Jurors proven CCTV footage from Victorian tip
Darren Canty says he was contacted by Victoria police on 4 August 2023 concerning the tip. He was requested to make inquires about footage from 2 August.
He discovered the CCTV footage and despatched this to police, he says.
The footage, which is performed to jurors, exhibits a pink 4 wheel drive automotive driving into the automotive park on the tip.
After parking, a girl will get out of the automotive and opens the boot earlier than strolling in the direction of the shed on the tip.
The jury can be proven nonetheless pictures from the tip which present the pink 4 wheel drive on the tip. One other picture exhibits a girl carrying an merchandise to one of many sheds on the tip.
Canty says he requested an worker to look at the tip shed on 4 August. He recollects the worker’s discovery:
He mentioned it form of regarded like a microwave dehydrator.
The courtroom room is proven a photograph of the black dehydrator found on the tip.
Key occasions
Erin’s defence lawyer, Colin Mandy SC, is now cross-examining Prof Andrew Bersten.
He asks Bersten about Erin’s medical data from 31 July to 1 August 2023, which he had entry to in making his opinion. Bersten agrees he by no means assessed Erin.
Mandy asks a few point-of-care machine outcome for Erin on 31 July at Leongatha hospital which confirmed her haemoglobin was 167.
Mandy says later Erin’s haemoglobin worth dropped to 152 after which 158.
“Three values which might be elevated for a lady,” Mandy says.
“Sure,” says Bersten.
Mandy says medical data supplied to Bersten from 2013 and 2014 confirmed decrease haemoglobin ranges, and a studying in 2015 when Erin had a gastrointestinal sickness.
Bersten says he has not been supplied these data. Mandy says the defence will present them.
Mandy turns to Erin’s potassium ranges.
Underneath cross-examination, Bersten agrees Erin’s ranges had been low and returned to an appropriate vary whereas she was at Monash medical centre.
Physician tells courtroom he believed Erin Patterson had ‘diarrhoeal sickness’
Requested by crown prosecutor Nanette Rogers SC about Erin’s sickness, Prof Andrew Bersten replies:
I assumed there was proof she had a diarrhoeal sickness.
He says this was in line with a “delicate stage of dehydration” and barely elevated ranges of haemoglobin and fibrinogen.
Bersten says there was “no biochemical proof” of a liver damage.
Erin Patterson cleared of dying cap mushroom poisoning at Monash medical centre, courtroom hears
Prof Andrew Bersten says checks carried out at Leongatha hospital on Erin confirmed regular lactate ranges and regular urea ranges. He says Erin’s creatinine was on the higher finish of the reference stage.
Erin was admitted to Monash medical centre and discharged on 1 August, crown prosecutor Nanette Rogers says.
Bersten says notes from Erin’s ambulance switch present she was “steady” throughout this journey.
He says medical testing of Erin at Monash medical notes confirmed barely hypertension whereas her different important indicators had been regular.
Rogers asks Bersten to verify then Erin was cleared of dying cap mushroom poisoning whereas at Monash medical centre. He agrees.
Rogers asks Bersten a few faecal check carried out on Erin whereas at Monash medical centre, which might study for a wide range of micro organism pathogens, which might trigger gastroenteritis.
Underneath questioning by Rogers, he agrees that no pathogens had been detected on this check.
The prosecutor, Nanette Rogers SC, then turns to Erin’s “purported” sickness after consuming the meat wellington lunch.
She asks Prof Andrew Bersten what he has discovered about this primarily based on her medical data.
Bersten says Erin introduced to the pressing care clinic at Leongatha on 31 July 2023 – two days after the lunch – with complaints of belly ache and diarrhoea. She mentioned these had persevered because the lunch, Bersten tells the courtroom.
He says a nurse documented that Erin had three “liquid bowel actions” at 10am, 10.04am and 10.06am that day.
An additional two bowel actions by Erin had been reported later that morning, the courtroom hears.
‘Couldn’t discover proof’ to affirm that Erin had most cancers, physician tells courtroom
The prosecution’s subsequent witness is Prof Andrew Bersten, an intensive care specialist.
The prosecutor Nanette Rogers SC asks Bersten if he has been supplied with Erin Patterson’s medical data. He agrees he has.
She asks if he has discovered any proof of Erin having most cancers, because the prosecution has alleged she instructed the lunch company.
