Speaker 1: From The Australian. Here's what's on the front. I'm Claire Harvey.
Speaker 1: It's Friday, June thirteen, twenty twenty five. Wife killer and
Speaker 1: child sex offender Christopher Michael Dawson has lost his bid
Speaker 1: to have the High Court of Australia reopen his case. Dawson,
Speaker 1: whose murder of wife Lynette Simms was the subject of
Speaker 1: The Australian's podcast The Teacher's Pet, failed to convince the
Speaker 1: justices of Australia's highest court he'd been the victim of
Speaker 1: a miscarriage of justice. You can read that story right
Speaker 1: now at the Australian dot com au. And if you
Speaker 1: haven't listened to The Teacher's Pet or our companion podcast,
Speaker 1: The Teacher's Trial, find them now wherever you're listening. Accused
Speaker 1: mushroom murderer Aaron Patterson insists she did have an appointment
Speaker 1: for liposuction and that's why she needed to invite four
Speaker 1: elderly relatives to her house for a lunch without her
Speaker 1: children being present. Today, the final moments of Aaron Patterson's
Speaker 1: time in the witness box giving evidence in her defense
Speaker 1: on charges of murdering three people and attempting to murder
Speaker 1: a fourth We've used voice actors throughout this episode to
Speaker 1: bring you the words spoken in court. On Thursday, June twelve,
Speaker 1: Colin Mandy sc representing Aaron Patterson, got his chance to
Speaker 1: re examine his client after several days of cross examination
Speaker 1: by prosecutor Nanett Rodgers. Re examination is where a witness
Speaker 1: can be asked to clarify points that have arisen in
Speaker 1: cross examination. It's a chance to have the last word,
Speaker 1: and in this matter, Aaron Patterson was the defense's one
Speaker 1: and only witness. That means evidence in the case has concluded.
Speaker 1: Now the trial will move on to closing submissions by
Speaker 1: both Crown and defense, then summing up by the judge
Speaker 1: before the jury is sent out to consider its verdict.
Speaker 1: Is Aaron Patterson guilty beyond reasonable doubt of three counts
Speaker 1: of murder and one of attempted murder of having deliberately
Speaker 1: poisoned her three elderly relatives with deathcap mushrooms? Or was it,
Speaker 1: as Mandy said in his defense, opening a tragedy and
Speaker 1: a terrible accident at the fatal lunch on July twenty nine,
Speaker 1: twenty twenty three, after serving her lunch guests beef Wellington,
Speaker 1: Aaron Patterson told them she was likely to eat surgery
Speaker 1: in the future. The Crown says Patterson invented a diagnosis
Speaker 1: of ovarian cancer in order to justify inviting her husband,
Speaker 1: his parents, and his aunt and uncle to lunch at
Speaker 1: her home while excluding her children. Patterson, who's pleading not
Speaker 1: guilty to three counts of murder, says she did no
Speaker 1: such thing. She says that she did tell the lunch
Speaker 1: guests she was concerned about cancer, something she says she'd
Speaker 1: been genuinely worried about in the past. But she says
Speaker 1: the real reason she was going to need surgery was
Speaker 1: that she had decided to do something about her weight
Speaker 1: and long term eating battles. That's something was gastric bypass surgery.
Speaker 1: That's what Patterson told the jury during her evidence in
Speaker 1: examination in chief. Here's what she told the jury on
Speaker 1: June fourth, under questioning from her barrister, Colin Mandy sc
Speaker 1: Aaron Patterson, who had separated from the Patterson's son Simon,
Speaker 1: described exchanging messages with Gail Patterson about a lump on
Speaker 1: her arm shortly before the fatal lunch. Here's what Aaron
Speaker 1: Patterson's message said.
Speaker 2: I had a needle biopsy taken out of the lump,
Speaker 2: and I'm returning for an MRI next week and will
Speaker 2: know more after the results of those two things.
Speaker 3: In court, Mandy asked, had you been to an appointment?
Speaker 1: No?
Speaker 3: Had you had a needle biopsy taken off the lump?
Speaker 4: No?
Speaker 3: Were you returning for an MRI the next week?
