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Mushroom killer Erin Patterson gets Ozempic on taxpayer dime
The convicted mushroom killer was prescribed the weight-loss drug while serving life in solitary confinement, and taxpayers are covering the cost, officials said.
- Convicted triple murderer Erin Patterson, 51, has been approved for taxpayer-funded Ozempic injections while serving a life sentence at Melbourne's Dame Phyllis Frost Centre, with the medication prescribed in recent weeks as she awaits a retrial decision.
- Patterson is serving at least 33 years for murdering three relatives with a death cap mushroom-laced beef Wellington last year; defence barrister Colin Mandy SC said she spends about 22 hours daily in her cell due to staff shortages.
- While Ozempic costs roughly $134, it is subsidized to about $25 monthly for eligible patients under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, and the Department of Justice and Community Safety insists prescriptions require clear medical need, such as preventing type 2 diabetes.
- Opposition corrections spokesperson Brad Battin argued prisoners should instead follow a "diet and exercise" routine, as the use of taxpayer-funded medication for convicted killers has sparked a political fight over fiscal responsibility.
- Justice Christopher Beale previously noted a "substantial chance" Patterson could remain in solitary confinement for years, while access to weight-loss drugs has become available to Victorian prisoners following serious concerns about obesity and health conditions.
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The IndependentReposted by 
The Independent (US)
The Independent (US)‘Mushroom murderer’ Erin Patterson to get weight-loss jabs in jail
The 51-year-old is serving life at Dame Phyllis Frost Centre in Melbourne for triple murder
·London, United Kingdom
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Erin Patterson approved for taxpayer-funded Ozempic in prison: What we know about the controversial prescription
Wellness News: Erin Patterson’s name has become infamous in Australia after her conviction for poisoning three relatives with a meal containing deadly death cap mush.
·India
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Sydney Morning Herald+3 Reposted by 3 other sources
Erin Patterson approved for taxpayer-funded Ozempic
Killer mushroom cook Erin Patterson has been granted access to taxpayer-funded Ozempic while she is behind bars.
·North Sydney, Australia
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Coverage Details
Total News Sources15
Leaning Left7Leaning Right3Center5Last UpdatedBias Distribution47% Left
Bias Distribution
- 47% of the sources lean Left
47% Left
L 47%
C 33%
R 20%
Factuality
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