1 00:00:00,520 --> 00:00:03,800 Speaker 1: One of the first things that Justice Christopher Bill told 2 00:00:03,840 --> 00:00:07,360 Speaker 1: the jury in the trial of Aaron Patterson was something 3 00:00:07,440 --> 00:00:11,080 Speaker 1: he said they should immediately put out of their minds. 4 00:00:11,360 --> 00:00:15,520 Speaker 1: He told them about charges of attempted murder, charges that 5 00:00:15,640 --> 00:00:20,760 Speaker 1: Aaron tried to poison her estranged husband, Simon Patterson, charges 6 00:00:20,840 --> 00:00:24,920 Speaker 1: the prosecution had dropped. Now we can finally tell you 7 00:00:24,960 --> 00:00:29,440 Speaker 1: about them. He is veteran crime reporter Anthony Dowsley with 8 00:00:29,560 --> 00:00:34,000 Speaker 1: court reporter ash Argoon. Stick around until the end because 9 00:00:34,040 --> 00:00:36,559 Speaker 1: we have some other news about the podcast that we 10 00:00:36,640 --> 00:00:40,440 Speaker 1: think you'll like. I'm Brook Greebert Craig, and this is 11 00:00:41,159 --> 00:00:42,560 Speaker 1: the Mushroom. 12 00:00:43,120 --> 00:00:47,600 Speaker 2: I'm here with my esteemed colleague Ashley Argoon. And like 13 00:00:48,560 --> 00:00:53,360 Speaker 2: any big story and enormous investigation, there is a backstory 14 00:00:53,680 --> 00:00:56,680 Speaker 2: and there are things that the jury did not hear 15 00:00:57,760 --> 00:01:03,320 Speaker 2: in the King versus Aaron Patterson. During the pre trial 16 00:01:03,880 --> 00:01:06,640 Speaker 2: to this trial, you hear a lot of evidence that 17 00:01:06,720 --> 00:01:10,480 Speaker 2: doesn't end up coming out in the big show of 18 00:01:10,520 --> 00:01:16,760 Speaker 2: the trial. And incredibly, there were charges laid against Aaron 19 00:01:16,800 --> 00:01:24,800 Speaker 2: Patterson for not once, twice, three times, and even a 20 00:01:24,880 --> 00:01:33,920 Speaker 2: fourth trying to poison her husband, Simon Patterson. Now, why 21 00:01:33,920 --> 00:01:35,280 Speaker 2: didn't the jury hear any of. 22 00:01:35,319 --> 00:01:41,520 Speaker 3: This ash well. Firstly, the charges against Simon Patterson were dropped. 23 00:01:41,680 --> 00:01:43,720 Speaker 3: That we know about that because the jury was told 24 00:01:43,760 --> 00:01:47,039 Speaker 3: that on the first day of the trial. They were 25 00:01:47,080 --> 00:01:49,520 Speaker 3: told to take those charges out of their mind. Because 26 00:01:49,560 --> 00:01:53,200 Speaker 3: the community knew. Initially when the police charged Aaron Patterson, 27 00:01:53,600 --> 00:01:57,960 Speaker 3: they charged her over attempted murder charges against her husband, Simon, 28 00:01:58,000 --> 00:02:02,440 Speaker 3: her strange husband, Simon. But before those charges were dropped, 29 00:02:02,480 --> 00:02:06,600 Speaker 3: what the community does not know is that Aaron Patterson 30 00:02:07,800 --> 00:02:12,000 Speaker 3: was due to face two trials. The judge, Justice Christopher Biale. 31 00:02:12,080 --> 00:02:15,560 Speaker 3: He decided to separate her charges out, one on murder 32 00:02:15,639 --> 00:02:19,040 Speaker 3: charges with the lunch and one with the attempted murder 33 00:02:19,120 --> 00:02:20,600 Speaker 3: chargers with Simon. 34 00:02:21,360 --> 00:02:23,320 Speaker 2: So we were going to have two trials and the 35 00:02:23,320 --> 00:02:29,240 Speaker 2: second trial was going to basically the Simon Patterson poisoning chargeseah. 36 00:02:29,520 --> 00:02:34,120 Speaker 2: So on the eve of the trial, the charges of 37 00:02:34,200 --> 00:02:37,200 Speaker 2: Aaron Patterson trying to poison her husband were dropped. 38 00:02:37,680 --> 00:02:42,520 Speaker 3: That's right. But before that happened, Simon Patterson had already 39 00:02:42,800 --> 00:02:45,600 Speaker 3: taken the witness box for two days in pre trial 40 00:02:45,600 --> 00:02:49,519 Speaker 3: in October twenty twenty four, and I, along with other journalists, 41 00:02:49,520 --> 00:02:52,040 Speaker 3: were sitting a mere two meters away from him while 42 00:02:52,040 --> 00:02:56,200 Speaker 3: he gave evidence over two days, telling the court how 43 00:02:56,240 --> 00:02:59,600 Speaker 3: he believed his strange wife had tried to kill him 44 00:02:59,600 --> 00:03:03,040 Speaker 3: on multi pu occasions when she invited him on solo 45 00:03:03,160 --> 00:03:06,720 Speaker 3: camping trips in the remote bushland in Victoria. What is 46 00:03:06,760 --> 00:03:09,360 Speaker 3: a pre trial, Well, as the name suggests, it's the 47 00:03:09,400 --> 00:03:13,320 Speaker 3: hearings that come before a trial. So in this instance, 48 00:03:14,200 --> 00:03:18,320 Speaker 3: witnesses were called to give evidence, and some of these 49 00:03:18,320 --> 00:03:22,080 Speaker 3: witnesses we never heard from in the trial, and much 50 00:03:22,120 --> 00:03:25,000 Speaker 3: of this evidence was never delivered to the jury. 51 00:03:25,400 --> 00:03:27,320 Speaker 2: So it's almost like a process of elimination. 52 00:03:28,000 --> 00:03:30,799 Speaker 3: Yeah, it's like the first chance that the defense gets 53 00:03:30,880 --> 00:03:33,440 Speaker 3: to cross examine a witness before they get to the 54 00:03:33,440 --> 00:03:33,960 Speaker 3: big dance. 55 00:03:34,400 --> 00:03:38,400 Speaker 2: So let's go through these alleged attempted poisonings one by one, 56 00:03:38,480 --> 00:03:44,600 Speaker 2: case by case. Sure, so we have a roller coaster 57 00:03:44,680 --> 00:03:49,119 Speaker 2: relationship they separated, that would gather together back and forth, 58 00:03:49,200 --> 00:03:54,480 Speaker 2: back and forth, back and forth, and first trip that 59 00:03:54,560 --> 00:03:56,600 Speaker 2: they take together didn't eventuate. 60 00:03:56,720 --> 00:04:01,080 Speaker 3: No, basically not so prefacing this with in twenty nineteen, 61 00:04:01,160 --> 00:04:04,080 Speaker 3: Simon Patterson said that his a strange wife had invited 62 00:04:04,200 --> 00:04:06,800 Speaker 3: him to go to South Africa, just the two of them. 63 00:04:07,200 --> 00:04:09,400 Speaker 3: So this is four years after they were separated. He 64 00:04:09,400 --> 00:04:12,600 Speaker 3: said she'd never done that since they had had their children. 65 00:04:12,680 --> 00:04:15,440 Speaker 3: So their son at that time was ten, so it 66 00:04:15,440 --> 00:04:17,400 Speaker 3: had been ten years since she'd invited him on a 67 00:04:17,440 --> 00:04:20,719 Speaker 3: trip just the two of them. Their trip was canceled 68 00:04:20,760 --> 00:04:23,880 Speaker 3: because of COVID instead in twenty twenty one when the 69 00:04:23,920 --> 00:04:25,320 Speaker 3: restrictions eased. 70 00:04:25,320 --> 00:04:28,120 Speaker 2: So about November of twenty twenty one, the. 71 00:04:28,080 --> 00:04:31,320 Speaker 3: Suggestion was they go camping instead. We know how they 72 00:04:31,680 --> 00:04:35,440 Speaker 3: loved going camping. Their relationship began basically over a shared 73 00:04:35,480 --> 00:04:36,760 Speaker 3: love of the outdoors. 74 00:04:36,880 --> 00:04:39,240 Speaker 2: So instead of going to South Africa an exotic trip, 75 00:04:39,480 --> 00:04:42,400 Speaker 2: they end up in Wilson's Prom. Yeah, exactly, quite a 76 00:04:42,480 --> 00:04:43,000 Speaker 2: nice place. 77 00:04:43,320 --> 00:04:46,200 Speaker 3: A bit different South Africa, yep, but nice. 78 00:04:46,480 --> 00:04:49,000 Speaker 2: So they go to Wilson's Prom. They're going to go camping. 79 00:04:49,040 --> 00:04:52,920 Speaker 2: It's without the kids. It's almost like a reconciliation. It's 80 00:04:53,240 --> 00:04:54,120 Speaker 2: maybe suppose. 81 00:04:54,400 --> 00:04:56,720 Speaker 3: I mean, we've heard a lot about how they were 82 00:04:56,839 --> 00:04:59,800 Speaker 3: wanting to have a good relationship for the children and 83 00:05:00,080 --> 00:05:02,960 Speaker 3: themselves as well, and Simon certainly said that in pre trial. 84 00:05:03,000 --> 00:05:05,800 Speaker 3: He said they wanted to have a good relationship, and 85 00:05:05,880 --> 00:05:07,920 Speaker 3: he believed for a long time that they were going 86 00:05:07,920 --> 00:05:11,320 Speaker 3: to reconcile until he didn't, but that's for later in 87 00:05:11,360 --> 00:05:12,040 Speaker 3: this podcast. 