Court removes Erin Patterson’s parole eligibility period

Victoria’s Court of Appeal has dismissed Erin Patterson’s challenge to her murder and attempted-murder convictions and removed the 33-year non-parole period from her life sentence, leaving her without a fixed parole eligibility date. The three-judge panel also allowed prosecutors’ appeal against the sentence imposed in 2025. Patterson had been sentenced to life imprisonment for murdering Don and Gail Patterson and Heather Wilkinson, and 25 years for attempting to murder Heather’s husband, Ian Wilkinson, who survived. The court’s ruling means there is no set minimum period after which she could apply for parole. Justice Stephen McLeish, delivering the court’s reasons, said the offending was extraordinarily cold and calculated. He said the case involved such shocking criminality that it was inappropriate to set a non-parole period. The court found Patterson’s intent to kill the four guests had persisted from inviting them to lunch through the poisoning and the period afterward, when the victims became ill. The case arose from a meal Patterson hosted at her home in Leongatha, Victoria, in July 2023. The guests ate beef Wellington containing death cap mushrooms. Don and Gail...