WEBVTT - The Trial: Final days of the lunch guests

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<v Speaker 1>He was sedated and intubated. That's correct, yes, So in

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<v Speaker 1>an induced coma.

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<v Speaker 2>He was on a breathing machine, so on life support

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<v Speaker 2>ventilation with the tube bown into his windpipe through his

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<v Speaker 2>mouth and receiving medication to assist his comfort. During that time.

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<v Speaker 3>It was a cold morning in more Well today and

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<v Speaker 3>inside the La Troe Valley Law Courts, Crown Prosecutor Sarah

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<v Speaker 3>Lenthal asked an intensive care doctor about the condition of

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<v Speaker 3>the guests at that deadly mushroom lunch.

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<v Speaker 1>Now we have been discussing his treatment on thirty one July.

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<v Speaker 1>How is Donald Patterson's condition? By the next day, one August.

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<v Speaker 2>He continued to deteriorate despite very aggressive treatment. Really, the

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<v Speaker 2>measures that we were observing, both clinically and on investigations,

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<v Speaker 2>we're moving in the wrong direction. We were very, very worried

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<v Speaker 2>about his progress. He was getting worse.

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<v Speaker 3>A week that had been about technical evidence ended on

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<v Speaker 3>a human note, and there to hear it. Sitting quietly

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<v Speaker 3>in court was Ian Wilkinson, the guest who lost his

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<v Speaker 3>wife to deathcap mushroom poisoning. I'm Brooke greebt Craig, and

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<v Speaker 3>this is the mushroom cook It's the end of week

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<v Speaker 3>four of Aaron Patterson's murder trial, and once again I'm

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<v Speaker 3>joined by my colleague, court reporter Laura PLASSELLA.

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<v Speaker 4>Happy as always to be here with you, Brooke, but

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<v Speaker 4>it seems like our makeshift podcast studio is unhappy with us.

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<v Speaker 4>We're having a technical difficulty or two today, but we're

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<v Speaker 4>soldiering on, Yes we are.

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<v Speaker 3>We had a super short day in court today. We

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<v Speaker 3>only heard from one witness and that was doctor Stephen Warrelowe,

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<v Speaker 3>whose words you heard at the top of the episode.

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<v Speaker 3>He's an intensive care specialist at the Austin Hospital in Melbourne,

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<v Speaker 3>and he told the jury that he treated don Gale Patterson,

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<v Speaker 3>and Gail's sister Heather and her husband Ian Wilkinson while

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<v Speaker 3>they were in hospital in the days after that deadly lunch.

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<v Speaker 4>And as you already mentioned, brook Ian was sitting in

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<v Speaker 4>court today listening to this evidence, and this was evidence

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<v Speaker 4>about the final days of his wife's life and also

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<v Speaker 4>evidence about how he battled to survive and ultimately recovered

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<v Speaker 4>from toxic mushroom poisoning. After giving evidence in the second

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<v Speaker 4>week of the trial, Ian has actually been sitting in

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<v Speaker 4>court most days and he's been surrounded by other family members.

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<v Speaker 4>So the doctor first gave evidence about Don, so let's

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<v Speaker 4>begin with him. Sounds like a plan. Doctor Warlow told

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<v Speaker 4>the jury that both Don and Gail arrived at the

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<v Speaker 4>Austin Hospital on July thirty one after they were treated

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<v Speaker 4>at Dandy Nong Hospital. He said after Don arrived, he

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<v Speaker 4>had been diagnosed with acute liver failure and was pretty

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<v Speaker 4>quickly sedated and intubated. The Austin Hospital is the state's

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<v Speaker 4>liver transplant service. He said that was the reason why

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<v Speaker 4>all of these guests came to the hospital because they

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<v Speaker 4>were in the best place to receive treatment relating to

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<v Speaker 4>the liver. The doctors considered the cause of his liver

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<v Speaker 4>failure as well as the other guests to be Amanita

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<v Speaker 4>mushroom poisoning, so this is essentially toxic mushroom poisoning. But

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<v Speaker 4>doctor Warrelo said that investigations still needed to be made

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<v Speaker 4>to rule out any other possible causes. He said this

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<v Speaker 4>involved blood tests, imaging, ultrasounds, and even some tests for

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<v Speaker 4>some specific viruses so they could just make sure there

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<v Speaker 4>was no other cause for this liver failure.

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<v Speaker 3>The jury heard that eventually Don had to undergo a

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<v Speaker 3>liver transplant.

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<v Speaker 4>Yes, that's right, doctor Warrelo said that despite intensive treatments,

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<v Speaker 4>Don continued to deteriorate and that the only possibility of

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<v Speaker 4>saving his life was through a liver transplant. Crown prosecutor said,

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<v Speaker 4>O Lenthal, who you heard from at the top of

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<v Speaker 4>the episode, asked doctor Warlow where the Don's condition improved

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<v Speaker 4>after the liver transplant, but he replied no, he got

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<v Speaker 4>relentlessly worse. He then told the court that doctors at

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<v Speaker 4>the Austin Hospital had no other treatments to offer Don.

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<v Speaker 3>He was dying and sadly, Don passed away on August five,

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<v Speaker 3>exactly one week after the lunch. Now let's move on

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<v Speaker 3>to Gail Patterson. What did the doctor say about her?