88 00:05:12,680 --> 00:05:17,520 Speaker 2: So Erin whips up a dish. What's the dish? 89 00:05:17,640 --> 00:05:21,760 Speaker 3: It's penne bolonnaise. So the night before they go camping 90 00:05:21,880 --> 00:05:25,440 Speaker 3: in November twenty twenty one, they do a lot of packing, 91 00:05:25,800 --> 00:05:28,800 Speaker 3: so Simon's at his house. They're in separate homes at 92 00:05:28,800 --> 00:05:31,920 Speaker 3: this stage. Simon's at his house and Erin comes over 93 00:05:32,040 --> 00:05:35,560 Speaker 3: with a tupperware container of pasta and she says to 94 00:05:35,640 --> 00:05:37,800 Speaker 3: Simon that this is the dinner that her and the 95 00:05:37,880 --> 00:05:40,400 Speaker 3: kid's going to eat for dinner that night, and she 96 00:05:40,480 --> 00:05:43,279 Speaker 3: brought him some. So they spend a long time packing 97 00:05:43,320 --> 00:05:46,400 Speaker 3: and she ends up leaving at about six or seven o'clock. 98 00:05:46,920 --> 00:05:50,280 Speaker 3: And later that night he was asked did you eat 99 00:05:50,279 --> 00:05:53,400 Speaker 3: the penn a bolonnais? And he says, at about nine 100 00:05:53,520 --> 00:05:56,600 Speaker 3: or ten o'clock he did because Aaron was in contact 101 00:05:56,600 --> 00:05:59,000 Speaker 3: with him through the night and he said he felt 102 00:05:59,120 --> 00:06:02,160 Speaker 3: the words he used was encouraged to eat tea and 103 00:06:02,200 --> 00:06:05,320 Speaker 3: not leave it too late. Encouraged. So he ate that 104 00:06:05,360 --> 00:06:09,599 Speaker 3: dinner at nine or ten o'clock and then went to 105 00:06:09,640 --> 00:06:13,200 Speaker 3: bed for an early start the next morning head to 106 00:06:13,200 --> 00:06:13,839 Speaker 3: Aaron's place. 107 00:06:14,600 --> 00:06:17,039 Speaker 2: So does he become sick during the night. 108 00:06:17,480 --> 00:06:21,640 Speaker 3: No, he starts feeling unwell when he arrives at her home, 109 00:06:21,800 --> 00:06:25,120 Speaker 3: and he said when he turned up at the front door, 110 00:06:25,680 --> 00:06:27,880 Speaker 3: he was greeted by Aaron and his sister Tanya, who 111 00:06:27,880 --> 00:06:30,000 Speaker 3: was there to look after their children while they're away. 112 00:06:30,520 --> 00:06:33,400 Speaker 3: And he can't remember who of them had said this, 113 00:06:33,560 --> 00:06:37,240 Speaker 3: but they asked if he was okay and commented that 114 00:06:37,320 --> 00:06:38,159 Speaker 3: he looked gray. 115 00:06:39,120 --> 00:06:42,960 Speaker 2: Okay, so he's not looking the best. But do they 116 00:06:43,040 --> 00:06:44,600 Speaker 2: end up going camping? 117 00:06:44,960 --> 00:06:47,400 Speaker 3: Yeah, he said at that stage, he thought he was 118 00:06:47,440 --> 00:06:50,160 Speaker 3: just feeling stressed about the idea that he and Aaron 119 00:06:50,200 --> 00:06:52,600 Speaker 3: were going to spend some time alone for the first 120 00:06:52,640 --> 00:06:53,520 Speaker 3: time in a long time. 121 00:06:54,560 --> 00:06:55,880 Speaker 2: And they've got an airbnb as well. 122 00:06:56,640 --> 00:06:59,040 Speaker 3: Well, I think they book that on the way when 123 00:06:59,120 --> 00:07:03,200 Speaker 3: he starts to become ill, right, So at Aaron's house 124 00:07:03,279 --> 00:07:05,440 Speaker 3: before they even leave, he vomits a few times in 125 00:07:05,480 --> 00:07:10,360 Speaker 3: the toilet. He's quite unwell, and he decides, well, it's 126 00:07:10,400 --> 00:07:13,760 Speaker 3: probably just gastro or something. So they decide to push on. 127 00:07:14,120 --> 00:07:16,880 Speaker 3: So they get in the car and drive to Wilson's. 128 00:07:16,520 --> 00:07:18,640 Speaker 2: Prom okay, And do they make it? 129 00:07:18,800 --> 00:07:21,640 Speaker 3: No, No, they don't because he's increasingly unwell. They had 130 00:07:21,640 --> 00:07:23,560 Speaker 3: to stop the car. I think once for him to 131 00:07:23,600 --> 00:07:27,120 Speaker 3: be sick, and in the end, I believe Aaron booked 132 00:07:27,160 --> 00:07:30,080 Speaker 3: an airbanba for them because he was so unwell near 133 00:07:30,400 --> 00:07:34,040 Speaker 3: Wilson's prom and they spend about forty eight hours at 134 00:07:34,080 --> 00:07:38,640 Speaker 3: that airbanb where Simon's throwing up the whole time, and 135 00:07:39,600 --> 00:07:43,160 Speaker 3: eventually he says that they do go to hospital, but 136 00:07:43,160 --> 00:07:45,840 Speaker 3: there's a bit of a conversation first. It takes a 137 00:07:45,880 --> 00:07:48,320 Speaker 3: little while for them to decide to get to hospital. 138 00:07:48,360 --> 00:07:50,920 Speaker 2: So it basically says, I'm pretty sick, I need to 139 00:07:50,920 --> 00:07:51,560 Speaker 2: go to hospital. 140 00:07:51,800 --> 00:07:55,680 Speaker 3: He said he had mentioned to his wife he thought 141 00:07:55,720 --> 00:07:59,920 Speaker 3: that he needed to go to hospital, and her comment was, 142 00:08:00,440 --> 00:08:03,080 Speaker 3: hospitals in our part of the world are a bit 143 00:08:03,080 --> 00:08:05,160 Speaker 3: hard to get into. Sometimes sometimes there's a bit of 144 00:08:05,200 --> 00:08:08,240 Speaker 3: a weight, so it might be better to just wait 145 00:08:08,280 --> 00:08:10,320 Speaker 3: and see and see if the symptoms a bait. 146 00:08:11,520 --> 00:08:13,680 Speaker 2: So he probably thought he had a gastro bug or 147 00:08:13,720 --> 00:08:15,640 Speaker 2: something like that. Yeah, he go to hospital. 148 00:08:15,640 --> 00:08:17,560 Speaker 3: In the end, Yeah, yeah, he goes to hospital. Aaron 149 00:08:17,600 --> 00:08:20,600 Speaker 3: takes him to hospital and he's in there for a week, 150 00:08:20,640 --> 00:08:22,240 Speaker 3: in and out of hospital for about a week, and 151 00:08:22,280 --> 00:08:25,080 Speaker 3: he thinks that he has gastro and he says the 152 00:08:25,120 --> 00:08:28,120 Speaker 3: doctors can't tell him exactly what's gone on, but he 153 00:08:28,160 --> 00:08:31,320 Speaker 3: believes he has gastro and after about a week and 154 00:08:31,360 --> 00:08:33,840 Speaker 3: being on a trip, he goes back home to his 155 00:08:33,880 --> 00:08:34,280 Speaker 3: own home. 156 00:08:35,120 --> 00:08:39,800 Speaker 2: So oddly enough, Simon comes around to the idea that 157 00:08:39,840 --> 00:08:43,480 Speaker 2: he's a little bit suspicious of this sickness that he's had. 158 00:08:44,320 --> 00:08:46,880 Speaker 2: We're into the next year, or into twenty twenty two 159 00:08:47,000 --> 00:08:50,360 Speaker 2: by this time, and he kind of ribs her about it. 160 00:08:50,559 --> 00:08:52,760 Speaker 3: He does in the new year. He said that it 161 00:08:52,800 --> 00:08:58,160 Speaker 3: briefly crosses his mind that maybe Aaron might have poisoned him. 162 00:08:58,559 --> 00:09:02,080 Speaker 3: And when she invites him to a makeup trip camping trip, 163 00:09:02,120 --> 00:09:04,480 Speaker 3: because as we know, they barely made it to the 164 00:09:04,520 --> 00:09:07,319 Speaker 3: first one. They made it to Airbnb outside of Wilson's 165 00:09:07,320 --> 00:09:10,520 Speaker 3: prom but they didn't actually go camping, so he says, 166 00:09:10,559 --> 00:09:12,880 Speaker 3: she suggests that they go on a makeup trip, this 167 00:09:13,000 --> 00:09:16,439 Speaker 3: time to haw Qua outside of Mansfield in May twenty two, 168 00:09:16,520 --> 00:09:19,200 Speaker 3: and he said before they went he had a bit 169 00:09:19,200 --> 00:09:21,520 Speaker 3: of a joke with her and said to her that 170 00:09:21,760 --> 00:09:23,760 Speaker 3: she might put something in the food and poison me. 171 00:09:24,480 --> 00:09:25,760 Speaker 2: But he gets sick again, doesn't he. 172 00:09:26,360 --> 00:09:30,400 Speaker 3: They go away to hau Qua and the preamble for 173 00:09:30,440 --> 00:09:32,480 Speaker 3: this dinner that they have in hau Qua that he 174 00:09:32,559 --> 00:09:35,360 Speaker 3: believes causes him to be sick. Is that about a 175 00:09:35,360 --> 00:09:38,760 Speaker 3: week before they go on their trip, he goes over 176 00:09:38,760 --> 00:09:40,640 Speaker 3: to Aaron's place, as he said, he did quite a bit, 177 00:09:40,880 --> 00:09:45,040 Speaker 3: and she's running a taste test of spice with the kids, 178 00:09:45,160 --> 00:09:47,440 Speaker 3: with the kids and Simon, and she's getting them to 179 00:09:47,480 --> 00:09:50,959 Speaker 3: taste different sauces and she says it's because she's making 180 00:09:50,960 --> 00:09:53,920 Speaker 3: a curry and she wants to check everyone's spice level 181 00:09:53,960 --> 00:09:56,840 Speaker 3: to see how spicy they can handle their food. So 182 00:09:57,400 --> 00:10:00,920 Speaker 3: a week later, when they're camping, it's the second night 183 00:10:01,040 --> 00:10:03,559 Speaker 3: that they're away in hal Kwa, and he says he's 184 00:10:03,559 --> 00:10:06,520 Speaker 3: served up this chicken corma curry and he believes this 185 00:10:06,640 --> 00:10:09,959 Speaker 3: is the curry that's specially made to his spice level 186 00:10:10,360 --> 00:10:11,239 Speaker 3: from the test. 187 00:10:11,040 --> 00:10:16,080 Speaker 2: The week before. Yeah, okay, So he eats the chicken corma, Yeah. 188 00:10:15,840 --> 00:10:18,480 Speaker 3: Chicken comra and rice. Right, they eat the chicken comra 189 00:10:18,480 --> 00:10:19,600 Speaker 3: and rice, and he. 190 00:10:19,559 --> 00:10:21,720 Speaker 2: Believes they eat the same eat the same meal. 191 00:10:21,880 --> 00:10:23,840 Speaker 3: Well, he says that he can see that she's eating 192 00:10:24,120 --> 00:10:26,319 Speaker 3: a meal that he believes is the same meal, but 193 00:10:26,400 --> 00:10:29,280 Speaker 3: he didn't see how it was prepared or what tuppleware 194 00:10:29,280 --> 00:10:32,080 Speaker 3: containers it was packaged in if it was separate or whatever. 