June 10, 2025 • 15 mins
During her third day of cross-examination, Erin Patterson was taken to the evidence of almost a dozen witnesses, claiming her estranged husband Simon Patterson, lunch survivor Ian Wilkinson, a nurse and her own son were “mistaken” in their recollections.
The Mushroom Cook team is Brooke Grebert-Craig, Laura Placella, Anthony Dowsley, Jordy Atkinson and Jonty Burton.
The Mushroom Cook is a Herald Sun production for True Crime Australia.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
It's cold in Morwell, the sort of ten degree day
where you seriously contemplate wearing a puffer jacket indoors, a
sort of windless chill that settles over the rolling hills
of Gippsland and seeps into your bones. But in the
Latro Valley law courts today there was nothing but heat
as Crown Prosecutor Nannette Rogers grilled Aaron Patterson. At one stage,
(00:23):
Doctor Rogers brought erin to evidence from her estranged husband,
Simon Patterson, peppering her with questions about a phone call
they had.
Speaker 2 (00:32):
Are you making this up as you go along, miss Patterson?
Speaker 3 (00:35):
No?
Speaker 1 (00:36):
This was one of several fiery exchanges the jury heard
in courtroom for today. I'm Brooke Greebert Craig, and this
is the mushroom call. I'm back in Morewell with my colleague,
court reporter Laura Plussella. Hi, Laura hey Brook.
Speaker 4 (00:52):
The long weekend is over and we're here for day
twenty nine of Aaron Patterson's murder trial.
Speaker 1 (00:58):
Yes week seven and a few more to go. Quite
a bit happened in court today. Aaron was once again
in the witness box.
Speaker 4 (01:06):
This is now her third day of cross examination, and
doctor Rogers took her today to the evidence of almost
a dozen witnesses who the jury have heard from previously,
and Aaron at times said today that those witnesses were
mistaken in their evidence.
Speaker 1 (01:23):
Let's start with the first topic of the day. Doctor
Rodgers asked Aaron about a pre surgery appointment she claimed
she had booked to explore gastric bypass surgery. Aaron said
the appointment was at Enrich Clinic in Melbourne on September thirteen,
twenty twenty three.
Speaker 4 (01:41):
To remind our listeners, Aaron has admitted she misled her
guests at the lunch by telling them she potentially needed
treatment for cancer to cover up the fact that she
was planning to have this surgery. Today, doctor Rogers asked
erin whether she agreed that the Enrich Clinic offers services
in cosmetic dermatology. Aaron replied that she didn't know. Then
(02:02):
doctor Rogers put a specific question to her. Here's their
exchange in court today. It's been voiced by actors.
Speaker 2 (02:09):
The Enriched Clinic does not offer gastric bypass surgery or
gastric sleeve surgery. Agree or disagree, I don't know the
Enriched clinic does not conduct assessments relating to gastric bypass
surgery or gastric sleeve surgery. Agree or disagree, I don't know,
but I'm a bit puzzled in what way.
Speaker 3 (02:29):
Well that was I had an appointment with them, and
that's what my memory is that the appointment was for.
So that's why I'm puzzled.
Speaker 2 (02:36):
Your appointment at the Enriched Clinic, the appointment that you
have told this jury about on Friday, had nothing to
do with gastric bypass surgery.
Speaker 3 (02:45):
Agree or disagree, Well, it would have been related to
weight loss surgery. Perhaps it was a different procedure I
was doing through them, and I was looking into liposuction
as well.
Speaker 2 (02:54):
When you gave sworn evidence to this jury last Friday
that you had a pre surgery appointment for guest bypass
surgery booked in for early September with the and Rich
Clinic in Melbourne, that was a lie. Agree or disagree?
Speaker 3 (03:08):
No, it wasn't a lie. That's what my memory was.
Speaker 1 (03:11):
Doctor Rogers also asked Aaron questions in relation to citizen
website I naturalist.
