Victorian woman’s appeal against triple-murder convictions rejected, life sentence upheld

The Court of Appeal in Victoria rejected Erin Patterson’s bid to overturn her convictions for the murders of three relatives during a 2022 lunch, confirming a life sentence without the possibility of parole.

Justice Stephen McLeish said the court found Patterson’s conduct to be “carefully planned and deliberate” and that the case involved “calculated criminality”, leading the judges to conclude that fixing a non-parole period would be inappropriate.

The director of public prosecution, Brendan Kissane KC, argued that the original sentence was insufficient, noting that Patterson would be in her 80s before becoming eligible for parole and that a longer non-parole period was justified given the seriousness of the offences.

Patterson, who appeared via video link from the Gordon unit of the Dame Phyllis Frost Centre, did not speak during the hearing and responded only with a thumb gesture when asked if she could hear the proceedings.

The appeal judges—Justices Lesley Taylor, Stephen McLeish and Peter Kidd—considered seven grounds raised by Patterson’s legal team, including challenges to jury arrangements and sentencing length, and rejected all of them.

Victims’ family members and homicide detectives were present in the courtroom, while Ian Wilkinson, the surviving victim of the poisoned beef Wellington, was not in attendance.

Patterson was originally sentenced last year to life imprisonment with a 33-year non-parole period for the murders of Don and Gail Patterson and Heather Wilkinson, as well as the attempted murder of Ian Wilkinson.