195 00:10:32,280 --> 00:10:35,199 Speaker 3: He's served up the food, he eats it, and at 196 00:10:35,200 --> 00:10:38,280 Speaker 3: about midnight he starts to feel sick. 197 00:10:39,520 --> 00:10:43,240 Speaker 2: So Simon probably has a hot flush. 198 00:10:43,760 --> 00:10:46,240 Speaker 3: He says, he feels hot. He starts feeling hot, especially 199 00:10:46,320 --> 00:10:46,760 Speaker 3: in the head. 200 00:10:47,280 --> 00:10:51,360 Speaker 2: Right And when he's describing this, how did he describe 201 00:10:51,520 --> 00:10:52,160 Speaker 2: how he felt? 202 00:10:53,120 --> 00:10:57,040 Speaker 3: He said it was about midnight he felt hot, especially 203 00:10:57,080 --> 00:10:59,320 Speaker 3: in the head, and he said it led to him 204 00:10:59,320 --> 00:11:03,439 Speaker 3: feeling washes and then quite suddenly he needed to vomit. 205 00:11:03,640 --> 00:11:06,319 Speaker 3: And then after the vomiting, he started to have diarrhea. 206 00:11:06,440 --> 00:11:10,000 Speaker 2: Okay, so that sounds like food poisoning. Does he go 207 00:11:10,040 --> 00:11:10,800 Speaker 2: to hospital again? 208 00:11:11,080 --> 00:11:16,640 Speaker 3: Well, it's nighttime. They're out camping, so they wait until 209 00:11:16,720 --> 00:11:21,920 Speaker 3: the sun comes up, and Simon says, you know, hospital time. 210 00:11:22,240 --> 00:11:24,640 Speaker 3: So they agree to go to Mansfield Hospital, and he 211 00:11:24,679 --> 00:11:28,079 Speaker 3: says that their campsite. Aaron packs up the entire thing. 212 00:11:28,480 --> 00:11:31,200 Speaker 3: The only thing that she can't do is lift the 213 00:11:31,240 --> 00:11:33,839 Speaker 3: tent into the back of the car, so he has 214 00:11:33,880 --> 00:11:38,320 Speaker 3: to help with that, and they head to Mansfield Hospital 215 00:11:38,400 --> 00:11:42,400 Speaker 3: where he's there. He stops vomiting that afternoon and he's 216 00:11:42,440 --> 00:11:43,560 Speaker 3: discharge the next day. 217 00:11:43,840 --> 00:11:47,640 Speaker 2: So Aaron drives him back to Curramborough the next day. Yeah. 218 00:11:47,760 --> 00:11:50,520 Speaker 3: Yeah, So they head back in the car. Aaron drives 219 00:11:50,559 --> 00:11:52,880 Speaker 3: him to his own house and he spends a couple 220 00:11:52,960 --> 00:11:55,719 Speaker 3: of days there. I think this is the Friday, and 221 00:11:55,760 --> 00:11:57,840 Speaker 3: he's at home by himself for a couple of days 222 00:11:57,960 --> 00:12:01,760 Speaker 3: and then something happens on the Sunday. What happens on 223 00:12:01,800 --> 00:12:06,600 Speaker 3: the Sunday, Well, he wakes up he is so unwell 224 00:12:06,640 --> 00:12:08,080 Speaker 3: and it needs to go to the toilet, but he 225 00:12:08,120 --> 00:12:12,040 Speaker 3: can't get himself there. So he says, around about sunrise, 226 00:12:12,120 --> 00:12:15,040 Speaker 3: he calls up Eron and asks if she can come 227 00:12:15,080 --> 00:12:17,560 Speaker 3: over to his house to help him get to the 228 00:12:17,559 --> 00:12:20,240 Speaker 3: toilet because he can't make it right. 229 00:12:20,400 --> 00:12:24,199 Speaker 2: He's at home and he invites Erin to come and 230 00:12:24,320 --> 00:12:27,160 Speaker 2: basically help him, help him. Yeah, because he is that sick. 231 00:12:27,400 --> 00:12:27,920 Speaker 3: Is that sick? 232 00:12:28,000 --> 00:12:31,079 Speaker 2: So this is what Simon Patterson said in pre trial 233 00:12:31,240 --> 00:12:35,719 Speaker 2: to Aaron Patterson's lawyer, the barrister Coln Mandy. These are 234 00:12:35,760 --> 00:12:37,800 Speaker 2: his words, but it is not his voice. 235 00:12:39,000 --> 00:12:44,000 Speaker 4: I remember calling her before sunrise. It felt very early, 236 00:12:44,080 --> 00:12:47,040 Speaker 4: let's put it that way. I recall telling her that 237 00:12:47,120 --> 00:12:50,760 Speaker 4: I'd been having trouble getting myself to the toilet. I 238 00:12:50,840 --> 00:12:52,200 Speaker 4: asked her to come over and help me to get 239 00:12:52,240 --> 00:12:52,840 Speaker 4: to the toilet. 240 00:12:53,960 --> 00:12:56,520 Speaker 5: She came over straight away, to your recollection. 241 00:12:57,600 --> 00:12:59,360 Speaker 4: It didn't feel like that. It was a long time. 242 00:12:59,600 --> 00:13:02,000 Speaker 5: When she got to your house, she called Triple zero. 243 00:13:03,240 --> 00:13:05,600 Speaker 4: All I really remember is she came into the bedroom. 244 00:13:06,120 --> 00:13:09,280 Speaker 4: I saw her come in. We exchanged a greeting. I 245 00:13:09,320 --> 00:13:11,800 Speaker 4: was sitting on the end of the bed. I lay 246 00:13:11,880 --> 00:13:13,959 Speaker 4: back on the bed, and that's the last thing I remember. 247 00:13:14,240 --> 00:13:16,959 Speaker 5: Did you hear her on the phone to Triple zero. No, 248 00:13:17,600 --> 00:13:20,560 Speaker 5: Apart from her coming into the room and exchanging some 249 00:13:20,679 --> 00:13:23,880 Speaker 5: kind of greeting, that's where your memory ends. What's the 250 00:13:23,920 --> 00:13:24,880 Speaker 5: next thing you recall. 251 00:13:25,440 --> 00:13:27,840 Speaker 4: I can recall being on a trolley in the hospital 252 00:13:27,840 --> 00:13:30,320 Speaker 4: and Aaron trying to attract attention of a medical staff 253 00:13:30,360 --> 00:13:31,680 Speaker 4: and that person rushing off. 254 00:13:32,600 --> 00:13:39,200 Speaker 2: So as Aaron enters the house, she's found Simon quite ill, 255 00:13:39,640 --> 00:13:40,760 Speaker 2: and she calls Triple zero. 256 00:13:41,520 --> 00:13:43,839 Speaker 3: Yeah, and Simon says, as you heard just then, he 257 00:13:43,880 --> 00:13:46,400 Speaker 3: can recall that she's come into the bedroom and he's 258 00:13:46,440 --> 00:13:49,520 Speaker 3: passed out. So from then on, what we understand from 259 00:13:49,559 --> 00:13:51,960 Speaker 3: his evidence in court is that he's unconscious when he 260 00:13:52,000 --> 00:13:54,880 Speaker 3: goes to the hospital, and when he's there he has 261 00:13:55,240 --> 00:13:59,720 Speaker 3: repeated life saving surgeries, including one major surgery to remove 262 00:13:59,760 --> 00:14:02,480 Speaker 3: a lie large section of his bow, all of which 263 00:14:02,679 --> 00:14:05,840 Speaker 3: because Aaron is his next of kin, the doctors have 264 00:14:05,920 --> 00:14:09,280 Speaker 3: had to contact Eron and ask her permission to perform 265 00:14:09,320 --> 00:14:13,520 Speaker 3: these life saving operations. And she's given that permission, and 266 00:14:13,559 --> 00:14:17,000 Speaker 3: then Simon's had the surgeries and he's spent then a 267 00:14:17,160 --> 00:14:20,960 Speaker 3: very long time recuperating from this life saving surgery. 268 00:14:21,440 --> 00:14:26,000 Speaker 2: Okay, this has gone well past gastro suspicions. At this point. 