If Erin Patterson is still religious, she should be thanking God for leniency

1 week ago 3

We don’t know if Erin Patterson is still religious (she became a churchgoer when she embraced her Christian in-laws she then poisoned) but she should thank God for the leniency of the Supreme Court.

To be sentenced to a minimum of 33 years in jail for three murders and an attempted murder is a deal Moses would part a sea for.

Justice Christopher Beale during his sentencing remarks on Monday.

In his sentencing remarks, Justice Christopher Beale was rightly scathing of the offender before him.

He pointed out that by refusing to say she had foraged for deadly mushrooms, she delayed allowing her victims to receive the appropriate treatment, with fatal consequences.

Having fed her Leongatha lunch guests poisoned beef Wellingtons, she sabotaged any chance of survival for Heather Wilkinson, Don and Gail Patterson.

And only a medical miracle saved Ian Wilkinson.

Erin Patterson outside court last month.

Beale slowly summarised Patterson’s plotting and scheming, her lack of remorse, her cold-blooded planning, the lies, the destruction of evidence and the horrible consequences to her victims, their families and their community.

Very early, he made it clear she would be sentenced to life, which was never in doubt. The question was: would he set a minimum term?

Having described her in legal terms as a cold-hearted psychopath, Beale went through how Patterson’s future in prison would unfold. It will be terrible with her foreseeable future to be in solitary confinement.

The first sign of hope for the triple killer came from the bench when Beale said: “At your plea hearing, Ian Wilkinson memorably read his victim impact statement to the court. He offered you forgiveness for what you did to him: ‘I encourage Erin to receive my offer of forgiveness, for those harms done to me, with full confession and repentance. I bear her no ill will.’

Ian Wilkinson speaks to the media after Monday’s sentencing hearing.

“That offer of forgiveness presents you with an opportunity. You would do well to embrace it in the manner he suggests.”

Beale imposed three life sentences on Patterson for the murders and 25 years (concurrent) for the attempted murder of Ian Wilkinson.

The judge set a minimum of 33 years, very close to the defence’s submission of 30 years (the prosecution wanted life with no minimum). With nearly two years served, she could get out in her early 80s.

Patterson should thank the Lord the three attempted murder charges, by which she is alleged to have poisoned her estranged husband, Simon, did not make it to trial. The prosecution believed the beef Wellington lunch wasn’t her first rodeo. She was a serial poisoner.

The sentence is perhaps on the light side (another judge told me they thought about 40 years should be the starting point), but maybe Beale is trying to close the deal.

By being arguably generous to Patterson, it might discourage an appeal. If he had given her life with no minimum term, she would appeal the severity of the sentence and the case goes on, damaging the survivors.

If she does appeal, the Crown can ask for the sentence to be increased.

It makes no sense for her to appeal, but this case has made no sense from the start.

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