Speaker 1: No?
Speaker 3: Were those lies?
Speaker 5: Yes?
Speaker 3: And why did you tell those lies?
Speaker 2: So some weeks prior, I had been having an issue
Speaker 2: with my elbow with pain, and I thought there was
Speaker 2: a lump there, and I'd told Gail and Don about
Speaker 2: that when I saw them or spoke to them, and
Speaker 2: they'd trained quite a lot of care about that, which
Speaker 2: felt really nice. The issue started to resolve, and I
Speaker 2: felt like a bit embarrassed that I'd made such a
Speaker 2: big deal about it, and I didn't want their care
Speaker 2: of me to stop, so I just kept it going.
Speaker 2: I shouldn't have done it.
Speaker 1: Patison sent another message suggesting they talk about it at
Speaker 1: the lunch.
Speaker 2: I'd come to the conclusion that I wanted to do
Speaker 2: something for once and for all about my weight and
Speaker 2: my poor eating habits. So I was planning to have
Speaker 2: gastric bypass surgery and so I remember thinking I didn't
Speaker 2: want to tell anybody what I was going to have done.
Speaker 2: I was really embarrassed about it. So I thought perhaps
Speaker 2: letting them believe I had some serious issue that needed
Speaker 2: treatment might mean they'd be able to help me with
Speaker 2: the logistics around the kids, and I wouldn't have to
Speaker 2: tell them the real reason.
Speaker 1: During cross examination, prosecutor Nannett Rodgers was asking Patterson about
Speaker 1: conversations she'd had with her husband Simon about wanting to
Speaker 1: discuss medical issues at the lunch. Patterson was asked about
Speaker 1: a message she'd sent on the day before the lunch
Speaker 1: twenty eight July, to Simon when he said he wouldn't
Speaker 1: be able to attend.
Speaker 5: Sorry, I feel too uncomfortable about coming to the lunch
Speaker 5: with you, Mum, Dad, Heather and I and tomorrow, but
Speaker 5: I'm happy to talk about your health and implications of
Speaker 5: that another time.
Speaker 4: If you'd like to discuss on my phone.
Speaker 2: Just let me know. That's really disappointing. I've spent many
Speaker 2: hours this week preparing lunch for tomorrow, which has been
Speaker 2: exhausting in light of the issues I'm facing, and spent
Speaker 2: a small fortune on beef. I Phillip to make beef
Speaker 2: Wellington's because I wanted it to be a special meal,
Speaker 2: as I may not be able to host a lunch
Speaker 2: like this again for some time. It's important me that
Speaker 2: you're all there tomorrow and that I have the conversations
Speaker 2: I need to have. I hope you'll change your mind.
Speaker 2: Your parents in Heather and Ian are coming at twelve thirty.
Speaker 2: I hope to see you there.
Speaker 1: Here's what Nanette Rodgers asked on Friday, June sixth I.
Speaker 5: Suggest that on the sixteenth of July twenty twenty three
Speaker 5: that you lied to Simon saying that you had some
Speaker 5: medical issues to discuss. Correct or incorrect?
Speaker 2: No, that wasn't a lie.
Speaker 5: You wrote quote it's important to me that you're all
Speaker 5: there tomorrow and that I can have the conversations that
Speaker 5: I need to have.
Speaker 2: I did write that.
Speaker 5: Is that a reference to the medical issues that you
Speaker 5: were confronting.
Speaker 2: It's a reference to medical things, yes, But.
Speaker 5: You weren't confronting any medical issues, were you correct?
Speaker 4: Ah?
Speaker 2: Yeah, No, I think I was.
Speaker 5: Yeah, And what were they?
Speaker 2: I was going to have surgery soon?
Speaker 5: What surgery?
Speaker 2: The gastric bypass surgery?
Speaker 5: And had that appointment been booked in I.
Speaker 2: Had an appointment for early September, Yes, with who, the
Speaker 2: Enriched Clinic in Melbourne.
Speaker 5: And what was the date of the appointment.
Speaker 2: I don't remember the exact date. I don't think it was.
Speaker 2: The appointment was not the surgery itself, but like a
Speaker 2: pre surgery appointment, if that makes sense.