269 00:14:26,080 --> 00:14:30,920 Speaker 2: He's having multiple surgeries to save his life. YEA, is 270 00:14:30,920 --> 00:14:33,680 Speaker 2: he suspicious? If he was suspicious the first time, he's 271 00:14:33,720 --> 00:14:36,000 Speaker 2: got to be very suspicious now. 272 00:14:36,040 --> 00:14:38,960 Speaker 3: He says, the first time across his mind, and he 273 00:14:39,000 --> 00:14:43,200 Speaker 3: made a joke. But he doesn't say after this illness 274 00:14:43,200 --> 00:14:45,160 Speaker 3: that it crossed his mind again. It didn't come up 275 00:14:45,200 --> 00:14:48,360 Speaker 3: again because after this illness, after he spends a lengthy 276 00:14:48,440 --> 00:14:52,200 Speaker 3: amount of time in hospital, he's discharged to Aaron's home. 277 00:14:52,840 --> 00:14:55,120 Speaker 3: He's still quite unwell. When he's discharged from hospital. He 278 00:14:55,160 --> 00:14:57,320 Speaker 3: says that he can't walk up the stairs and he 279 00:14:57,360 --> 00:15:00,240 Speaker 3: can't drive. So Aaron invites him to come and move 280 00:15:00,240 --> 00:15:02,520 Speaker 3: into the Langatha home with her and the kids so 281 00:15:02,600 --> 00:15:04,680 Speaker 3: that she can help care for him, and he moves 282 00:15:04,720 --> 00:15:08,760 Speaker 3: into a bedroom underneath her bedroom on a multi level house, 283 00:15:09,560 --> 00:15:13,360 Speaker 3: and within weeks he says that he starts to feel stronger, 284 00:15:13,440 --> 00:15:17,440 Speaker 3: he can drive again, he can walk upstairs again. But 285 00:15:17,640 --> 00:15:19,240 Speaker 3: then he falls sick again. 286 00:15:19,640 --> 00:15:23,360 Speaker 2: So we're in July twenty twenty two, and we're now 287 00:15:23,400 --> 00:15:28,000 Speaker 2: moving to a part of the story which we call 288 00:15:28,240 --> 00:15:33,880 Speaker 2: a special stew, a special stew. What's this special stew ash? 289 00:15:33,960 --> 00:15:37,800 Speaker 3: It's a beef stew and it's special because Simon says 290 00:15:37,920 --> 00:15:41,200 Speaker 3: that Aaron makes him this special stew for lunch one day, 291 00:15:41,280 --> 00:15:45,000 Speaker 3: just for him, and he calls it an unusual activity 292 00:15:45,040 --> 00:15:49,400 Speaker 3: that she would make this lunch for him specially. So 293 00:15:50,080 --> 00:15:52,440 Speaker 3: what he says in court is that she had specially 294 00:15:52,480 --> 00:15:54,080 Speaker 3: made some stew for me to have. 295 00:15:54,480 --> 00:16:00,640 Speaker 2: So I appreciated that, okay, And within five hours he's 296 00:16:00,640 --> 00:16:01,160 Speaker 2: sick again. 297 00:16:01,400 --> 00:16:05,320 Speaker 3: He's sick again, feeling nauseous, yeah, starts to feel nauseous. 298 00:16:05,000 --> 00:16:13,600 Speaker 2: Vomiting yep, diarrhea yep. Okay. So he's experienced all this before, okay, 299 00:16:13,640 --> 00:16:15,040 Speaker 2: and now it's happening again. 300 00:16:15,120 --> 00:16:17,520 Speaker 3: It's happening again, and so what he does is it's 301 00:16:17,520 --> 00:16:20,160 Speaker 3: happening in the evening and when he's in his own bedroom, 302 00:16:20,480 --> 00:16:23,040 Speaker 3: and he says that he grabs his phone. He calls Eron, 303 00:16:23,200 --> 00:16:26,240 Speaker 3: who's in the bedroom above, and they have a conversation 304 00:16:26,280 --> 00:16:27,920 Speaker 3: about what to do because the kids are at home. 305 00:16:27,960 --> 00:16:31,120 Speaker 3: They're in bed, so she can't drive him off to 306 00:16:31,160 --> 00:16:33,800 Speaker 3: hospital because we can't leave the kids by themselves. So 307 00:16:33,800 --> 00:16:36,960 Speaker 3: they decide to call Don and Gaiale, his parents, Don 308 00:16:37,000 --> 00:16:39,320 Speaker 3: and Gal Patterson, and ask them to come and pick 309 00:16:39,360 --> 00:16:40,840 Speaker 3: him up and take him to hospital. 310 00:16:41,160 --> 00:16:43,560 Speaker 2: So we are in July of twenty twenty two when 311 00:16:43,600 --> 00:16:47,280 Speaker 2: this special stew is made for him and he eats it. Yep, okay, 312 00:16:47,280 --> 00:16:49,960 Speaker 2: so we're quite laid in the piece for about a 313 00:16:50,080 --> 00:16:52,120 Speaker 2: year before the lunch. 314 00:16:52,880 --> 00:16:55,440 Speaker 3: Yeah it is. It's almost would be fatal, almost exactly. 315 00:16:55,600 --> 00:17:00,520 Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, okay. So Simon's parents taking the hospital. He's 316 00:17:00,560 --> 00:17:04,960 Speaker 2: obviously discharged and he returns to Aaron's house for two weeks. 317 00:17:05,040 --> 00:17:08,159 Speaker 3: He goes to hospital. He's on a drip. And I'll 318 00:17:08,560 --> 00:17:11,920 Speaker 3: point out this is an illness that Aaron Patterson was 319 00:17:11,960 --> 00:17:14,840 Speaker 3: never charged over, so it mustn't have been as serious 320 00:17:14,880 --> 00:17:20,160 Speaker 3: as other illnesses that Simon Patterson suffered. And they believed, 321 00:17:20,240 --> 00:17:23,879 Speaker 3: or they'd accused Aaron of attempting to murder him. So 322 00:17:24,680 --> 00:17:27,840 Speaker 3: he comes back to Aaron Patterson's house for about two weeks, 323 00:17:28,560 --> 00:17:33,439 Speaker 3: and after that two weeks, he says, he started to 324 00:17:33,560 --> 00:17:36,760 Speaker 3: realize he didn't think that Aaron wanted him there. 325 00:17:37,560 --> 00:17:40,600 Speaker 2: They start to fight and she becomes irritated with him. 326 00:17:41,040 --> 00:17:46,239 Speaker 3: Is that right? Yeah, she does well. Simon says that 327 00:17:46,520 --> 00:17:49,399 Speaker 3: she basically goes on this tirade. She comes into his 328 00:17:49,440 --> 00:17:54,639 Speaker 3: bedroom and she's frustrated with him, and among the things 329 00:17:54,720 --> 00:17:59,560 Speaker 3: that he says that she tells him is that she's 330 00:17:59,640 --> 00:18:03,159 Speaker 3: upset him. He spends too much time in bed, he 331 00:18:03,200 --> 00:18:05,679 Speaker 3: hasn't been helping around the house. He'd only get up 332 00:18:05,680 --> 00:18:08,520 Speaker 3: to make his own food, which at that stage, he 333 00:18:08,560 --> 00:18:11,280 Speaker 3: said he'd often get up and make himself a ham, 334 00:18:11,359 --> 00:18:14,520 Speaker 3: cheese and tomato toasted sandwich. He said this was not 335 00:18:14,720 --> 00:18:17,000 Speaker 3: her word that she used, but it was about the 336 00:18:17,040 --> 00:18:19,840 Speaker 3: spirit of it, but that he'd been a bit dictatorial 337 00:18:20,680 --> 00:18:23,160 Speaker 3: with asking her to bring his phone charge. 338 00:18:22,960 --> 00:18:24,679 Speaker 2: Out that she says he's ordering her. 339 00:18:24,960 --> 00:18:27,120 Speaker 3: Yeah, he's in hospital and he says, can you bring 340 00:18:27,160 --> 00:18:29,840 Speaker 3: me my phone? Yeah, and she has to bring it 341 00:18:29,840 --> 00:18:32,640 Speaker 3: to the hospital. This is what he says to the court. 342 00:18:32,680 --> 00:18:35,640 Speaker 3: He says he paused for quite a long time, he says, 343 00:18:35,680 --> 00:18:38,320 Speaker 3: I wasn't sure how to respond, and then I said 344 00:18:38,320 --> 00:18:40,399 Speaker 3: to her, I'm sorry to hear you feel that way, 345 00:18:40,800 --> 00:18:42,200 Speaker 3: and then she stormed out. 346 00:18:42,560 --> 00:18:50,400 Speaker 2: Okay, and does he feel like he's somewhat captive to her? 347 00:18:50,600 --> 00:18:54,680 Speaker 3: Or well, the thing is here, he leaves, he leaves, 348 00:18:54,800 --> 00:18:55,800 Speaker 3: So in. 349 00:18:55,760 --> 00:18:58,080 Speaker 2: The end, I mean, it might be a stupid question, 350 00:18:58,160 --> 00:19:01,120 Speaker 2: but what did he decide to leave? 351 00:19:01,880 --> 00:19:04,080 Speaker 3: Well, he said that at that point it was clear 352 00:19:04,080 --> 00:19:06,000 Speaker 3: to him that it wasn't wise for him to keep 353 00:19:06,040 --> 00:19:12,439 Speaker 3: staying there. And he also agreed with Aaron Patterson's defense lawyer, 354 00:19:12,560 --> 00:19:16,199 Speaker 3: Colin Mandy, that he was there in the hope that 355 00:19:16,240 --> 00:19:19,760 Speaker 3: they would reunite, that they'd get back together, but after 356 00:19:19,800 --> 00:19:23,280 Speaker 3: this situation that hope had diminished. 357 00:19:23,440 --> 00:19:25,280 Speaker 2: So that had been a common theme right up to 358 00:19:25,280 --> 00:19:28,600 Speaker 2: this point. He was always trying to reconcile. 359 00:19:28,320 --> 00:19:30,120 Speaker 3: Thinking in the back of his mind that they would 360 00:19:30,160 --> 00:19:32,600 Speaker 3: get back together. But at this point, he said, he 361 00:19:32,680 --> 00:19:35,920 Speaker 3: thought it was done. 362 00:19:36,240 --> 00:19:38,639 Speaker 2: And yet there is a third trip. 363 00:19:39,040 --> 00:19:42,879 Speaker 3: Yeah, there is there is a third trip. Simon said 364 00:19:42,960 --> 00:19:47,320 Speaker 3: that after the issues on the first two camping trips, 365 00:19:47,640 --> 00:19:51,080 Speaker 3: Aaron again suggests another camping trip, this time in September 366 00:19:51,080 --> 00:19:54,600 Speaker 3: twenty twenty two, and they would go again to Wilson's prom. 367 00:19:54,680 --> 00:19:57,560 Speaker 2: Who brought the food this time? Aaron brought the food again. 