Speaker 4 (03:17):
It was at this point that we picked up from
the cross examination on Friday. Erin was asked a question
about I Naturalist, specifically around whether or not she had
an interest in death cap mushrooms, but she never got
a chance to answer that question because Justice Christopher Beale
adjourned the court. Doctor Rogers returned to this topic today
and suggested to Aaron that her interest in death caps
(03:40):
was derived from their well known toxicity. Erin conceded that
that was probably the case, but that was only because
she wanted to know whether the dangerous mushrooms could be
found in South Gippsland because she was worried they were
toxic to dogs. During this line of questioning, Erin was
asked about a death cap mushroom sighting on I Natural
Life that appeared to be accessed by a computer in
(04:03):
her house on May twenty eighth, twenty twenty two. This
sighting was in Morabin at a place called Bricker Reserve.
After Doctor Rogers asked Erin about this sighting, Erin interrupted her.
Here is how she interjected.
Speaker 2 (04:18):
Now I'm moving on to a different topic.
Speaker 3 (04:21):
Before you do, Dr Rogers. Within this record is that
second visit to Bricker Reserve that I was talking about
seven twenty three, sixteen and seven twenty three eighteen.
Speaker 2 (04:32):
Miss Patterson, I'm the person who asks the questions. If
there's something that needs to be clarified in re examination,
then your barrister will do so, no problem.
Speaker 1 (04:43):
Doctor Rogers then questioned Erin more about the lunch on
July twenty nine and how it was plated. In the
second week of the trial, Ian Wilkinson told the jury
the guest eight off gray plates, while Aaron Ate off
a smaller, orange tanned plate.
Speaker 4 (05:00):
During her evidence in chief last week, Erin told the
jury that she used the dinner plates that she had.
When asked to expand on her answer, she said that
she thought there was a couple of black plates, a
couple of white plates, one that was red on top
with black underneath, and she also made reference to a
plate her daughter had made at kindergarten.
Speaker 3 (05:20):
That was multicolored.
Speaker 4 (05:21):
Dr Rogers today asked Erin about her description of the plates.
Speaker 3 (05:25):
Here's what was said.
Speaker 2 (05:27):
So, I suggest that this description that you gave to
the jury of the plates you used that the lunch
is a lie correct or incorrect incorrect. I suggest that
there were four large gray dinner plates correct or incorrect, incorrect,
and they were for the four guests. Correct or incorrect incorrect,
and the smaller orange tan plate was for yourself correct
(05:50):
or incorrect incorrect. Do you say that Ian Wilkinson has
given incorrect evidence around the issue of the plates.
Speaker 3 (05:57):
Yes, I do.
Speaker 4 (05:58):
The exchange continued.
Speaker 2 (06:00):
I suggest that you knowingly served death cap mushrooms in
the four separate beef Wellingtons you dished up to your
four lunch guests, agree or disagree, disagree, and that you
served yourself a beef Wellington which did not have death
cap mushrooms in it. Agree or disagree, disagree, and you
knew that didn't contain death cap mushrooms. Agree or disagree, disagree?
(06:25):
And I suggest that to avoid any error in case
you accidentally ate one of the poison beef Wellington's, you
took the extra precaution of using a different and smaller
plate to plate your non poison serve correct or incorrect incorrect.
And that is why you never suffered the severe illnesses
that Donald, gail Ian and Heather suffered correct or incorrect incorrect,
(06:50):
And that's why you did not have Amanita for Lloyd's poisoning.
Correct or incorrect incorrect.
Speaker 1 (06:57):
Doctor Rogers then moved to cross examinate to the portion
of the mill that Aaron ate she took.
Speaker 4 (07:04):
Erin to the evidence of Public Health Director Ronda Stewart
from Monash Health, who said Aaron had told her she
had eaten half her beef Wellington. Doctor Rogers suggested to
Erin today that she had actually eaten the whole beef Wellington,
but lied to Professor Stewart to account for the fact
she was not seriously ill. Erin disagreed with this accusation.
Speaker 1 (07:26):
Doctor Rogers also asked Aaron about the evidence she gave
last week that she vomited after the guests had left
her house. Aaron has previously told the jury that she
has suffered from bolimia for most of her life. Here's
another exchange that took place in court today.
Speaker 2 (07:43):
Is it your evidence that the vomit was partly constituted
by the beef Wellington? Correct?
Speaker 3 (07:48):
I have no idea what was in the vomit at all? Well,
how could I It's vomit unless you can see a
bean or a piece of corn.
Speaker 2 (07:57):
Well, you didn't have corn at the lunch.
Speaker 3 (07:58):
That was an example.
Speaker 2 (08:00):
I suggest that you did not tell a single medical
person that you had vomited up after the lunch on
the afternoon of twenty ninth of July.
Speaker 3 (08:08):
That is true. I did not do that.
Speaker 2 (08:10):
I suggest that that is something you would have told
them if it were true. Correct or incorrect?
Speaker 3 (08:16):
Incorrect?
Speaker 2 (08:17):
Do you say it's incorrect because of your embarrassment.
Speaker 3 (08:20):
I say it's incorrect because it's what happened.
Speaker 2 (08:23):
I asked you a moment ago or I suggested that
you didn't tell any person that you had vomited, and
you agreed.
Speaker 3 (08:30):
I do agree.
Speaker 1 (08:32):
Let's move on to the delightful topic of Aaron's bow movements.
I know I said a couple of weeks ago. I
was hoping to never talk about it again, but it
continues to be mentioned during the trial. What was said
about it today, Laura?
Speaker 4 (08:47):
It was at this point today that doctor Rogers took
Erin to the evidence of child protection worker Katrina Cripps.
Miss Cripps spoke to Erin on August one while she
was at Monash Medical Center receiving treatment. Miss Cripps said
that when she asked Erin about the night of the lunch,
she told her that she drove her son's friend home
(09:07):
but wanted to stay in the car so it could
provide a cork to stop herself from having an accident.
But doctor Rogers suggested to Erin today that if she
was genuinely worried she would pooh her pants while in
the car, she would not have driven her son's friend
home in the first place. But Erin told the court
that she was not concerned at that point because she
was yet to experience diarrhea that evening.
Speaker 1 (09:29):
And I will interject here the quote poo your pants
was said quite a lot in court today.
Speaker 4 (09:35):
Yes, those were the words being used by doctor Rogers
today when she was asking Erin these questions. And Erin
went on to say that she may have become confused
when she made the cork comment to Miss Cripps, saying
she may have been thinking about the drive she made
the next day to Tiab. She explained that she had
a lot of people asking her questions in the days
after the lunch and she was trying her best to
(09:58):
answer them, but admitted she I have gotten things a
little bit wrong along the way.
Speaker 1 (10:03):
Erin was also asked about her first presentation at ling
Gatha Hospital on July thirty one about eighth five am.
Speaker 4 (10:11):
As we've heard previously, Aerin left the hospital after only
five minutes after signing a discharge at own risk form.
Erin told the court today that she remembered nurse Kylie
Ashton and doctor Veronica Foot really wanting her to sign
the form. Here's what Erin said today about her conversation
with miss Ashton.
Speaker 2 (10:30):
You had been told by medical staff that your life
was at risk. Do you agree with that?
Speaker 3 (10:36):
No? I don't remember anyone saying my life was at risk.
Speaker 2 (10:39):
Okay, So the evidence of Kylie Ashton at transcript six
four four was that she told you that your life
was at risk.
Speaker 3 (10:46):
Yeah. I don't remember her saying anything like that.
Speaker 2 (10:49):
Do you say she's mistaken? Yes.
Speaker 1 (10:52):
Doctor Rogers then suggested to Aaron that she knew her
life was not threatened at this point.
Speaker 3 (10:58):
I wouldn't say I knew. I didn't think it was.
Speaker 2 (11:02):
I suggest that your behavior at leaving Leongatha Hospital a
few minutes after you'd presented there was because you knew
that you had not consumed death cap mushrooms. Agree or disagree.
Speaker 3 (11:13):
I didn't think any of us had, but it wasn't
why I was leaving. No.
