Ian Wilkinson, the sole survivor of the deadly 2023 mushroom lunch Erin Patterson served to her relatives, appealed for privacy as his family continued to grieve the three people she killed.
Patterson, 50, was sentenced to 33 years in prison in Melbourne without parole after being found guilty in July of murdering her parents-in-law Don and Gail Patterson and Gail’s sister, Heather Wilkinson, with a lunch of beef Wellington pastries laced with foraged death cap mushrooms.
She was also convicted of attempting to murder Mr Wilkinson, Heather’s husband, who spent weeks in a hospital.
Speaking on the court stairs, Mr Wilkinson, grieving the loss of his wife Heather Wilkinson and two relatives, thanked the police who “brought to light the truth of what happened to three good people” and the lawyers for their “hard work and perseverance”.
“They brought to light the truth of what happened to three good people. We are grateful for the truth that brought this to light. I’m also very grateful for the kindness and compassion they showed us, me and my family, throughout the process.
“We’re also grateful for the staff of the various public health services that played an important role in dealing with the aftermath of the lunch.”
“I would like to encourage everybody to be kind to each other.”
Mr Wilkinson finished with a plea to the media to respect his family’s privacy, according to the New Daily.
Mr Wilkinson, a pastor at a local church and the sole surviving guest of the lunch, told last month’s hearing that the death of his wife had left him bereft.
“It’s a truly horrible thought to live with that somebody could decide to take her life. I only feel half alive without her,” he said, breaking down in tears as he delivered his victim impact statement.
About a fortnight ago, he told the court: “The silence in our home is a daily reminder.
“[There’s] nobody to share in life’s daily tasks, which has taken much of the joy out of pottering around the house and the garden. Nobody to debrief with at the end of the day.”
Justice Christopher Beale told the Victoria state Supreme Court Patterson’s crimes involved an enormous betrayal of trust.
“Your victims were all your relatives by marriage. More than that, they had all been good to you and your children over many years, as you acknowledged in your testimony,” Justice Beale said.
He also said that Patterson showed no signs of remorse. “Your failure to exhibit any remorse pours salt into all the victims’ wounds,” he said.
“Not only did you cut short three lives and cause lasting damage to Ian Wilkinson’s health, thereby devastating the extended Patterson and Wilkinson families, you inflicted untold suffering on your own children whom you robbed of their beloved grandparents,” he said.
“Because of the nature of your crimes and your notoriety, you have been assessed as being at significant risk from other prisoners,” he said, referring to Patterson.
“You have effectively been held in continuous solitary confinement for the last 15 months and, at the very least, there is a substantial chance that, for your protection, you will continue to be held in solitary confinement for years to come.”
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