368 00:19:58,080 --> 00:20:00,800 Speaker 3: Every time she's brought the food, and this was a 369 00:20:00,880 --> 00:20:05,000 Speaker 3: point in court. Colin Mandy asked, were you involved in 370 00:20:05,640 --> 00:20:07,480 Speaker 3: preparing the food? Did you bring the food? And he 371 00:20:07,520 --> 00:20:09,120 Speaker 3: said no, Aaron was bringing food. 372 00:20:09,880 --> 00:20:15,760 Speaker 2: So let me get this straight. He has, for one 373 00:20:15,760 --> 00:20:19,400 Speaker 2: of a better word, escaped the house. He thinks it's over. 374 00:20:20,240 --> 00:20:20,480 Speaker 3: Yep. 375 00:20:20,560 --> 00:20:25,760 Speaker 2: She suggests a third trip, another trip, but before this 376 00:20:26,440 --> 00:20:28,080 Speaker 2: she had been giving him the cold shoulder as well. 377 00:20:28,280 --> 00:20:31,240 Speaker 3: Yeah, he said that. After the tirade for one of 378 00:20:31,240 --> 00:20:33,200 Speaker 3: a better word, and in his bedroom when she came 379 00:20:33,240 --> 00:20:34,919 Speaker 3: in and had to go at all the things that 380 00:20:34,960 --> 00:20:38,400 Speaker 3: he wasn't doing, he said that she was cold shouldered 381 00:20:38,440 --> 00:20:41,840 Speaker 3: towards him. And he moved out, and he moved into 382 00:20:41,880 --> 00:20:45,240 Speaker 3: his parents' place. He was recuperating at his parents place 383 00:20:45,280 --> 00:20:46,240 Speaker 3: for a little while. 384 00:20:46,560 --> 00:20:50,880 Speaker 2: And then he goes to Wilson's Prom with her again. 385 00:20:50,720 --> 00:20:52,360 Speaker 3: In September twenty twenty two. 386 00:20:52,800 --> 00:20:54,600 Speaker 2: And Aaron's bringing the food. 387 00:20:54,640 --> 00:20:55,800 Speaker 3: Aaron's bringing the food. 388 00:20:56,119 --> 00:20:59,439 Speaker 2: Okay, So they sat at a picnic table in the 389 00:20:59,560 --> 00:21:04,919 Speaker 2: title where Eron's handed him a vegetable curry rap in 390 00:21:05,640 --> 00:21:06,560 Speaker 2: aliminium foil. 391 00:21:06,800 --> 00:21:09,439 Speaker 3: Yeah, So he said, they're sitting at the picnic table 392 00:21:10,040 --> 00:21:12,760 Speaker 3: and she brings him a rap, hands it to him. 393 00:21:12,800 --> 00:21:16,239 Speaker 3: It's in aluminum foil. And said that she had the 394 00:21:16,280 --> 00:21:19,480 Speaker 3: same ingredients that was in his rap, but not in 395 00:21:19,520 --> 00:21:22,600 Speaker 3: a rap. So she had the stuff that was inside, 396 00:21:22,840 --> 00:21:24,000 Speaker 3: but she didn't have it wrapped. 397 00:21:23,840 --> 00:21:25,920 Speaker 2: Up in a rap, So hers isn't in an aliminum foil. 398 00:21:26,880 --> 00:21:31,199 Speaker 3: No, he didn't describe how hers was prepared, But to 399 00:21:31,280 --> 00:21:32,919 Speaker 3: my mind, it made me think that she's got a 400 00:21:32,920 --> 00:21:36,240 Speaker 3: container that has vegetables and curry. She's just eating it 401 00:21:36,240 --> 00:21:39,359 Speaker 3: out of container, whereas he has these things contained in 402 00:21:39,400 --> 00:21:39,840 Speaker 3: a rap. 403 00:21:40,119 --> 00:21:42,359 Speaker 2: And how's he feeling at this point. 404 00:21:42,080 --> 00:21:45,760 Speaker 3: Well, okay, when he eats the rap. And then they 405 00:21:45,760 --> 00:21:48,399 Speaker 3: finished their lunch, they pack up everything, and they decided 406 00:21:48,440 --> 00:21:50,399 Speaker 3: to go on a short walk on the beach. And 407 00:21:50,440 --> 00:21:53,679 Speaker 3: he said that he felt a little bit unwell, but 408 00:21:53,680 --> 00:21:55,360 Speaker 3: he felt he things weren't quite right. 409 00:21:55,760 --> 00:21:58,679 Speaker 2: But that's is this a romantic walk on the beach 410 00:21:59,200 --> 00:22:00,000 Speaker 2: like at Wilson's Price. 411 00:22:00,200 --> 00:22:01,919 Speaker 3: It's not how he described it. 412 00:22:02,200 --> 00:22:02,360 Speaker 5: Right. 413 00:22:03,119 --> 00:22:05,200 Speaker 3: Things that are happening at the same time. He's an 414 00:22:05,240 --> 00:22:09,920 Speaker 3: avid photographer. He's taking photos of birds, they saw a snake. Yep, 415 00:22:10,240 --> 00:22:13,879 Speaker 3: they're going to see a waterfall, right, so nature lovers 416 00:22:13,880 --> 00:22:16,280 Speaker 3: are supposed to the romance have to come in to play. 417 00:22:16,320 --> 00:22:18,960 Speaker 2: Well, they're previously married, so and he's always trying to reconcile, 418 00:22:19,240 --> 00:22:21,040 Speaker 2: so and they're alone. 419 00:22:21,160 --> 00:22:24,960 Speaker 3: But he did say that only a couple months later 420 00:22:25,000 --> 00:22:26,600 Speaker 3: he felt that that hope was diminished. 421 00:22:26,600 --> 00:22:32,199 Speaker 2: So maybe, so let's get back to what happens to 422 00:22:32,280 --> 00:22:36,840 Speaker 2: him on this trip. He goes into spasms, Yeah, he does. 423 00:22:37,160 --> 00:22:40,920 Speaker 3: He says that he starts fitting and that's actually at 424 00:22:40,920 --> 00:22:44,679 Speaker 3: his parents house. So he becomes unwell on this walk 425 00:22:45,000 --> 00:22:47,840 Speaker 3: and he says he's not feeling good. So they decide 426 00:22:47,840 --> 00:22:50,159 Speaker 3: to cut their trip short and instead of continuing on, 427 00:22:50,280 --> 00:22:53,240 Speaker 3: they drive to his parents, Don and Gale's house. And 428 00:22:53,280 --> 00:22:56,240 Speaker 3: he said when they get there at the car, he's 429 00:22:56,280 --> 00:23:00,200 Speaker 3: greeted by his parents and his son and he says, Tom, 430 00:23:00,640 --> 00:23:03,560 Speaker 3: I need a bed and a bucket. I'm not feeling 431 00:23:04,000 --> 00:23:07,000 Speaker 3: very well. And how he remembers it, he's leaning on 432 00:23:07,080 --> 00:23:09,520 Speaker 3: his son to get him help to get to the bedroom. 433 00:23:09,920 --> 00:23:12,480 Speaker 3: And when he's there, the decision is made to make 434 00:23:12,800 --> 00:23:15,159 Speaker 3: a call to the ambulance to get paramedics to come 435 00:23:15,160 --> 00:23:16,040 Speaker 3: and get him as should. 436 00:23:16,080 --> 00:23:18,040 Speaker 2: This time, he starts slurring his words. 437 00:23:18,240 --> 00:23:20,800 Speaker 3: Yeah. First off, he says that his body starts to 438 00:23:20,840 --> 00:23:25,120 Speaker 3: go into convulsions, he starts fitting, and when the paramedics arrive, 439 00:23:25,240 --> 00:23:27,720 Speaker 3: he said he's strong enough to get himself onto the trolley, 440 00:23:27,760 --> 00:23:31,119 Speaker 3: but then when he's in the ambulance, he starts to 441 00:23:31,200 --> 00:23:33,800 Speaker 3: lose more and more muscle function. And he said that 442 00:23:33,920 --> 00:23:36,200 Speaker 3: by the end of the trip, all he could move 443 00:23:36,280 --> 00:23:39,040 Speaker 3: was his neck, his tongue, and his lips, so the 444 00:23:39,040 --> 00:23:40,880 Speaker 3: rest of his body he lost control over. 445 00:23:41,640 --> 00:23:45,560 Speaker 2: So at this point, there hasn't been a diagnosis of 446 00:23:45,720 --> 00:23:47,240 Speaker 2: poisoning at this. 447 00:23:47,720 --> 00:23:50,040 Speaker 3: Age for none of them. For all of his illnesses, 448 00:23:50,119 --> 00:23:53,080 Speaker 3: he says he's either assumed that he had gastro and 449 00:23:53,200 --> 00:23:57,960 Speaker 3: he didn't get any affirmation from any doctors. He wasn't 450 00:23:58,119 --> 00:24:01,960 Speaker 3: told that he didn't have that, but he's never given 451 00:24:02,000 --> 00:24:05,280 Speaker 3: an actual diagnosis. They can't work out what is wrong 452 00:24:05,320 --> 00:24:07,520 Speaker 3: with him. And he said that doctors have tried and 453 00:24:07,560 --> 00:24:10,960 Speaker 3: tested him for many things and they can't work out 454 00:24:11,000 --> 00:24:14,439 Speaker 3: what's making him sick. So they're treating his symptoms, but 455 00:24:14,480 --> 00:24:16,160 Speaker 3: they can't work out what's causing them. 456 00:24:17,040 --> 00:24:20,639 Speaker 2: But ultimately an expert will come along and say this 457 00:24:20,680 --> 00:24:23,600 Speaker 2: illness was consistent with rat poisoning. 