Speaker 2 (11:17):
I suggest that you also left when confronted by the
fact that medical staff had identified death cap mushrooms as
a reason for the illnesses.
Speaker 3 (11:25):
No, that's not why I left.
Speaker 2 (11:27):
I suggest that you panicked and absconded because you knew
that your use of death cap mushrooms in the meal
had been uncovered. Agree or disagree?
Speaker 3 (11:35):
Disagree.
Speaker 4 (11:36):
The questioning then turned to what Aaron did after she
left the hospital at eight ten am, before she returned
again at nine point forty eight am. Aaron told the
court that when she went home, she packed her daughter's
ballet bag, tended to her animals, and had to lie down.
Dr Rogers suggested to her that lying down would be
the last thing a person would do in these circumstances. Replied,
(12:00):
it might be the last thing you'd do, but it
was something I did. Doctor Rogers went on to suggest
that she did other things during that period. Here's what
was said.
Speaker 2 (12:10):
I suggest you were trying to work out how to
manage the situation you now found yourself in correct or
incorrect incorrect. You had not expected doctors to detect death
cap mushroom poisoning so quickly correct or incorrect incorrect. You
thought it would be treated as just a case of
food poisoning. Correct or incorrect incorrect. Once you were told
(12:33):
that the medical staff had detected death cap mushrooms or
suspected it. You had to think quickly correct or incorrect, incorrect,
to try and explain why you were not sick, correct, incorrect,
to try and cover your tracks correct or incorrect, incorrect.
And that's what you spent the one hour and forty
(12:53):
minutes doing while you were away from the hospital. Agree
or disagree? What are you saying I was doing thinking
about ways to cover your tracks.
Speaker 3 (13:02):
Oh, okay, you're saying I spent an hour and a
half thinking. Is that what you're suggesting? Yes, I'm sure
I did some thinking in that time, but it was
not about covering my tracks.
Speaker 1 (13:13):
Aaron's cross examination finished with doctor Rogers asking her questions
about the leftovers of the mill that were found in
her outside bin by police. The jury has previously heard
that Erin told Senior Constable Adrian Martinez Villa Lobos he
could find the leftovers in a paper woolworst bag in
that outside bin. Erin was asked today what was contained
(13:36):
inside that bag.
Speaker 4 (13:37):
Erin said that the bag contained the mushrooms and pastry
from one full beef Wellington and the mushrooms and pastry
from the part of her serve she did not eat.
She earlier told the court that she recalled eating around
a quarter to a third of her beef Wellington. Erin
denied the suggestion that the six beef Wellington she prepared,
(13:58):
which he put in the fridge while she was played up,
was for Simon in case he did turn up to
the lunch. Justice Beer wanted clarity on this point, and
he asked Eron today, who did you make it for?
Aaron replied it was just an extra one. Simon wasn't coming.
Here's more of what was said about the leftovers.
Speaker 2 (14:17):
I suggest that you disposed of the leftovers in your
rubbish bin sometime after your lunch guests left your house
at two forty five or thereabouts on Saturday, twenty ninth
of July yep and before you represented at Leongatha Hospital
at about nine forty five am on thirty pirst of July. Yes,
I suggest that you removed the steak from inside the
(14:40):
pastry in the leftovers before you put it in the bin.
Correct or incorrect? I did do that the steak was
put somewhere else? Correct it was? And where was it put?
Speaker 3 (14:51):
Into my children's stomachs?
Speaker 2 (14:53):
And I suggest that you certainly did not feed that
steak to your children. But we've been over that and
you no doubt disagree with me.
Speaker 3 (15:02):
Correct.
Speaker 4 (15:03):
The day ended with doctor Rogers suggesting to Erin that
she assisted police with the whereabouts of the leftovers because
she had no means of removing them from her bin herself,
given she was at Lengatha Hospital at the time. Aaron
replied to that suggestion by saying, why wouldn't I just
say there was no leftovers.
Speaker 1 (15:23):
Doctor Rogers then suggested that if she didn't tell police
where the leftovers were, it would have been suspicious. Aaron replied,
I have no idea about that. It was at this
point that Justice Bill Court it a day, so doctor
Rogers and Aaron will face off again tomorrow as her
cross examination spills into a fourth day. To stay up
(15:44):
to date with the latest on this case, go to
the mushroomcook dot com dot au
It's cold in Morwell, the sort of ten degree day
where you seriously contemplate wearing a puffer jacket indoors, a
sort of windless chill that settles over the rolling hills
of Gippsland and seeps into your bones. But in the
Latro Valley law courts today there was nothing but heat
as Crown Prosecutor Nannette Rogers grilled Aaron Patterson. At one stage,
(00:23):
Doctor Rogers brought erin to evidence from her estranged husband,
Simon Patterson, peppering her with questions about a phone call
they had.
Speaker 2 (00:32):
Are you making this up as you go along, miss Patterson?
Speaker 3 (00:35):
No?
Speaker 1 (00:36):
This was one of several fiery exchanges the jury heard
in courtroom for today. I'm Brooke Greebert Craig, and this
is the mushroom call. I'm back in Morewell with my colleague,
court reporter Laura Plussella. Hi, Laura hey Brook.
Speaker 4 (00:52):
The long weekend is over and we're here for day
twenty nine of Aaron Patterson's murder trial.
Speaker 1 (00:58):
Yes week seven and a few more to go. Quite
a bit happened in court today. Aaron was once again
in the witness box.
Speaker 4 (01:06):
This is now her third day of cross examination, and
doctor Rogers took her today to the evidence of almost
a dozen witnesses who the jury have heard from previously,
and Aaron at times said today that those witnesses were
mistaken in their evidence.
Speaker 1 (01:23):
Let's start with the first topic of the day. Doctor
Rodgers asked Aaron about a pre surgery appointment she claimed
she had booked to explore gastric bypass surgery. Aaron said
the appointment was at Enrich Clinic in Melbourne on September thirteen,
twenty twenty three.
Speaker 4 (01:41):
To remind our listeners, Aaron has admitted she misled her
guests at the lunch by telling them she potentially needed
treatment for cancer to cover up the fact that she
was planning to have this surgery. Today, doctor Rogers asked
erin whether she agreed that the Enrich Clinic offers services
in cosmetic dermatology. Aaron replied that she didn't know. Then
(02:02):
doctor Rogers put a specific question to her. Here's their
exchange in court today. It's been voiced by actors.
Speaker 2 (02:09):
The Enriched Clinic does not offer gastric bypass surgery or
gastric sleeve surgery. Agree or disagree, I don't know the
Enriched clinic does not conduct assessments relating to gastric bypass
surgery or gastric sleeve surgery. Agree or disagree, I don't know,
but I'm a bit puzzled in what way.
Speaker 3 (02:29):
Well that was I had an appointment with them, and
that's what my memory is that the appointment was for.
So that's why I'm puzzled.
Speaker 2 (02:36):
Your appointment at the Enriched Clinic, the appointment that you
have told this jury about on Friday, had nothing to
do with gastric bypass surgery.
Speaker 3 (02:45):
Agree or disagree, Well, it would have been related to
weight loss surgery. Perhaps it was a different procedure I
was doing through them, and I was looking into liposuction
as well.
Speaker 2 (02:54):
When you gave sworn evidence to this jury last Friday
that you had a pre surgery appointment for guest bypass
surgery booked in for early September with the and Rich
Clinic in Melbourne, that was a lie. Agree or disagree?
Speaker 3 (03:08):
No, it wasn't a lie. That's what my memory was.
Speaker 1 (03:11):
Doctor Rogers also asked Aaron questions in relation to citizen
website I naturalist.
