Mushroom killer to be jailed for life after appeals court finds sentence too light
The Victoria Court of Appeal found her sentence too lenient and said the killings were carefully planned and deliberate, leaving her with no chance of parole.
- On Friday, The Court dismissed Erin Patterson's appeal against her murder convictions, upholding a prosecution challenge that found her original sentence too light.
- Patterson, 52, was found guilty of killing three relatives using toxic mushrooms hidden in Wellingtons during a July 2023 lunch and received 25 years for attempted murder of a fourth guest.
- Justice Stephen McLeish stated the crimes were "extraordinarily cold and calculated" and involved "shocking criminality" deserving to be "denounced in the strongest terms."
- Prosecutors successfully appealed the original 33 years non-parole period, ensuring Patterson remains in prison for life without possibility of release.
- Seven grounds of appeal were presented in August, but The Court dismissed them all, confirming the guilty verdict for the three deaths.
228 Articles
228 Articles
Erin Patterson did not have her convictions overturned.
The court justified the harsher sentence, among other things, by finding that the crime was "exceptionally cold and calculated."
The criminal has become one of the most troubling figures in Australian justice. ...
Erin Patterson, convicted of triple murder and attempted murder, must never be released from prison. Victorian judges have dismissed her appeal against her conviction and allowed the Crown's application for a harsher sentence. The court said the seriousness of her actions was so extraordinary that it was inappropriate to set a time limit after which she could apply for parole.
Erin Patterson's Mushroom Murder Case Takes Devastating Final Turn
Erin Patterson lost her appeal against her triple-murder convictions, closing another chapter in Australia’s notorious mushroom murder case. The court also removed her chance of parole, meaning she faced spending the rest of her life behind bars. The 52-year-old had challenged her convictions on seven grounds, alleging miscarriages of justice during her trial. However, Victoria’s Court […]
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