Oliver Peterson: Australian correspondent on Erin Patterson receiving a maximum security rating following prison sentencing

Triple murderer Erin Patterson will have maximum security in jail due to risks from other prisoners.

The 50-year-old's been jailed for life with a non-parole period of 33 years, after feeding her in-laws beef Wellingtons laced with poisonous death cap mushrooms in 2023.

Patterson's also been sentenced for the attempted murder of the sole survivor of the lunch - Ian Wilkinson.

Australia correspondent Oliver Peterson says Patterson faces 22 hours of solitary confinement a day for the next three decades.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
International Correspondence with Ends and Eye Insurance, Peace of Mind
for New Zealand Business. Oliver Peterson sixty hour per life
resenters with us Aloali. Hello, Heather, So why did he
go for the old um non parole then.

Speaker 2 (00:13):
Well, as you heard him explain, there she'll be in
twenty two hours a day of solitary confinements. So they're
harsh and strict conditions. But you know what, I don't
think it's enough. I really do not think it is enough.
Because he also goes on to say that this falls
into the worst category for murder and attempted murder. The
victim impacts statement read in court revealed the immense the
ongoing suffering felt by the loved ones of Patterson's victims.

(00:36):
Now this happens, It's not as though this hasn't been
a judgment that has been made in a sentencing. But
in thirty three years time, all of a sudden, there
will be the realization that it is not long enough.
They will she will never be released. But could put
the family sor all this pain in this anguish again
unnecessarily in twenty and twenty five years time. So from

(00:58):
my point of view, it should be life should be life.
Aaron Patterson has never revealed exactly her motivation as to
why she did this, and she is the only one
who knows why she actually committed these crimes. She didn't
even reveal anything during the sentencing process or during the
court case. But you've heard there from the judge. She'll
be in solitary confinement for twenty two hours a day

(01:20):
for the next thirty three years. And the only other
person in that cell that or in that particular part
of the prison that she is going to be and
if she's not successful on some sort of appeal, is
a terrorist. So there wouldn't be a great conversation to
be out the next.

Speaker 1 (01:33):
A terrorist who has a history of attacking other inmates.
So why did they decide that these are the two
that need to have little chats with each other?

Speaker 2 (01:39):
Exactly right? I don't get that. I just think that,
you know, he talks tough. He delivered it for fifty minutes,
Justice Christopher Beale, But I just think he could have
been a bit tougher.

Speaker 1 (01:49):
Yeah, Okay, you're a tough man to please, I'll tell
you that.

Speaker 2 (01:52):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (01:53):
Now, how do you guys feel about the Sydney at
I a getting a million bucks from the Aussie government.

Speaker 2 (01:58):
Well, this is all part of the building relations is
in it between our countries. And you might think that
I'm joining some pretty wild conspiracy theories or dots here, Heather,
but hear me out for a moment. We're about to
open a brand new airport in Western Sydney which does
not at this stage you'll have a confirmed airline flying
in and out. Air New Zealand have said they'll do it,
so has Singapore Airline, so has Quantus. But I believe

(02:20):
this is all about also creating a little bit of traffic.
I mean, there's not going to be any issue in
terms of obviously Kiweis wanted to come to Australia and
vice versa. But if you think about it, you've got
something like six hundred odd thousand New Zealanders living in
this country, a lot of them in Western Sydney, so
that does make sense opening this airport next year. We
need to make sure that Air New Zealand wants to
fly to Sydney and back out over in New Zealand

(02:41):
and keep bringing Kiwis across the ditch. That's my joining
at the dots as to why this is happening. It's
not getting I'll be blunt front page news here in
Australia or widely discussed on talk back around the country
at the moment. But I think it's just about building
better relations.

Speaker 1 (02:54):
Oh interesting, okay, Now what's your problem with the Aussie
flag business.

Speaker 2 (02:57):
Well, I think it's unfortunately becoming a symbol of division personally,
and you send that sort of hijacked at those rallies
last weekend. You just sent a price last week take
it into the Senate. She's told it's a prop. She
can't take it in there. Warren Mundin, who is now
of the Center of Independent Studies, he was a Liberal
Party candidate. He believes that it is an Australian that
we're banning the Australian flag from the Senate because you

(03:20):
can take all sorts of props, like you could take
a fish into the Senate if you're like you'd got
a whole fish or a surfboard, but you can't take
it in the Australian flag, which look, yeah, there's an
argument that's a bit stupid. Let's be blunts. But unfortunately,
the whole idea of this flag obviously is to unite
our country and it just seems to be being used
as a symbol of division, and that is making it
a lot harder I think for all Australians to well,

(03:42):
ultimately what they want to do is unite under that flag.

Speaker 1 (03:45):
Well, who do you blame for that? Everybody?

Speaker 2 (03:47):
Now, honestly everybody. I also blame the Prime Minister for
this because he stands with three flags behind himself, so
he's prepared to basically say this flag doesn't represent all.
So that gives everybody else the opportunity to say this
flag doesn't represent all. And fortunately that flag our flag,
the national flag.

Speaker 1 (04:03):
I see what you were saying. Sorry, when you said
three flags, I thought three Australian flags, but you're saying
three different kinds of flags.

Speaker 2 (04:09):
Correct, Yeah, he stands out of the vigenous flag, the
Torristatee Islander flag. And the fact that you know, even
you go back five years ago here that on Australia Day,
everybody had a flag on their car. Now nobody does
because you're almost embarrassed to hold the flag upcause you think,
well they might think I'm a racist.

Speaker 1 (04:23):
Yeah, yeah, we lost the plot.

Speaker 2 (04:25):
YEP.

Speaker 1 (04:25):
I think it does start with the politicians. Actually, Ollie,
thanks very much appreciate it, mate, look after yourself. Oliver
Peterson six pr PERS Live Presenter. For more from Heather
Duplessy Allen Drive. Listen live to news Talks it'd be
from four pm weekdays, or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio