A new Mail podcast has launched, revealing Erin Patterson’s courtroom reaction to the testimony of Ian Wilkinson, the sole survivor of the mushroom poisoning which killed his wife and two friends.
The n mother-of-three has pleaded not guilty to all charges. The Mail’s ‘The Trial of Erin Patterson’ podcast is covering proceedings.
Pastor Ian Wilkinson took to the witness box for the first time on Monday, with court reporter Wayne Flower recounting the atmosphere inside the courtroom and Patterson’s reaction to his entrance.
During testimony, Wilkinson accused Patterson of deliberately poisoning the party, acting strangely around her guests going into the pantry, and using a separate plate to differentiate her smaller portion of the toxic beef Wellington.
n reporter Wayne Flower described Wilkinson as a ‘very personal sort of guy’, who struggled to hold back tears as he described the death of his wife, Heather, and friends Don and Gail Patterson.
‘He looked remarkably well, considering what he’s been through: being the lone survivor of that lunch’, Flower told ‘The Trial’ podcast.
‘When he came into the courtroom, Erin had tears in her eyes, but she soon became more composed and just stared at him.
‘Ian Wilkinson, he’s a very personal sort of guy. You have to feel for him. There was a lot of nervous laughter from him throughout the day when he was talking about some really horrific experiences.
‘There were also times when you could tell he was choking back tears. I’d suggest that the jury couldn’t help but feel for the guy.’
Wilkinson told the court that after serving the lunch, Patterson lied to her guests that she had been recently diagnosed with cancer.
He then outlined what happened when the couple returned home and began to feel unwell.
Award-winning crime reporter Caroline Cheetham abridged Wilkinson’s statement on the podcast.
‘At around 11 o’clock, as Wilkinson and Heather were going to bed, she started to feel unwell’, Cheetham said.
‘All of a sudden, Heather abruptly got out of bed and went to the laundry room. Wilkinson said he could hear her vomiting into the sink.
‘Very shortly afterward, he also started to feel sick, and they both then had sickness and diarrhea all night. It was so extreme that they both just camped in separate toilets for pretty much the whole night.’
Simon Patterson, Erin’s ex-husband, then arrived at Ian and Heather’s home and called an ambulance for the elderly couple.
It was only after a night in the hospital, Wilkinson claims, that the spectre of poisoning was raised by doctors.
Cheetham summarised: ‘Husband and wife were put in adjoining beds, and they managed to get some sleep. But early the next morning, they were woken by a team of nurses who raised them down the corridor to the urgent care unit.
‘That’s when they were told they had suspected mushroom poisoning… The doctor said to them it was an extremely serious situation.’
Wilkinson spent three weeks in a coma. When he awoke, he discovered his wife and friends Don and Gail Patterson had succumbed to the poison.
Over the next week, the medical staff that treated the attendees of the lunch will give their statements. The prosecution will be trying to prove that Erin Patterson deliberately poisoned those who ate the meal.
The trail continues.
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