458 00:24:23,760 --> 00:24:29,160 Speaker 3: Yeah. So this is another section of the court saga 459 00:24:29,359 --> 00:24:32,119 Speaker 3: that happened before the trial that the community has not 460 00:24:32,200 --> 00:24:36,400 Speaker 3: heard so far. The prosecution team went to the Court 461 00:24:36,400 --> 00:24:38,720 Speaker 3: of Appeal and you'll hear all that, I believe in 462 00:24:38,760 --> 00:24:41,080 Speaker 3: another episode that we do about what the jury didn't hear. 463 00:24:41,720 --> 00:24:44,520 Speaker 3: They went to the Court of Appeal and they were 464 00:24:44,520 --> 00:24:48,960 Speaker 3: trying to get Simon's charges brought back into the murder 465 00:24:48,960 --> 00:24:51,200 Speaker 3: trump and there was a few other issues with evidence 466 00:24:51,240 --> 00:24:56,560 Speaker 3: that was removed, and the prosecution said to the Court 467 00:24:56,560 --> 00:24:59,679 Speaker 3: of Appeal judges panel that they had an expert who 468 00:24:59,720 --> 00:25:03,120 Speaker 3: would say that this illness was consistent with rat poison. 469 00:25:03,080 --> 00:25:08,320 Speaker 2: Okay, so post the charges of triple murder, they've looked 470 00:25:08,359 --> 00:25:13,320 Speaker 2: more deeply into these ledged poisonings of Simon Patterson, and 471 00:25:13,600 --> 00:25:17,479 Speaker 2: in this third trip they have some sort of expert 472 00:25:17,480 --> 00:25:21,160 Speaker 2: analysis which suggests this could be rat poisoning. This last 473 00:25:21,160 --> 00:25:25,160 Speaker 2: trip to Wilson's prom has the elements of rat poisoning. 474 00:25:25,280 --> 00:25:26,000 Speaker 3: That's what they said. 475 00:25:26,080 --> 00:25:31,320 Speaker 2: Yeah, all right, so after this third trip, which occurs 476 00:25:31,359 --> 00:25:35,400 Speaker 2: in September of twenty twenty two, he is pretty sus 477 00:25:35,600 --> 00:25:35,960 Speaker 2: by then. 478 00:25:36,160 --> 00:25:39,560 Speaker 3: Yeah, oh yeah, sas, Yeah, his thinking starts to change, 479 00:25:39,600 --> 00:25:45,440 Speaker 3: but he confides in family and we'll get to what 480 00:25:45,800 --> 00:25:48,400 Speaker 3: family members he told when what they said to him. 481 00:25:48,440 --> 00:25:54,040 Speaker 3: But he's not convinced. He's dissuaded basically that this could 482 00:25:54,080 --> 00:25:58,000 Speaker 3: be a deliberate poisoning. Even though he thinks it might 483 00:25:58,040 --> 00:26:00,600 Speaker 3: be the case, he's dissuaded by his family members, and 484 00:26:00,640 --> 00:26:04,600 Speaker 3: he said it's not until his cousin Tim Patterson comes 485 00:26:04,600 --> 00:26:06,359 Speaker 3: to him of his own accord and says to him, 486 00:26:06,480 --> 00:26:10,000 Speaker 3: I think that Aaron might be poisoning you because every 487 00:26:10,040 --> 00:26:12,320 Speaker 3: time you've been sick, you've been eating food with her, 488 00:26:12,960 --> 00:26:15,480 Speaker 3: food that she's prepared. And he said that was the 489 00:26:15,480 --> 00:26:18,919 Speaker 3: turning point when his cousin Tim said to him, I 490 00:26:18,960 --> 00:26:21,120 Speaker 3: think Aaron might be poisoning him. 491 00:26:21,119 --> 00:26:25,400 Speaker 2: And he's also seen a GP a doctor who has 492 00:26:25,480 --> 00:26:28,160 Speaker 2: suggested to him to make a spreadsheet. 493 00:26:28,600 --> 00:26:32,320 Speaker 3: Yeah. So a witness that the jury never heard from 494 00:26:32,760 --> 00:26:35,040 Speaker 3: is a man by the name of doctor Chris Ford. 495 00:26:35,480 --> 00:26:39,000 Speaker 2: And doctor Ford was a Carnboro Baptist church member, so 496 00:26:39,080 --> 00:26:39,920 Speaker 2: they went to church together. 497 00:26:39,920 --> 00:26:42,080 Speaker 3: They went to church together that they were friends, yep, 498 00:26:42,400 --> 00:26:44,639 Speaker 3: and they also did Bible study together. 499 00:26:45,160 --> 00:26:49,200 Speaker 2: Okay, so Simon makes a spreadsheet. How does it help him? 500 00:26:49,880 --> 00:26:52,440 Speaker 3: So they're trying to work out, after his fourth illness, 501 00:26:53,240 --> 00:26:56,399 Speaker 3: what's going on here, what's causing these illnesses? So doctor 502 00:26:56,440 --> 00:26:58,440 Speaker 3: Ford says, why don't you make a spreadsheet of all 503 00:26:58,480 --> 00:27:00,840 Speaker 3: the things that you did and all the things that 504 00:27:00,880 --> 00:27:04,679 Speaker 3: he ate before you became sick. So Simon's and his 505 00:27:04,760 --> 00:27:07,720 Speaker 3: parents placed on in Gaale where he's staying to recuperate, 506 00:27:08,119 --> 00:27:11,000 Speaker 3: and he starts to put together this spreadsheet. 507 00:27:10,480 --> 00:27:13,560 Speaker 2: And here we have voice actors re enacting the conversation 508 00:27:13,720 --> 00:27:17,479 Speaker 2: he had about that spreadsheet with Prosecutor Jane Warren. 509 00:27:18,080 --> 00:27:21,600 Speaker 6: You ask questions today by mister Mandy about the spreadsheet 510 00:27:21,640 --> 00:27:25,080 Speaker 6: you prepared to try and find any common denominators in 511 00:27:25,119 --> 00:27:27,760 Speaker 6: your illnesses? Did you identify any? 512 00:27:28,640 --> 00:27:30,960 Speaker 4: I was aware Aaron had prepared the food I'd eat 513 00:27:30,960 --> 00:27:34,359 Speaker 4: and shortly before each illness, being with Arin Pryor, and 514 00:27:34,440 --> 00:27:38,880 Speaker 4: also being about in nature or just about to that's 515 00:27:38,920 --> 00:27:41,800 Speaker 4: probably a bit more alternative the first one. We weren't 516 00:27:41,840 --> 00:27:43,720 Speaker 4: in nature yet. I noticed that. 517 00:27:44,680 --> 00:27:48,240 Speaker 6: When you went through that process, What if any impact 518 00:27:48,320 --> 00:27:51,320 Speaker 6: did that have on your suspicion in relation to Aaron 519 00:27:51,440 --> 00:27:52,080 Speaker 6: poisoning you? 520 00:27:52,840 --> 00:27:55,320 Speaker 4: When I made the spreadsheet and what I came up 521 00:27:55,359 --> 00:27:58,080 Speaker 4: with was my thought, this could appear to be someone 522 00:27:58,119 --> 00:28:01,480 Speaker 4: else looking at this, that Aaron was the ash. 523 00:28:01,600 --> 00:28:07,800 Speaker 2: You've just brought up this turning point, and it comes 524 00:28:08,400 --> 00:28:12,320 Speaker 2: when he talks to his cousin, Tim Patterson, and he's 525 00:28:12,720 --> 00:28:16,840 Speaker 2: raises his suspicions with Simon that Eron may be poisoning him. 526 00:28:16,880 --> 00:28:22,200 Speaker 2: So it's Tim that's telling Simon what he already what. 527 00:28:22,160 --> 00:28:24,879 Speaker 3: He suspects, what Simon has in the back of his head. 528 00:28:25,480 --> 00:28:29,000 Speaker 3: Tim comes to him and affirms that for him, and 529 00:28:29,080 --> 00:28:33,719 Speaker 3: after his cousin Tim says this, he starts taking it 530 00:28:33,800 --> 00:28:37,000 Speaker 3: more seriously. He says that he respects his cousin Tim, 531 00:28:37,000 --> 00:28:40,200 Speaker 3: and when Tim says something, take it seriously, okay. 532 00:28:40,560 --> 00:28:44,920 Speaker 2: And this coincides correct me if I'm wrong with another 533 00:28:45,000 --> 00:28:50,120 Speaker 2: pivotal point in Aaron Patterson and Simon Patterson's relationship, where 534 00:28:50,280 --> 00:28:55,480 Speaker 2: Eron finds a tax return in which Simon says that 535 00:28:55,560 --> 00:28:58,680 Speaker 2: he's separated from her the first time. For the first time, 536 00:28:58,720 --> 00:29:02,400 Speaker 2: he's making it publicly official in a government record that 537 00:29:02,400 --> 00:29:05,680 Speaker 2: they're separated, which has some financial implications for her. 538 00:29:06,680 --> 00:29:09,280 Speaker 3: So lots of things are happening at this time. 539 00:29:09,400 --> 00:29:11,280 Speaker 2: So it's it's cooling between them. 540 00:29:11,440 --> 00:29:16,160 Speaker 3: It's cooling yeah. Yeah, So he notices that their relationship 541 00:29:16,200 --> 00:29:19,120 Speaker 3: that used to be quite chatty has called off. And 542 00:29:19,720 --> 00:29:22,800 Speaker 3: it's after they have this dispute about his tax return 543 00:29:22,840 --> 00:29:25,960 Speaker 3: where she's noticed that he's listed himself as single, which 544 00:29:26,000 --> 00:29:28,920 Speaker 3: means that they have all these repercussions with how they 545 00:29:29,600 --> 00:29:33,160 Speaker 3: organize the finances. 546 00:29:30,760 --> 00:29:36,000 Speaker 2: And tax implications and things like that. And we start 547 00:29:36,040 --> 00:29:40,400 Speaker 2: to move pretty rapidly at this point because in November 548 00:29:40,440 --> 00:29:43,480 Speaker 2: of twenty twenty two, so just a few months later, 549 00:29:43,960 --> 00:29:47,320 Speaker 2: we're in the same period time, Simon's at his parents' 550 00:29:47,320 --> 00:29:51,800 Speaker 2: house and he's a chat to Don, his father. What's 551 00:29:51,800 --> 00:29:52,360 Speaker 2: that all about? 