Convicted triple murderer Erin Patterson is returning to court in a bid to overturn her convictions over the deadly mushroom lunch that became one of Australia’s most closely followed criminal cases.
The 51-year-old is challenging three murder convictions and one attempted murder conviction in Victoria’s Court of Appeal. The two-day hearing is scheduled for August 19 and 20 in Melbourne, with Patterson expected to appear by video link from prison.
Patterson was found guilty in July 2025 of deliberately serving death cap mushroom-laced beef Wellingtons to four relatives during a lunch at her Leongatha home in Victoria’s Gippsland region on July 29, 2023.
Her former parents-in-law, Don and Gail Patterson, and Gail’s sister, Heather Wilkinson, died after eating the meal. Heather’s husband, Ian Wilkinson, survived after spending weeks in hospital.
In September 2025, Patterson was sentenced to life imprisonment with a non-parole period of 33 years. She has maintained that the poisoning was an accident.
Her legal team alleges that a substantial miscarriage of justice occurred during the lengthy trial. Its arguments reportedly include concerns about jury arrangements, the admission of allegedly irrelevant or unfairly prejudicial evidence, and the prosecution’s cross-examination of Patterson.
One appeal ground relates to the sequestration of jurors, who reportedly stayed at the same hotel as a police witness and two prosecutors connected to the case. Her lawyers are also challenging evidence involving social-media messages, mobile-phone tower data and reported sightings of wild mushrooms.
The hearing is initially an application for leave to appeal—meaning Patterson must first obtain the court’s permission before her full appeal can proceed.
At the same time, Victoria’s Director of Public Prosecutions is appealing against Patterson’s sentence, arguing that the 33-year non-parole period is manifestly inadequate. Prosecutors are seeking a life sentence without the possibility of parole.
A panel of three judges will consider both challenges. If Patterson succeeds, the court could order a new trial or, in limited circumstances, overturn the convictions. If the prosecution succeeds, her sentence could be increased.
The judges are not expected to deliver their decision immediately after the hearing.
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