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<v Speaker 4>So Gail arrived again alongside her husband on July thirty one,

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<v Speaker 4>and he described how she was very critically ill when

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<v Speaker 4>she was admitted by August two. He said her liver

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<v Speaker 4>was essentially not working at all and she was in

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<v Speaker 4>a state of advanced shock due to multiple organ failure.

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<v Speaker 4>The court heard that the same sort of investigations that

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<v Speaker 4>were undertaken for Don were also done for her, but

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<v Speaker 4>the doctors again concluded that the cause of her organ

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<v Speaker 4>failure was toxic mushroom poisoning.

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<v Speaker 3>And Gail didn't undergo a liver transplant, did she No.

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<v Speaker 4>Doctor Warrelo said that all of the specialists came together

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<v Speaker 4>to have a conversation around the best course of treatment

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<v Speaker 4>for Gail, but it was determined that she was too

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<v Speaker 4>sick to undergo such a complex surgery.

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<v Speaker 3>And that's something similar that happened to her sister, Heather Wilkinson, right,

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<v Speaker 3>that's right. The sisters had a very similar decline while

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<v Speaker 3>they were in the Austin hospital. Heather arrived one day

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<v Speaker 3>after Gail on August one with her husband Ian, and

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<v Speaker 3>doctor Warrelo said that by August two, she was also

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<v Speaker 3>rapidly deteriorating. The court heard that the specialists treating Heather

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<v Speaker 3>ultimately concluded that her condition was not survivable. She died

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<v Speaker 3>on the same day as her sister, on August four,

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<v Speaker 3>and that was one day before gone. Finally the doctor

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<v Speaker 3>spoke about Ian.

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<v Speaker 4>So after arriving at the Austin Hospital, doctor Warrelo said

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<v Speaker 4>Ian was showing signs of advanced multiple organ failure just

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<v Speaker 4>like the other guests. He was extremely unwell, he said,

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<v Speaker 4>and something called a plasma exchange was commenced on August three.

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<v Speaker 4>Ian was administered a raft of treatments. These included a

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<v Speaker 4>drug called NAK which is to protect the liver, as

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<v Speaker 4>well as activated charcoal and syllibin, which are targeted medications

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<v Speaker 4>for people who are suffering from deathcap mushroom poisoning.

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<v Speaker 3>But the court heard that Ian slowly started to improve.

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<v Speaker 4>That's right, and it seemed like this was almost out

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<v Speaker 4>of nowhere. On August four, he was still declining, but

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<v Speaker 4>by the next day doctor Warrelo said that there was

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<v Speaker 4>some slow and important improvement. He told the court that

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<v Speaker 4>it was slow because Ian was coming from a situation

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<v Speaker 4>of extreme critical illness.

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<v Speaker 3>The jury heard that Ian was discharged from the ICU

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<v Speaker 3>on August twenty one, and eventually he returned home in September.

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<v Speaker 4>Miss Lenthal had one final question for doctor Warlow about Ian.

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<v Speaker 4>These are their words, it's not their voices.

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<v Speaker 1>How close did Ian Wilkinson come to dying?

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<v Speaker 2>We thought he was going to die. He was very close.

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<v Speaker 4>After Miss Lenthal asked doctor Warlow about all the lunch guests,

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<v Speaker 4>there were some questions around amanita mushroom poisoning. Generally, the

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<v Speaker 4>doctor walked the jury through the effects this poisoning has

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<v Speaker 4>on the body and he said that towards the end

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<v Speaker 4>it can be a relentlessly progressive and quite frightening rapid

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<v Speaker 4>deterioration into multiple organ failure, were the body's different organ

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<v Speaker 4>systems essentially shut down and the patient is at a

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<v Speaker 4>very high risk of dying.

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<v Speaker 3>After the doctor was done giving his evidence, Digital forensic

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<v Speaker 3>Officer Sharman fox Henry made a quick return to the stand.

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<v Speaker 3>That's right.

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<v Speaker 4>It was a very very brief appearance by mister fox

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<v Speaker 4>Henry and it was to complete his evidence. In chief.

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<v Speaker 4>One of the other Crown prosecutors, Jane Warren, returned mister

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<v Speaker 4>fox Henry to the topic. They were talking about, Yesda

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<v Speaker 4>being one of the Samsung mobile phones that was seized

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<v Speaker 4>by police during the search warrant on August five. Our

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<v Speaker 4>listeners may remember that yesterday mister fox Henry confirmed that

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<v Speaker 4>a number of factory resets were conducted on this device.

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<v Speaker 4>I will just clarify at this point that the dates

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<v Speaker 4>of the factory resets were February twelve, August two, August five,

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<v Speaker 4>and August six of twenty twenty three. August five was

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<v Speaker 4>the date of the search warrant, and August six was

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<v Speaker 4>the following day after he was done.

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<v Speaker 3>Justice Christopher Bill apologized to the jury. He said, sorry,

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<v Speaker 3>it has been a bitsy kind of day, but you

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<v Speaker 3>may think on a Friday it's not all bad news.

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<v Speaker 4>Yes, the jury got a very early finish today, but

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<v Speaker 4>they will be back on Monday to continue hearing evidence,

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<v Speaker 4>and so will we. To stay up to date on

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<v Speaker 4>all the latest on this case, go to the mushroomcook

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<v Speaker 4>dot com dot au and stay tuned for our subscriber

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<v Speaker 4>ever Sewed on Sunday with veteran crime reporter Anthony Dowsling