Speaker 1: But on Tuesday morning this week, when Patterson was being
Speaker 1: cross examined by Prosecutor Nannett Rodgers, she was presented with
Speaker 1: this statement from the Enriched Clinic.
Speaker 4: The Enriched Clinic does not offer, and never has offered,
Speaker 4: pre surgery assessments relating to gastric bypass surgery. The Enriched
Speaker 4: Clinic only conducts examination relating to the skin and its
Speaker 4: appendages such as hair and nails.
Speaker 5: The Enriched Clinic does not offer gastric bypass surgery or
Speaker 5: gastric sleeve surgery. Agree or disagree, I don't know. The
Speaker 5: Enriched Clinic does not conduct assessments relating to gastric bypass
Speaker 5: surgery or gastric sleeve surgery. Agree or disagree, I don't know.
Speaker 2: But I'm a bit puzzled in what way well that was?
Speaker 2: I had an appointment with them, and that's what my
Speaker 2: memory is that the appointment was for. So that's why
Speaker 2: I'm puzzled.
Speaker 1: Rogers put it to Patterson that the appointment she told
Speaker 1: the jury about had nothing to do with gastric bypass surgery.
Speaker 1: Patterson said, well, it would have been related to weight
Speaker 1: loss surgery. Perhaps it was a different procedure. I was
Speaker 1: doing through them, and I was looking into life per
Speaker 1: suction as well.
Speaker 5: When you gave sworn evidence to this jury last Friday
Speaker 5: that you had a pre surgery appointment for gastric bypass
Speaker 5: surgery booked for early September with the Enriched Clinic in Melbourne,
Speaker 5: that was a lie. Agree or disagree?
Speaker 2: No, it wasn't a lie. That's what my memory was.
Speaker 1: On Thursday June twelve, Colin Mandy asked this in re examination.
Speaker 3: Now, can I just confirm with you your interactions with
Speaker 3: the Enriched Clinic. On the nineteenth of April you made
Speaker 3: a voice call to the Enriched Clinic and then again
Speaker 3: you contacted the Enriched Clinic on the thirty first of
Speaker 3: May twenty twenty three. What did you know then when
Speaker 3: you made those phone calls or contacted the clinic on
Speaker 3: those days about the services that the Enriched Clinic offered I.
Speaker 2: Was under the understanding that they offered treatments concerning weight loss,
Speaker 2: and I believed that to be surgeries like gastric bypass
Speaker 2: and other things like liposuction and anywhere in between.
Speaker 3: Now, the records you saw yesterday confirmed that you had
Speaker 3: an appointment with Enrich on the thirteenth of September twenty
Speaker 3: twenty three, and you described that in your evidence as
Speaker 3: a pre surgery appointment, right, What did you mean by that?
Speaker 1: So?
Speaker 2: What I meant was so I hadn't actually had an
Speaker 2: in person consultation within Rich yet that was going to
Speaker 2: be my first one. And my understanding was that we
Speaker 2: would discuss my needs, what treatments they could offer, what
Speaker 2: would suit me, and schedule that in.
Speaker 3: Did you ever have a consultation with him?
Speaker 2: I never ended up having one, though I canceled that.
Speaker 1: Mandy then tended a statement on the Enriched Clinic's website.
Speaker 4: Enrich Clinic has moved to s the era as of
Speaker 4: January twenty twenty five. As of the thirtieth of June
Speaker 4: twenty twenty four, doctor Rich will not be offering liposuction
Speaker 4: as a treatment option to our patients.
Speaker 3: And what was your understanding about what was being offered
Speaker 3: by Enriched Clinic as at July of twenty twenty three.
Speaker 2: Well, I understood them to be offering liposuction, and I
Speaker 2: also believed they offered the full range of weight loss
Speaker 2: surgery treatments like the bypass and this leeve. I think
Speaker 2: there are two different types of things.
Speaker 3: But why did you cancel the appointment?
Speaker 2: It was a difficult time. Yeah, it was in a
Speaker 2: very difficult time.
Speaker 3: And do you accept now from this material that you
Speaker 3: were mistaken about the fact that Enriched Clinic offered gastric
Speaker 3: bypass surgery?