Speaker 4 (03:17):
It was at this point that we picked up from
the cross examination on Friday. Erin was asked a question
about I Naturalist, specifically around whether or not she had
an interest in death cap mushrooms, but she never got
a chance to answer that question because Justice Christopher Beale
adjourned the court. Doctor Rogers returned to this topic today
and suggested to Aaron that her interest in death caps
(03:40):
was derived from their well known toxicity. Erin conceded that
that was probably the case, but that was only because
she wanted to know whether the dangerous mushrooms could be
found in South Gippsland because she was worried they were
toxic to dogs. During this line of questioning, Erin was
asked about a death cap mushroom sighting on I Natural
Life that appeared to be accessed by a computer in
(04:03):
her house on May twenty eighth, twenty twenty two. This
sighting was in Morabin at a place called Bricker Reserve.
After Doctor Rogers asked Erin about this sighting, Erin interrupted her.
Here is how she interjected.
Speaker 2 (04:18):
Now I'm moving on to a different topic.
Speaker 3 (04:21):
Before you do, Dr Rogers. Within this record is that
second visit to Bricker Reserve that I was talking about
seven twenty three, sixteen and seven twenty three eighteen.
Speaker 2 (04:32):
Miss Patterson, I'm the person who asks the questions. If
there's something that needs to be clarified in re examination,
then your barrister will do so, no problem.
Speaker 1 (04:43):
Doctor Rogers then questioned Erin more about the lunch on
July twenty nine and how it was plated. In the
second week of the trial, Ian Wilkinson told the jury
the guest eight off gray plates, while Aaron Ate off
a smaller, orange tanned plate.
Speaker 4 (05:00):
During her evidence in chief last week, Erin told the
jury that she used the dinner plates that she had.
When asked to expand on her answer, she said that
she thought there was a couple of black plates, a
couple of white plates, one that was red on top
with black underneath, and she also made reference to a
plate her daughter had made at kindergarten.
Speaker 3 (05:20):
That was multicolored.
Speaker 4 (05:21):
Dr Rogers today asked Erin about her description of the plates.
Speaker 3 (05:25):
Here's what was said.
Speaker 2 (05:27):
So, I suggest that this description that you gave to
the jury of the plates you used that the lunch
is a lie correct or incorrect incorrect. I suggest that
there were four large gray dinner plates correct or incorrect, incorrect,
and they were for the four guests. Correct or incorrect incorrect,
and the smaller orange tan plate was for yourself correct
(05:50):
or incorrect incorrect. Do you say that Ian Wilkinson has
given incorrect evidence around the issue of the plates.
Speaker 3 (05:57):
Yes, I do.
Speaker 4 (05:58):
The exchange continued.
Speaker 2 (06:00):
I suggest that you knowingly served death cap mushrooms in
the four separate beef Wellingtons you dished up to your
four lunch guests, agree or disagree, disagree, and that you
served yourself a beef Wellington which did not have death
cap mushrooms in it. Agree or disagree, disagree, and you
knew that didn't contain death cap mushrooms. Agree or disagree, disagree?
(06:25):
And I suggest that to avoid any error in case
you accidentally ate one of the poison beef Wellington's, you
took the extra precaution of using a different and smaller
plate to plate your non poison serve correct or incorrect incorrect.
And that is why you never suffered the severe illnesses
that Donald, gail Ian and Heather suffered correct or incorrect incorrect,
(06:50):
And that's why you did not have Amanita for Lloyd's poisoning.
Correct or incorrect incorrect.
Speaker 1 (06:57):
Doctor Rogers then moved to cross examinate to the portion
of the mill that Aaron ate she took.
Speaker 4 (07:04):
Erin to the evidence of Public Health Director Ronda Stewart
from Monash Health, who said Aaron had told her she
had eaten half her beef Wellington. Doctor Rogers suggested to
Erin today that she had actually eaten the whole beef Wellington,
but lied to Professor Stewart to account for the fact
she was not seriously ill. Erin disagreed with this accusation.
Speaker 1 (07:26):
Doctor Rogers also asked Aaron about the evidence she gave
last week that she vomited after the guests had left
her house. Aaron has previously told the jury that she
has suffered from bolimia for most of her life. Here's
another exchange that took place in court today.
Speaker 2 (07:43):
Is it your evidence that the vomit was partly constituted
by the beef Wellington? Correct?
Speaker 3 (07:48):
I have no idea what was in the vomit at all? Well,
how could I It's vomit unless you can see a
bean or a piece of corn.
