Convicted triple-murderer Erin Patterson allegedly tried to repeatedly poison her husband, including with cookies she claimed their daughter had baked him, a court has heard.
The Australian woman was last month found guilty of murdering three relatives – and attempting to kill another – with a toxic mushroom-laced beef Wellington.
The 50-year-old was originally charged with three counts of attempted murder against her estranged husband Simon Patterson, but these charges were dropped on the eve of her trial.
The details of the allegations – which Patterson denied – were suppressed to protect the proceedings, but can now be made public for the first time.
Three people died in hospital in the days after the lunch on 29 July 2023: Patterson’s former in-laws, Don Patterson, 70, and Gail Patterson, 70, as well as Gail’s sister, Heather Wilkinson, 66.
Local pastor Ian Wilkinson – Heather’s husband – recovered after weeks of treatment in hospital. Mr Patterson had also been invited to the lunch but pulled out at the last minute.
Pre-trial hearings, which are standard before many trials, allow parties and judges to determine what evidence is admissible – or allowed to be presented to a jury. In this case, as the charges relating to Mr Patterson were dropped, his evidence on the matter was excluded.
In lengthy hearings last year, he had detailed what he suspected was a years-long campaign to kill him with tainted food.
The court heard that one poisoning attempt left Mr Patterson so ill he spent weeks in a coma and his family was told to say their goodbyes twice.
He told the court that Patterson had tried to kill him with a curry, a wrap, Bolognese pasta, and even with chocolate cookies she claimed their daughter had made him.
He became suspicious so started making notes, realising he often became sick when she fed him, the court heard.
Mr Patterson shared his suspicions with a couple of relatives – including, critically, his father Don Patterson – then a GP, but didn’t take things further.
He said he thought he was the only one in danger – and this is why he refused to come to the lunch.
When his parents became desperately ill, though, Mr Paterson pulled his relatives into the hospital chapel and told them he suspected his estranged wife had been trying to poison him for years.
Police believed rat poison may have been used on at least one occasion, the pre-trial hearings were told.