‘You knew how suspicious it would look’: Erin Patterson makes collection of denials in traumatic cross-examination

Erin Patterson says she is “puzzled” {that a} hospital during which she mentioned she had an appointment for a gastric bypass gives no such surgical treatment, and denies mendacity about making herself vomit within the hours in an instant after the meat wellington lunch, a courtroom has heard.

In her 6th day within the witness field, Patterson was once again and again requested below cross-examination by means of prosecutor Nanette Rogers SC whether or not she was once mendacity in regards to the fatal lunch and different portions of her proof sooner than her triple-murder trial.

Patterson, 50, faces 3 fees of homicide and one rate of tried homicide in relation to poisoning 4 in-laws with red meat wellington served for lunch at her area in Leongatha, Victoria on 29 July 2023.

Patterson has pleaded no longer to blame to murdering her estranged husband Simon Patterson’s folks, Don and Gail Patterson, and his aunt Heather Wilkinson, and making an attempt to homicide Ian Wilkinson, Simon’s uncle and Heather’s husband.

Lawyers for Patterson say the dying cap mushroom poisoning was once a sad and horrible twist of fate.

Patterson instructed the courtroom ultimate week that she had a pre-assessment reserving for gastric bypass surgical treatment scheduled at Enrich Clinic in September 2023.

But Rogers mentioned to Patterson on Tuesday that Enrich was once a beauty dermatology hospital and didn’t be offering gastric bypass surgical treatment.

Patterson mentioned she was once “puzzled” that was once the case.

“In what way?” Rogers requested.

“Well I had an appointment with them, and that’s my memory of what the appointment was for, so that’s why I’m puzzled.”

Rogers showed the appointment was once made, and were cancelled by means of Patterson two days sooner than it was once scheduled.

Patterson believed the appointment associated with weight-loss surgical treatment, however mentioned it’s going to were a special process.

“It wasn’t a lie, that’s what my memory was,” Patterson mentioned.

Rogers additionally requested Patterson about her proof ultimate week that she made herself vomit within the hours after the lunch, after she felt overfull from consuming the meat wellington and a big portion of orange cake. Patterson mentioned she had a historical past of binge consuming and purging relationship again to her 20s.

Rogers accused Patterson of mendacity about vomiting at the afternoon of the lunch after her visitors left.

“You did not tell a single medical person that you had vomited up after the lunch on the 29th of July?” Rogers requested.

“That is true, I didn’t do that,” Patterson mentioned.

Rogers advised to Patterson that she lied about vomiting after the lunch, and about how a lot she ate at lunch, “because you’re trying to account for why the others were seriously ill and you were not”.

“I wish that was true, but it’s not,” Patterson answered.

Patterson additionally denied tips from Rogers in regards to the plating on the lunch. Patterson mentioned proof Ian gave in regards to the visitors being served on matching massive gray plates, and Patterson serving herself on a smaller lighter colored plate, was once improper.

She mentioned she didn’t know whether or not proof Simon gave about Heather making two feedback to him about mismatched plates was once additionally incorrect.

Rogers advised to Patterson she used other plates as she made poisoned red meat wellingtons for her visitors, however that hers didn’t include dying cap mushrooms.

“To avoid any error, you took the extra precaution of using a different and smaller plate, to plate your non-poisoned serve, correct or incorrect?” Rogers requested.

“Incorrect,” Patterson answered.

Patterson mentioned she didn’t personal a collection of 4 matching plates.

“I suggest your whole story is untrue that you plated the food without discrimination,” Rogers requested her.

“You’re wrong,” Patterson spoke back.

Patterson made a sequence of denials all the way through her proof on Tuesday, together with that she used the 138 mins between her first and 2nd visits to Leongatha health center at the morning of 31 July to “cover her tracks”.

She additionally denied a proposal by means of Rogers {that a} red meat wellington recovered by means of police from a wheelie bin outdoor her house that very same day were ready for Simon, who had cancelled his deliberate attendance the evening sooner than the lunch.

The leftovers recovered from the bin had been later discovered to include lines of dying cap mushrooms.

Rogers advised Patterson instructed such a lot of other folks, together with her kids, Simon, well being execs and kid coverage staff that she was once in poor health as a result of she sought after it to look to these those who the lunch had additionally made her in poor health. Patterson mentioned this was once improper.

“I suggest that you made out that you were seriously unwell … do you agree or disagree?” Rogers requested.

“I think seriously unwell is subjective. I said what I said,” Patterson answered.

She additionally denied a proposal that she sought after to look as though she was once as severely in poor health as her 4 lunch visitors.

But Patterson mentioned she can have been “confused” when she described to a kid coverage employee, Katrina Cripps, how she felt riding within the days in an instant after the lunch.

“I had had a lot of people asking me the same questions over and over, and I felt unwell and anxious,” Patterson mentioned.

“I may have got things wrong a little bit along the way.”

Rogers ended her wondering of Patterson about her signs after the lunch with a smattering of 5 questions, together with that she didn’t devour “even a minute amount of death cap mushrooms at the lunch”, and that she didn’t be afflicted by dying cap poisoning however was once intentionally making it look like she was once.

“You knew how suspicious it would look if you did not seem sick like your guests, correct or incorrect,” Rogers requested.

“Incorrect,” Patterson mentioned.

Earlier on Tuesday morning, after answering a query from Rogers in regards to the web seek historical past of gadgets seized from her house, Patterson tried to additional explain the proof sooner than Rogers requested every other query.

“Ms Patterson, I am the person who asks the questions,” Rogers mentioned.

“If there something that needs to be clarified in re-examination, your barrister will do so.”

“No problem,” Patterson spoke back.

The trial continues, with Patterson’s cross-examination anticipated to renew on Wednesday.