I couldn’t discover proof to affirm that assertion.
Underneath questioning, he says a self-administered cervical most cancers check completed in Could 2023 confirmed regular outcomes.
That [the result] was conveyed to her.
The following witness is Paul Burns, a senior constable hooked up to the Bass Coast crime unit.
His written assertion, the place he describes accumulating the dehydrator, is learn to the courtroom.
He says he was despatched to gather the dehydrator on the tip on 4 August 2023. He took photographs of the dehydrator as soon as he arrived on the tip.
The photographs are proven to the jury.
The prosecutor Nanette Rogers SC is exhibiting the courtroom a photograph of an Eftpos transaction linked to the tip.
Canty agrees it matches the tip’s personal data.
The dehydrator was collected by a police officer the identical day, the courtroom hears.
Jurors proven CCTV footage from Victorian tip
Darren Canty says he was contacted by Victoria police on 4 August 2023 concerning the tip. He was requested to make inquires about footage from 2 August.
He discovered the CCTV footage and despatched this to police, he says.
The footage, which is performed to jurors, exhibits a pink 4 wheel drive automotive driving into the automotive park on the tip.
After parking, a girl will get out of the automotive and opens the boot earlier than strolling in the direction of the shed on the tip.
The jury can be proven nonetheless pictures from the tip which present the pink 4 wheel drive on the tip. One other picture exhibits a girl carrying an merchandise to one of many sheds on the tip.
Canty says he requested an worker to look at the tip shed on 4 August. He recollects the worker’s discovery:
He mentioned it form of regarded like a microwave dehydrator.
The courtroom room is proven a photograph of the black dehydrator found on the tip.
The prosecution has known as its subsequent witness, Darren Canty.
He’s the operations supervisor for waste administration firm Dasma Group that operates the Koonwarra switch station and landfill, the courtroom hears.
Whereas we wait, revisit the timeline of occasions that led us to day 11 of Erin Patterson’s triple homicide trial.
Timeline
Erin Patterson: how Australia’s alleged mushroom poisoning case unfolded — a timeline
Present
Erin Patterson hosts lunch for estranged husband Simon’s dad and mom, Don and Gail Patterson, and his aunt and uncle Heather and Ian Wilkinson. Patterson serves beef wellington.
All 4 lunch company are admitted to hospital with gastro-like signs.
Gail Patterson and Heather Wilkinson die in hospital.
Don Patterson dies in hospital. Victoria police search Erin Patterson’s residence and interview her.
Ian Wilkinson is discharged from hospital after weeks in intensive care.
Police once more search Erin Patterson’s residence, and he or she is arrested and interviewed. She is charged with three counts of homicide regarding the deaths of Don and Gail Patterson and Heather Wilkinson, and the tried homicide of Ian Wilkinson.
Homicide trial begins. Jury hears that prices of making an attempt to homicide her estranged husband Simon are dropped.
Revisit the important thing figures within the Patterson trial
Erin Patterson is accused of murdering her estranged husband Simon Patterson’s dad and mom, Don and Gail Patterson, and Gail’s sister and Simon’s aunt, Heather Wilkinson, by feeding them a meal of beef wellington laced with dying cap mushrooms in July 2023.
She is accused of making an attempt to homicide Heather’s husband, Ian Wilkinson, who additionally attended the lunch at Erin’s residence in Leongatha. Wilkinson recovered after spending weeks in hospital.
Revisit these key figures in our explainer under.
The courtroom has adjourned for a lunch break.
The trial will resume at 2.15pm.
No data exhibiting folks getting sick from store-bought mushrooms
Barrister Colin Mandy SC says Dr Camille Truong additionally instructed the medical doctors that additional choices to check the mushrooms would come with DNA testing of samples – however that this may be tough.
Truong says the issue is because of samples probably being from blended sources of mushrooms.
Mandy turns to the opportunity of mushroom poisoning from grocery store provide chains. Truong agrees that it’s extremely unlikely as a result of their use of cultivated mushrooms.
Truong says it is usually extremely unlikely for poisonings with mushrooms offered in smaller, impartial retailers.
“The data that was accessible to you, there wasn’t a report of individuals turning into sick due to mushrooms offered in retailers?” Mandy asks.
“Appropriate,” Truong replies.
Patterson’s lawyer cross-examines mushroom skilled
Erin Patterson’s lawyer, Colin Mandy SC, is cross-examining Dr Camille Truong.
