wednesday.
Under wondering through Mandy, Eppingstall concurs the web page would have appeared other in 2022.
The court docket up to now heard Eppingstall took screenshots of the webpages which originated from URLs from May 2022 discovered on a pc seized from Patterson’s space.
Eppingstall concurs there’s no proof the touchdown web page proven within the screenshot used to be the similar in 2022.
Detective requested about dialog with fungi professional
Eppingstall remembers the dialog with mycologist Dr Thomas May who stated he had posted the sighting of demise cap mushrooms at the citizen science web page iNaturalist.
Eppingstall says May instructed him he had posted about recognizing the fungi in Outtrim.
Eppingstall says he then recognized that Christine McKenzie, a retired pharmacist, had made a submit about demise cap mushrooms. He then requested her to make a proper remark.