552 00:29:53,040 --> 00:29:58,080 Speaker 3: Simon recalls having a chat with his father at his parents' house. 553 00:29:58,120 --> 00:30:01,520 Speaker 3: His mom, Gail's father is Don Don Patterson, who dies 554 00:30:01,640 --> 00:30:05,280 Speaker 3: from the mushroom lunch. He recalls his mother's not there, 555 00:30:05,400 --> 00:30:07,240 Speaker 3: and he has a chat with his father in November 556 00:30:07,280 --> 00:30:10,240 Speaker 3: twenty twenty two and says to his dad that he 557 00:30:10,360 --> 00:30:15,520 Speaker 3: thinks that Aaron has been deliberately poisoning his food. 558 00:30:15,720 --> 00:30:19,600 Speaker 2: So, in November of twenty twenty two, Don is told 559 00:30:19,640 --> 00:30:22,240 Speaker 2: of this suspicion of food poisoning. 560 00:30:22,320 --> 00:30:25,960 Speaker 3: Yeah, and he has an interesting response, what's that? Simon 561 00:30:26,520 --> 00:30:30,960 Speaker 3: says his father was very thoughtful and then he said 562 00:30:30,960 --> 00:30:33,240 Speaker 3: to him, I suggest you don't tell too many people 563 00:30:33,320 --> 00:30:34,640 Speaker 3: about that, okay. 564 00:30:35,280 --> 00:30:38,200 Speaker 2: And Simon also confides in his brother Matt. 565 00:30:38,600 --> 00:30:41,080 Speaker 3: He does there at a gig in Saint Kilda at 566 00:30:41,120 --> 00:30:44,520 Speaker 3: the Palais Theater Ben Harper Concert. It's in February twenty 567 00:30:44,760 --> 00:30:50,240 Speaker 3: twenty three, right, and he said that he talked to 568 00:30:50,320 --> 00:30:53,560 Speaker 3: his brother about his suspicions. And his brother also gave 569 00:30:53,560 --> 00:30:57,680 Speaker 3: evidence in pre trial hearings about this conversation, and he 570 00:30:57,720 --> 00:31:01,200 Speaker 3: said that he assumed that Simon's nervousness in catching up 571 00:31:01,200 --> 00:31:04,320 Speaker 3: with Aaron might have been the cause of his problems, 572 00:31:04,320 --> 00:31:07,920 Speaker 3: his illnesses. So it was his nervousness that caused these 573 00:31:08,680 --> 00:31:10,000 Speaker 3: issues for his health. 574 00:31:10,440 --> 00:31:16,560 Speaker 2: And at about the same time, Simon's concerns persist and 575 00:31:16,600 --> 00:31:20,000 Speaker 2: he tells doctor Chris Ford. What's he tell him? 576 00:31:20,240 --> 00:31:21,960 Speaker 3: Doctor Chris Ford is his friend and. 577 00:31:21,920 --> 00:31:23,320 Speaker 2: He's jap one from Cabarra. 578 00:31:23,440 --> 00:31:26,880 Speaker 3: That's the one from Cambra, from Carambra, a Baptist. He's 579 00:31:26,880 --> 00:31:29,640 Speaker 3: the one that's told him to put together this spreadsheet, yes, 580 00:31:30,040 --> 00:31:32,400 Speaker 3: of things that are making him sick. So he says 581 00:31:32,520 --> 00:31:36,160 Speaker 3: that he has a consultation with doctor Ford in February 582 00:31:36,280 --> 00:31:38,240 Speaker 3: twenty twenty three, I think he's the twenty first of 583 00:31:38,320 --> 00:31:43,960 Speaker 3: feb and tells him about his poisoning suspicions. Doctor Ford's 584 00:31:43,960 --> 00:31:46,960 Speaker 3: evidence on this, he gave evidence in pretrial to his 585 00:31:47,080 --> 00:31:51,520 Speaker 3: evidence was that Simon had told him that Aaron and 586 00:31:51,640 --> 00:31:55,080 Speaker 3: their daughter had made him some cookies and given him 587 00:31:55,120 --> 00:31:56,000 Speaker 3: these cookies. 588 00:31:56,640 --> 00:31:59,680 Speaker 2: And so Simon receives cookies from his daughter. 589 00:32:00,080 --> 00:32:02,240 Speaker 3: Yeah, he's told that Aaron and the daughter have made 590 00:32:02,280 --> 00:32:06,160 Speaker 3: them together, and Aaron gets in contact with him and 591 00:32:06,320 --> 00:32:09,360 Speaker 3: asks him if he's eaten the cookies, and he says 592 00:32:09,400 --> 00:32:11,400 Speaker 3: that she's quite persistent. 593 00:32:11,120 --> 00:32:12,360 Speaker 2: So she's encouraging him again. 594 00:32:12,480 --> 00:32:15,560 Speaker 3: Yeah. Doctor Ford says that Simon told him Aaron called 595 00:32:15,600 --> 00:32:17,880 Speaker 3: several times asking him whether he'd eaten any of the cookies, 596 00:32:18,000 --> 00:32:20,120 Speaker 3: and Simon thought it was odd that she'd be so 597 00:32:20,200 --> 00:32:23,080 Speaker 3: focused on eating the cookies. And in the end he 598 00:32:23,120 --> 00:32:25,120 Speaker 3: took a nibble and then he threw the rest out 599 00:32:25,160 --> 00:32:28,720 Speaker 3: because he was concerned that they might have been poisoned. 600 00:32:29,080 --> 00:32:31,720 Speaker 2: Does he Quizer about it, does Simon Quizzy's wife? 601 00:32:32,000 --> 00:32:34,720 Speaker 3: No, he doesn't, but he does start doing some research 602 00:32:34,760 --> 00:32:37,280 Speaker 3: on the internet about what poisons could go in cookies, 603 00:32:37,720 --> 00:32:40,160 Speaker 3: and then works out that he can't test for these 604 00:32:40,200 --> 00:32:43,800 Speaker 3: things himself, so doesn't bother with that, but he starts 605 00:32:43,840 --> 00:32:44,479 Speaker 3: looking into it. 606 00:32:45,440 --> 00:32:47,600 Speaker 2: I assume he's so worried that this is the point 607 00:32:47,640 --> 00:32:51,360 Speaker 2: in time when he changes his power of attorney. 608 00:32:51,560 --> 00:32:54,560 Speaker 3: Yeah, so this consultation, it goes for about fifty minutes, 609 00:32:54,600 --> 00:32:59,040 Speaker 3: it's pretty long. And after this consult doctor Ford said, 610 00:32:59,080 --> 00:33:02,720 Speaker 3: Simon decide to change his medical power of attorney to 611 00:33:02,840 --> 00:33:06,440 Speaker 3: remove Erin as the decision maker when he has a 612 00:33:06,520 --> 00:33:09,720 Speaker 3: life and death experience and to put someone else in place. 613 00:33:09,920 --> 00:33:11,040 Speaker 2: And that's Donnie's father. 614 00:33:11,240 --> 00:33:14,320 Speaker 3: Yeah, it's don who he's confided in about his poisoning 615 00:33:14,320 --> 00:33:18,200 Speaker 3: suspicions four months earlier. And he also has a second 616 00:33:18,280 --> 00:33:20,360 Speaker 3: medical power of attorney and that's his brother Matt. 617 00:33:20,560 --> 00:33:23,720 Speaker 2: And this is five months before the fatal lunch in 618 00:33:23,800 --> 00:33:24,880 Speaker 2: July twenty twenty three. 619 00:33:25,080 --> 00:33:27,400 Speaker 3: Yeah, so I think it's almost on the same day 620 00:33:27,600 --> 00:33:30,720 Speaker 3: as the conversation with doctor Ford. At the consultation, he 621 00:33:30,760 --> 00:33:33,880 Speaker 3: gets his dad don to sign on a legal document 622 00:33:33,920 --> 00:33:35,840 Speaker 3: to sign on as his medical power of attorney. 623 00:33:36,440 --> 00:33:40,960 Speaker 2: So from here on in for Simon, Eron's food is out. 624 00:33:41,360 --> 00:33:43,920 Speaker 3: Simon does not eat another one of Aaron Patterson's meals 625 00:33:43,960 --> 00:33:46,920 Speaker 3: after that point. Aaron's food is no longer on the menu. 626 00:33:47,240 --> 00:33:50,600 Speaker 3: Simon was asked by Colin Mandy, Aeron's defense lawyer, what 627 00:33:50,720 --> 00:33:53,000 Speaker 3: his father's reaction was when he told him of his 628 00:33:53,080 --> 00:33:55,400 Speaker 3: poisoning suspicions. This is their interaction. 629 00:33:56,120 --> 00:33:59,200 Speaker 5: You said you had told Don about your suspicions previously. 630 00:33:59,280 --> 00:34:03,280 Speaker 4: Do you remember I think I told him about November. 631 00:34:03,760 --> 00:34:06,840 Speaker 5: Do you remember that conversation where it was It was 632 00:34:06,840 --> 00:34:09,240 Speaker 5: it mum and Dad's house? Was your mom present? 633 00:34:09,800 --> 00:34:10,000 Speaker 7: No? 634 00:34:10,760 --> 00:34:11,800 Speaker 5: Just you and your father? 635 00:34:12,120 --> 00:34:12,400 Speaker 4: Yes? 636 00:34:13,719 --> 00:34:14,800 Speaker 5: What was his reaction? 637 00:34:15,600 --> 00:34:19,560 Speaker 4: He was very thoughtful, Can I have some tissues? And 638 00:34:19,600 --> 00:34:21,760 Speaker 4: he said, I suggest you don't tell too many people 639 00:34:21,800 --> 00:34:22,279 Speaker 4: about that. 640 00:34:23,000 --> 00:34:25,000 Speaker 5: Did he tell you why that was his advice? 641 00:34:25,760 --> 00:34:25,920 Speaker 3: No? 642 00:34:26,520 --> 00:34:28,720 Speaker 5: Did you understand why that was his advice? 