She confirms she made the identical conclusion that the samples didn’t include dying cap mushrooms after analyzing the leftovers on two events.
Mandy says she had a name with medical doctors on 1 August 2023 when Truong mentioned that the leftovers may have contained ghost or oyster mushrooms.
Truong says she didn’t inform the medical doctors the samples undoubtedly contained ghost or oyster mushrooms.
Skilled didn’t discover dying cap mushrooms in pattern, courtroom hears
Dr Camille Truong was despatched a bundle containing leftovers of the meat wellington meal on 1 August – three days after the deadly lunch at Erin Patterson’s residence.
It was a big ziplock bag containing the meals merchandise.
You can see the merchandise inside.
She placed on gloves and used sterilised tweezers and a microscope, the courtroom hears.
I noticed it was a meals merchandise that contained mushrooms inside.
I picked out the items of mushrooms.
She says she didn’t discover any dying cap mushroom items.
She then returned the remnants to the bag and positioned it in her fridge.
The following day she took the leftovers to the lab on the Royal Botanic Gardens.
“I pulled out all of the little items of mushrooms on a tray … I additionally took pictures of the spores I used to be observing.”
Requested by the prosecutor, Nanette Rogers SC, if she discovered any dying cap mushrooms within the merchandise, she says “no I didn’t”.
Truong says the one mushrooms she discovered had been “area mushrooms” which might be present in supermarkets.
‘Extremely unlikely’ dying cap mushrooms could possibly be bought from grocery store
Dr Camille Truong says a Victorian Poisons Info Centre toxicologist sometimes will ship photographs of mushrooms for identification.
It’s “extraordinarily uncommon” to be requested to establish a mushroom utilizing a pattern, she says.
On 31 July 2023, Truong acquired a name from Dr Laura Muldoon, a toxicology registrar at Monash Well being, asking for assist to establish the fungi, the courtroom hears.
Muldoon mentioned the hospital had 4 sufferers with suspected mushroom poisoning.
The jury is proven an electronic mail Muldoon despatched to Truong at 12.03pm on the day.
The e-mail features a photograph, which has beforehand been proven to the jury, exhibiting a brown paste encased in pastry.
Truong says she requested Muldoon if she knew the place the mushrooms had been sourced from.
I instructed her that primarily based on this specific {photograph} I’d not have the ability to give her identification.
Truong says Muldoon instructed her she understood the mushrooms had been purchased from a grocery store and a Chinese language store.
Truong says she instructed Muldoon it was “most likely inconceivable” to be dying cap mushrooms, as a result of them solely rising within the wild and being unable to be cultivated.
I additionally instructed her there have been completely no sightings of dying cap mushrooms over the past months.
Based mostly on the data I acquired, it was extremely unlikely to be a case of dying cap mushroom poisoning.
The prosecution has known as their subsequent witness – one other mushroom skilled
Dr Camille Truong is a mycologist or scientist who research fungi.
Truong is a analysis scientist on the Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria, the courtroom hears.
The gardens has an 24-hour on-call mycologist accessible for the Victorian Poisons Info Centre to assist establish mushrooms.
Dr Thomas Could concludes proof
Lawyer Sophie Stafford then turns to a graph exhibiting dying cap mushrooms positioned and eliminated within the Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria between 2020-2023.
The graph exhibits March and Could is when the biggest numbers are positioned and eliminated.
Stafford exhibits Could pictures he was proven by the prosecution throughout his proof on Wednesday. The courtroom heard beforehand these had been supplied to Could by a Victoria police detective.
One photograph exhibits a number of mushroom caps on a tray.
“You may’t exclude the chance that these are dying cap mushrooms?” Stafford asks.
“I can’t say with any diploma of certainty that they’re not dying cap mushrooms,” Could says.
Could agrees he additionally can not exclude that they’re one other mushroom species.
Could has now concluded his proof.
Lawyer Sophie Stafford takes Dr Thomas Could by means of the findings and suggestions made by the coroner concerning the Could 2024 deadly poisoning (that’s, unrelated to the Erin Patterson allegations which relate to a 2023 lunch).
Could says he was contacted by the Victorian Division of Well being about how the federal government ought to reply to the suggestions made by the coroner.
One discovering by the coroner was for extra public well being messaging of risks of consuming wild mushrooms, the courtroom hears.