Speaker 2: Yes, I was obviously mistaken. Yeah.
Speaker 1: Colin Mandy also took Erin Patterson to some questions about
Speaker 1: her children, and in answering, Patterson sounded emotional. In cross
Speaker 1: Examinationnnette Rodgers asked Patterson about why she attended Lean and
Speaker 1: Gath the hospital on Monday, July thirty one, two days
Speaker 1: after the lunch, but left against medical advice, telling doctors
Speaker 1: she had to go home and feed her animals and
Speaker 1: attend to things for her children. Rogers asked this.
Speaker 5: You didn't need to go home and pack your daughter's
Speaker 5: ballet bag. Correct?
Speaker 2: Incorrect?
Speaker 5: Your daughter didn't even have bali on Mondays, did she
Speaker 5: she did.
Speaker 2: She had a rehearsal that afternoon and Simon had to
Speaker 2: cancel it.
Speaker 5: Where do you say the rehearsal was.
Speaker 2: I don't remember where it was, but it was a
Speaker 2: rehearsal for an upcoming media concert. So there was some
Speaker 2: special extra lessons they had, and they had one on
Speaker 2: that Monday afternoon evening, and I'd ask Simon to ringle
Speaker 2: Suppelling studio and cancel it, which he told me to do, sorry,
Speaker 2: which he told me he did do.
Speaker 5: Weren't her rehearsals held on weekends.
Speaker 2: Some were, But somewhere on the Monday night afternoon, I
Speaker 2: can't remember what time it was.
Speaker 1: On Thursday June twelve, Mandy took Patterson back to this,
Speaker 1: showing her a text message from Simon sent on the
Speaker 1: day in question, saying he'd left a message on Lisa
Speaker 1: Pellan's studio's phone.
Speaker 3: What did you understand, Simon to be meaning by those messages?
Speaker 2: So Lisa Pellin Studios was the name of my daughter's
Speaker 2: ballet studio. I understood that he was canceling her attendance
Speaker 2: that night, as I'd asked him to do.
Speaker 1: Coming up the final propositions the Crown put to Aaron Patterson.
Speaker 1: In the final moments of a cross examination, Rogers put
Speaker 1: to Patterson these suggestions, leading off with why Patterson handed
Speaker 1: a phone to police that was not her primary device.
Speaker 1: Patterson has repeatedly said she changed devices after the lunch
Speaker 1: because she was concerned about the behavior of her husband, Simon,
Speaker 1: whom she says had accused her of poisoning his parents.
Speaker 1: She is agreed she handed police a phone known as
Speaker 1: Phone B, but not Phone A, her primary device. She
Speaker 1: said she believed police didn't ask for Phone A. She
Speaker 1: also agreed she conducted three factory resets of Phone B,
Speaker 1: including once after it was in a detective's locker at
Speaker 1: one Thaggy police station. Here's how it went in cross examination.
Speaker 5: I suggest to you that all of this conduct, the
Speaker 5: factory resetting of Phone B, handing it to police, and
Speaker 5: telling them your phone number ended in eight three five.
Speaker 5: This was all about hiding the contents of your usual
Speaker 5: mobile phone, Phone.
Speaker 2: A, incorrect.
Speaker 5: I suggest you deliberately concealed Phone A from police. Disagree,
Speaker 5: And you did so because you knew that the data
Speaker 5: on that device would incriminate you agree or disagree?
Speaker 2: Disagree?
Speaker 5: Now you'll be pleased to know I've got three final questions.
Speaker 5: I suggest that you deliberately source Deathcap mushrooms in twenty
Speaker 5: twenty three. Agree or disagree disagree. I suggest you deliberately
Speaker 5: included them in the beef wellingtons you served to Don Patterson,
Speaker 5: Gail Patterson, Ian Wilkinson and Heather Wilkinson Agree or disagree disagree,
Speaker 5: and you did so intending to kill them. Agree or
Speaker 5: disagree disagree? Thank you. I have no further questions.
Speaker 1: The trial continues and you can follow our coverage live
Speaker 1: at the Australian dot com dot au