Speaker 2 (07:57):
Well, you didn't have corn at the lunch.
Speaker 3 (07:58):
That was an example.
Speaker 2 (08:00):
I suggest that you did not tell a single medical
person that you had vomited up after the lunch on
the afternoon of twenty ninth of July.
Speaker 3 (08:08):
That is true. I did not do that.
Speaker 2 (08:10):
I suggest that that is something you would have told
them if it were true. Correct or incorrect?
Speaker 3 (08:16):
Incorrect?
Speaker 2 (08:17):
Do you say it's incorrect because of your embarrassment.
Speaker 3 (08:20):
I say it's incorrect because it's what happened.
Speaker 2 (08:23):
I asked you a moment ago or I suggested that
you didn't tell any person that you had vomited, and
you agreed.
Speaker 3 (08:30):
I do agree.
Speaker 1 (08:32):
Let's move on to the delightful topic of Aaron's bow movements.
I know I said a couple of weeks ago. I
was hoping to never talk about it again, but it
continues to be mentioned during the trial. What was said
about it today, Laura?
Speaker 4 (08:47):
It was at this point today that doctor Rogers took
Erin to the evidence of child protection worker Katrina Cripps.
Miss Cripps spoke to Erin on August one while she
was at Monash Medical Center receiving treatment. Miss Cripps said
that when she asked Erin about the night of the lunch,
she told her that she drove her son's friend home
(09:07):
but wanted to stay in the car so it could
provide a cork to stop herself from having an accident.
But doctor Rogers suggested to Erin today that if she
was genuinely worried she would pooh her pants while in
the car, she would not have driven her son's friend
home in the first place. But Erin told the court
that she was not concerned at that point because she
was yet to experience diarrhea that evening.
Speaker 1 (09:29):
And I will interject here the quote poo your pants
was said quite a lot in court today.
Speaker 4 (09:35):
Yes, those were the words being used by doctor Rogers
today when she was asking Erin these questions. And Erin
went on to say that she may have become confused
when she made the cork comment to Miss Cripps, saying
she may have been thinking about the drive she made
the next day to Tiab. She explained that she had
a lot of people asking her questions in the days
after the lunch and she was trying her best to
(09:58):
answer them, but admitted she I have gotten things a
little bit wrong along the way.
Speaker 1 (10:03):
Erin was also asked about her first presentation at ling
Gatha Hospital on July thirty one about eighth five am.
Speaker 4 (10:11):
As we've heard previously, Aerin left the hospital after only
five minutes after signing a discharge at own risk form.
Erin told the court today that she remembered nurse Kylie
Ashton and doctor Veronica Foot really wanting her to sign
the form. Here's what Erin said today about her conversation
with miss Ashton.
Speaker 2 (10:30):
You had been told by medical staff that your life
was at risk. Do you agree with that?
Speaker 3 (10:36):
No? I don't remember anyone saying my life was at risk.
Speaker 2 (10:39):
Okay, So the evidence of Kylie Ashton at transcript six
four four was that she told you that your life
was at risk.
Speaker 3 (10:46):
Yeah. I don't remember her saying anything like that.
Speaker 2 (10:49):
Do you say she's mistaken? Yes.
Speaker 1 (10:52):
Doctor Rogers then suggested to Aaron that she knew her
life was not threatened at this point.
Speaker 3 (10:58):
I wouldn't say I knew. I didn't think it was.
Speaker 2 (11:02):
I suggest that your behavior at leaving Leongatha Hospital a
few minutes after you'd presented there was because you knew
that you had not consumed death cap mushrooms. Agree or disagree.
Speaker 3 (11:13):
I didn't think any of us had, but it wasn't
why I was leaving. No.
Speaker 2 (11:17):
I suggest that you also left when confronted by the
fact that medical staff had identified death cap mushrooms as
a reason for the illnesses.
Speaker 3 (11:25):
No, that's not why I left.
Speaker 2 (11:27):
I suggest that you panicked and absconded because you knew
that your use of death cap mushrooms in the meal
had been uncovered. Agree or disagree?
