Triple-murderer Erin Patterson has stolen years of love and laughter, family members of the victims poisoned by her toxic beef Wellington lunch have told a court. Patterson, 50, was last month found guilty of killing three relatives and attempting to kill another with a death cap mushroom-laced meal in July 2023. In a hearing on Monday, ahead of her sentencing on 8 September, a group of relatives gave emotional statements about the impact of their loved ones' brutal deaths.
The sole survivor of the lunch, local pastor Ian Wilkinson, said he felt half alive without his late wife Heather - but made a powerful offer of forgiveness to the woman who killed her and almost took his life too.
In the days after the meal at Patterson's home, her former in-laws Don and Gail Patterson, both 70, died in hospital, as well as Gail's sister, Heather Wilkinson, 66. Mr. Wilkinson became desperately ill, but recovered after weeks of treatment in hospital. Patterson's estranged husband Simon had also been invited to the lunch but pulled out at the last minute. He has accused Patterson of a years-long campaign to poison him too, but three charges of attempted murder relating to him were dropped on the eve of the trial.
One after another, the court heard a series of victim impact statements detailing how Erin Patterson's crimes affected two close-knit families. Mr. Patterson spoke of his inability to articulate how much he missed his parents while others mourned the loss of their loved ones.
However, it was Ian Wilkinson's emotional testimony that resonated the most in the courtroom. Tearfully, he praised his beautiful wife and expressed his feelings of emptiness without her. He offered Patterson forgiveness and encouraged her to use her jail time wisely: Now I am no longer Erin Patterson's victim. She has become the victim of my kindness.
Prosecutors are pushing for Patterson to be sentenced to life in prison without parole, highlighting the horrific nature of her actions and the extensive impact on the families affected.
The sole survivor of the lunch, local pastor Ian Wilkinson, said he felt half alive without his late wife Heather - but made a powerful offer of forgiveness to the woman who killed her and almost took his life too.
In the days after the meal at Patterson's home, her former in-laws Don and Gail Patterson, both 70, died in hospital, as well as Gail's sister, Heather Wilkinson, 66. Mr. Wilkinson became desperately ill, but recovered after weeks of treatment in hospital. Patterson's estranged husband Simon had also been invited to the lunch but pulled out at the last minute. He has accused Patterson of a years-long campaign to poison him too, but three charges of attempted murder relating to him were dropped on the eve of the trial.
One after another, the court heard a series of victim impact statements detailing how Erin Patterson's crimes affected two close-knit families. Mr. Patterson spoke of his inability to articulate how much he missed his parents while others mourned the loss of their loved ones.
However, it was Ian Wilkinson's emotional testimony that resonated the most in the courtroom. Tearfully, he praised his beautiful wife and expressed his feelings of emptiness without her. He offered Patterson forgiveness and encouraged her to use her jail time wisely: Now I am no longer Erin Patterson's victim. She has become the victim of my kindness.
Prosecutors are pushing for Patterson to be sentenced to life in prison without parole, highlighting the horrific nature of her actions and the extensive impact on the families affected.
