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• Tue May 27 2025

22m ago 08.54 CEST Here?s a recap of what the jury heard today The court has adjourned for the day. Here?s a recap of what the jury heard on day 20 of Erin Patterson?s trial: 1. A Victorian Department of Health official said the investigation into the fateful lunch concluded it was ?highly unlikely? that commercial mushroom supply chains were contaminated with death cap mushrooms toxins. 2. A homicide detective said Patterson ?expressed surprise? when she learned that some of her guests had died while police conducted a search of her property on 5 August 2023. 3. The prosecution called their final witness in the trial, Detective Leading Senior Constable Stephen Eppingstall, who led the police investigation into the lethal lunch. During his testimony, the prosecution played jurors a video of Patterson?s police interview recorded on 5 August 2023. 4. In the video, Patterson told police she did not own a dehydrator but owned manuals for lots of things. The court was previously shown photographs of a manual for a Sunbeam dehydrator that police located in a kitchen drawer during the search of Patterson?s Leongatha house on 5 August 2023. 5. Eppingstall said police tried to track Patterson?s vehicle during an 11-minute window between her dropping her son at Subway in Leongatha and picking him up on the evening following the lunch. He said police were unable to find any footage to determine where she had gone during this time. We?ll bring you live updates tomorrow from 10.30am. ?Who died??: Erin Patterson ?surprised? when police told her of mushroom lunch guests? deaths, trial hears Read more Share Updated at 09.17 CEST

42m ago 08.35 CEST Police unable to track Patterson?s vehicle while son was at Subway, court hears The court hears there was an 11-minute window between Patterson dropping her son at Subway and returning to pick him up. Eppingstall says police tried to track Patterson?s vehicle but were unable to find any footage to determine where she had gone. Share Updated at 08.40 CEST

1h ago 08.18 CEST Eppingstall says on 8 August 2023 he attended Subway in Leongatha. He says Simon told police that on evening after the lunch on 29 July 2023, Patterson dropped her son?s friend at home and then stopped at Subway in Leongatha. Eppingstall says police obtained CCTV footage captured at 7.22 pm on 31 July 2023. Jurors are shown the footage which begins with Patterson?s red four-wheel drive in the car park. Patterson?s son is then seen entering Subway. The red vehicle then drives out of the car park. In the second clip, Patterson?s son leaves Subway minutes later. The final clip shows Patterson?s car pulling back into the Subway car park. Share Updated at 08.23 CEST

1h ago 08.03 CEST Jury shown map of Loch and Outtrim areas The jurors are then shown a map of the Outtrim area. Sightings of suspected death cap mushrooms in Loch and Outtrim were posted to the citizen science website iNaturalist in the months before the lunch, the court previously heard. Eppingstall says Outtrim is a ?completely rural town? and there are no cafes or shops. Share Updated at 08.16 CEST

1h ago 08.03 CEST Eppingstall says the investigation included searching data extracted from seized devices, and reviewing the medical records of the lunch guests.



He confirms Patterson was arrested and formally charged on 2 November 2023.



Warren shows the court a map of Loch that was previously shown during the evidence of telecommunications expert Dr Matthew Sorell. Share Updated at 08.08 CEST

1h ago 08.02 CEST The interviewer asks Patterson about the leftovers of the beef wellington located by police in a bin outside her home.



She says her children also ate the meal and she had offered to collect the leftovers herself while at the hospital. Share Updated at 08.08 CEST

1h ago 07.50 CEST Court hears Patterson tell police interviewer she did not own a dehydrator Asked during the interview if she owns a dehydrator, Patterson says she does not. Asked about the Sunbeam dehydrator manual located by police, Patterson says she has manuals for lots of things. The officers take Patterson through the seized items including the fruit platter, jug with brown liquid, computers and a black mobile phone. Share Updated at 07.58 CEST

2h ago 07.42 CEST Patterson weeps in court while watching video of police interview Our justice and courts reporter, Nino Bucci, is in the courtroom in Morwell where Patterson?s trial is taking place. Patterson wept in court as she watched the video of her police interview on a small screen to her left in the dock. Share Updated at 07.47 CEST

2h ago 07.39 CEST Patterson tells interviewer estranged husband?s relatives ?the only family I?ve got?, court hears The questioning turns to Patterson?s relationship with her estranged husband, Simon, and his family. Patterson says she wanted to ?maintain those relationships ? I loved them [her in-laws] a lot?. They always said they would support me ? even though Simon and I were separated.? My parents are both gone. My grandparents are all gone. They?re the only family I?ve got.? They?re the only grandparents my children have ? that?s really important to me.? She says she ?loved? her in-laws, Don and Gail Patterson. ?They?re good, decent people,? she says. Asked why she left Leongatha hospital on 31 July, she says she needed to go home and pack some items for her daughter. Share Updated at 07.45 CEST

2h ago 07.38 CEST Court hears Patterson tells interviewer ?I?ve never been in a situation like this before? The interviewer says Heather and Gail passed away, Don is on life support, and he says he doesn?t have more information on Ian. ?We?re trying to understand what has made them so ill,? one of the interviewers says. He says he is trying to understand why Patterson is not unwell. ?I?ve never been in a situation like this before,? Patterson says: I?ve been very helpful with the health department during the week ? I do want to know what happened. The interviewer says police are interested in the mushrooms and asks if she has foraged mushrooms. Patterson replies: ?Never.? Share Updated at 07.42 CEST

2h ago 07.30 CEST Jurors shown Erin Patterson's interview with police Jurors are shown Patterson?s record of interview with police from 5 August 2023. Patterson was interviewed at the Wonthaggi police station, the court hears. The interview begins at 4.41pm. Patterson is wearing a beige-coloured jumper. Share Updated at 07.38 CEST