Speaker 3 (11:35):
Disagree.
Speaker 4 (11:36):
The questioning then turned to what Aaron did after she
left the hospital at eight ten am, before she returned
again at nine point forty eight am. Aaron told the
court that when she went home, she packed her daughter's
ballet bag, tended to her animals, and had to lie down.
Dr Rogers suggested to her that lying down would be
the last thing a person would do in these circumstances. Replied,
(12:00):
it might be the last thing you'd do, but it
was something I did. Doctor Rogers went on to suggest
that she did other things during that period. Here's what
was said.
Speaker 2 (12:10):
I suggest you were trying to work out how to
manage the situation you now found yourself in correct or
incorrect incorrect. You had not expected doctors to detect death
cap mushroom poisoning so quickly correct or incorrect incorrect. You
thought it would be treated as just a case of
food poisoning. Correct or incorrect incorrect. Once you were told
(12:33):
that the medical staff had detected death cap mushrooms or
suspected it. You had to think quickly correct or incorrect, incorrect,
to try and explain why you were not sick, correct, incorrect,
to try and cover your tracks correct or incorrect, incorrect.
And that's what you spent the one hour and forty
(12:53):
minutes doing while you were away from the hospital. Agree
or disagree? What are you saying I was doing thinking
about ways to cover your tracks.
Speaker 3 (13:02):
Oh, okay, you're saying I spent an hour and a
half thinking. Is that what you're suggesting? Yes, I'm sure
I did some thinking in that time, but it was
not about covering my tracks.
Speaker 1 (13:13):
Aaron's cross examination finished with doctor Rogers asking her questions
about the leftovers of the mill that were found in
her outside bin by police. The jury has previously heard
that Erin told Senior Constable Adrian Martinez Villa Lobos he
could find the leftovers in a paper woolworst bag in
that outside bin. Erin was asked today what was contained
(13:36):
inside that bag.
Speaker 4 (13:37):
Erin said that the bag contained the mushrooms and pastry
from one full beef Wellington and the mushrooms and pastry
from the part of her serve she did not eat.
She earlier told the court that she recalled eating around
a quarter to a third of her beef Wellington. Erin
denied the suggestion that the six beef Wellington she prepared,
(13:58):
which he put in the fridge while she was played up,
was for Simon in case he did turn up to
the lunch. Justice Beer wanted clarity on this point, and
he asked Eron today, who did you make it for?
Aaron replied it was just an extra one. Simon wasn't coming.
Here's more of what was said about the leftovers.
Speaker 2 (14:17):
I suggest that you disposed of the leftovers in your
rubbish bin sometime after your lunch guests left your house
at two forty five or thereabouts on Saturday, twenty ninth
of July yep and before you represented at Leongatha Hospital
at about nine forty five am on thirty pirst of July. Yes,
I suggest that you removed the steak from inside the
(14:40):
pastry in the leftovers before you put it in the bin.
Correct or incorrect? I did do that the steak was
put somewhere else? Correct it was? And where was it put?
Speaker 3 (14:51):
Into my children's stomachs?
Speaker 2 (14:53):
And I suggest that you certainly did not feed that
steak to your children. But we've been over that and
you no doubt disagree with me.
Speaker 3 (15:02):
Correct.
Speaker 4 (15:03):
The day ended with doctor Rogers suggesting to Erin that
she assisted police with the whereabouts of the leftovers because
she had no means of removing them from her bin herself,
given she was at Lengatha Hospital at the time. Aaron
replied to that suggestion by saying, why wouldn't I just
say there was no leftovers.
Speaker 1 (15:23):
Doctor Rogers then suggested that if she didn't tell police
where the leftovers were, it would have been suspicious. Aaron replied,
I have no idea about that. It was at this
point that Justice Bill Court it a day, so doctor
Rogers and Aaron will face off again tomorrow as her
cross examination spills into a fourth day. To stay up
(15:44):
to date with the latest on this case, go to
the mushroomcook dot com dot au
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