643 00:34:29,960 --> 00:34:31,799 Speaker 4: I thought I had a reasonable sense of why I 644 00:34:31,840 --> 00:34:35,480 Speaker 4: said that, probably because that could create issues in the 645 00:34:35,520 --> 00:34:38,920 Speaker 4: way people relate, especially probably with Aaron and our family. 646 00:34:39,760 --> 00:34:40,040 Speaker 5: Ash. 647 00:34:40,120 --> 00:34:44,000 Speaker 2: We will get to the fatal lunch very shortly, But 648 00:34:44,120 --> 00:34:48,600 Speaker 2: what our listeners may not know is that Aaron Pattison 649 00:34:48,920 --> 00:34:54,680 Speaker 2: invited her estranged husband Simon to a lunch about a 650 00:34:54,719 --> 00:34:56,840 Speaker 2: month prior to that. This is a lunch in the 651 00:34:56,920 --> 00:34:59,720 Speaker 2: sort of June July of twenty three. 652 00:34:59,600 --> 00:35:02,400 Speaker 3: This is a about a month before the deadly lunch. Okay, 653 00:35:03,000 --> 00:35:06,640 Speaker 3: Aaron Patterson invites her estranger in laws John and Gail 654 00:35:06,840 --> 00:35:11,400 Speaker 3: to Emil with her kids, and she also invites Simon and. 655 00:35:11,480 --> 00:35:13,600 Speaker 2: To give a reason for the lunch given the state 656 00:35:13,640 --> 00:35:14,160 Speaker 2: of affairs. 657 00:35:14,640 --> 00:35:18,880 Speaker 3: Simon doesn't remember there ever being a reason, just to 658 00:35:18,920 --> 00:35:22,800 Speaker 3: have lunch, catch up, catch up. But he refused that invitation, 659 00:35:22,960 --> 00:35:25,680 Speaker 3: and he was asked in court by the prosecution why 660 00:35:25,719 --> 00:35:27,239 Speaker 3: he refused, and this is what he said. 661 00:35:27,480 --> 00:35:29,360 Speaker 4: I thought there would be a risk she would poison 662 00:35:29,400 --> 00:35:30,240 Speaker 4: me if I attended. 663 00:35:31,120 --> 00:35:36,799 Speaker 2: So Simon's position is firm. He is very suspicious are 664 00:35:36,920 --> 00:35:39,480 Speaker 2: erin and believes that he is being poisoned by her. 665 00:35:39,680 --> 00:35:41,400 Speaker 3: He thinks she's repeatedly tried to kill him. 666 00:35:41,480 --> 00:35:47,480 Speaker 2: Yeah, and yet there is another invitation for a lunch 667 00:35:48,160 --> 00:35:52,680 Speaker 2: on July twenty nine, twenty twenty three, that is offered 668 00:35:52,800 --> 00:35:55,319 Speaker 2: to his parents, Done Gale, to his uncle and art 669 00:35:55,719 --> 00:35:59,959 Speaker 2: Ian and Heather Wilkinson, and to him. 670 00:36:00,280 --> 00:36:04,200 Speaker 3: So this happens at church at Crumborough Baptist Church. Simon 671 00:36:04,680 --> 00:36:08,160 Speaker 3: recalled Aaron came up to him after the church service 672 00:36:08,480 --> 00:36:11,680 Speaker 3: and invited him to this what we're now calling the 673 00:36:11,760 --> 00:36:16,040 Speaker 3: lethal lunch, the Lethal Mushroom lunch. He was with doctor 674 00:36:16,120 --> 00:36:19,440 Speaker 3: Chris Ford, and doctor Ford also gave pre trial evidence 675 00:36:19,480 --> 00:36:23,680 Speaker 3: about this, saying he saw Aaron walk up to them. 676 00:36:23,960 --> 00:36:27,200 Speaker 3: Doctor Ford is also their daughter's general practitioner, was at 677 00:36:27,200 --> 00:36:30,719 Speaker 3: that stage. Aaron confirmed an appointment with doctor Ford and 678 00:36:30,760 --> 00:36:34,879 Speaker 3: then turned to Simon and said, I'm hosting this lunch. 679 00:36:34,880 --> 00:36:37,880 Speaker 3: Would you like to come? And his reply, according to 680 00:36:37,920 --> 00:36:42,319 Speaker 3: doctor Ford, was thank you. And she walked away, and 681 00:36:42,360 --> 00:36:45,080 Speaker 3: doctor Ford said after she walked away, Simon turned to 682 00:36:45,120 --> 00:36:48,200 Speaker 3: him and said, I'll be politely declining. 683 00:36:49,120 --> 00:36:55,080 Speaker 2: Okay, but his parents have been invited and he's I'm 684 00:36:55,080 --> 00:37:00,880 Speaker 2: Glen Art. Now Don knows. Don Patterson knows by then, 685 00:37:01,680 --> 00:37:08,279 Speaker 2: He's known for months that his son is suspicious, that 686 00:37:08,360 --> 00:37:09,560 Speaker 2: he's been poisoned. 687 00:37:10,120 --> 00:37:12,600 Speaker 3: And Don does not tell his wife, Gail. 688 00:37:13,760 --> 00:37:17,880 Speaker 2: And he doesn't tell Ian and Heather No, who don't 689 00:37:17,920 --> 00:37:19,400 Speaker 2: know Eron all. 690 00:37:19,280 --> 00:37:22,480 Speaker 3: That well, they don't know. Three of the lunch guests 691 00:37:22,480 --> 00:37:25,440 Speaker 3: do not know about Simon's suspicions. The only person who 692 00:37:25,520 --> 00:37:29,920 Speaker 3: does is Don Patterson, who eats his entire meal and 693 00:37:30,040 --> 00:37:32,439 Speaker 3: his wife's leftovers of that fateful meal. 694 00:37:34,040 --> 00:37:37,239 Speaker 2: They all drive together to this lunch. Don and Gail 695 00:37:37,360 --> 00:37:40,120 Speaker 2: pick up Ian and Heather and they all drive together 696 00:37:40,120 --> 00:37:42,040 Speaker 2: in a car, and it's not even mentioned. 697 00:37:43,160 --> 00:37:47,200 Speaker 3: We heard evidence from Ian, it didn't come up from 698 00:37:47,200 --> 00:37:50,680 Speaker 3: what he said in pre trial hearings. It was not raised. 699 00:37:50,760 --> 00:37:54,200 Speaker 3: The first time Ian said he heard about poisoning suspicions 700 00:37:54,800 --> 00:37:57,640 Speaker 3: was the day that he was sick. After the lunch, 701 00:37:57,719 --> 00:38:01,000 Speaker 3: he and his wife and Simon on their door and 702 00:38:01,239 --> 00:38:03,840 Speaker 3: urged them to go to hospital. They believe they just 703 00:38:03,840 --> 00:38:07,520 Speaker 3: had gastro urged them to go to hospital, saying, Simon saying, 704 00:38:07,600 --> 00:38:09,839 Speaker 3: I believe that she's tried to poison me. You need 705 00:38:09,880 --> 00:38:10,640 Speaker 3: to go to hospital. 706 00:38:11,320 --> 00:38:16,480 Speaker 2: And this is sparked conversation which the jury heard, which 707 00:38:16,520 --> 00:38:18,239 Speaker 2: was about the plates, the plates. 708 00:38:18,520 --> 00:38:23,160 Speaker 3: Heather Her response to Simon saying, I think she's tried 709 00:38:23,160 --> 00:38:25,600 Speaker 3: to poison me. You have to go to hospital. Heather's 710 00:38:25,640 --> 00:38:28,600 Speaker 3: response was, I noticed the plates, the plates she ate 711 00:38:28,640 --> 00:38:29,400 Speaker 3: off a different plate. 712 00:38:30,239 --> 00:38:34,520 Speaker 2: Okay, So that just hasn't come out of nowhere. That's 713 00:38:34,680 --> 00:38:35,960 Speaker 2: because Simon. 714 00:38:35,880 --> 00:38:39,080 Speaker 3: Has made this claim yet prompted. 715 00:38:38,719 --> 00:38:41,160 Speaker 2: This conversation that they might have been poisoned. 716 00:38:41,200 --> 00:38:44,560 Speaker 3: Basically yep, and he's so worried he thinks that they 717 00:38:44,719 --> 00:38:48,680 Speaker 3: must go to hospital, and he drives them himself to hospital, but. 718 00:38:48,600 --> 00:38:50,640 Speaker 2: Of course he won't know what kind of poisoning. 719 00:38:51,200 --> 00:38:54,440 Speaker 3: Well, they don't know what kind of issues has caused 720 00:38:54,520 --> 00:38:55,400 Speaker 3: him to be sick either. 721 00:38:56,400 --> 00:39:00,000 Speaker 2: Now we're in a scenario where Simon will be high 722 00:39:00,080 --> 00:39:03,279 Speaker 2: and by all of this sickness, because he'll have a 723 00:39:03,320 --> 00:39:09,000 Speaker 2: deep suspicion about what is going on. He takes his 724 00:39:09,120 --> 00:39:12,359 Speaker 2: uncle and aunt from their home to Lee and gath 725 00:39:12,360 --> 00:39:16,760 Speaker 2: the hospital, and he also goes and visits his parents 726 00:39:16,800 --> 00:39:20,120 Speaker 2: who are in corn Borough Hospital. And Don will have 727 00:39:20,360 --> 00:39:24,000 Speaker 2: obviously knowledge of what his son has told him. So Don, 728 00:39:24,480 --> 00:39:26,000 Speaker 2: what does Don do? 729 00:39:26,000 --> 00:39:29,440 Speaker 3: Don, according to what the court heard, collects his own 730 00:39:29,520 --> 00:39:32,319 Speaker 3: vomit in ajar and takes it to the hospital. So 731 00:39:32,360 --> 00:39:36,160 Speaker 3: Simon gave evidence saying that after he learned that his 732 00:39:36,239 --> 00:39:40,160 Speaker 3: loved ones were sick, he called doctor Ford, who had 733 00:39:40,200 --> 00:39:43,040 Speaker 3: said to him if Simon ever became ill again that 734 00:39:43,080 --> 00:39:45,120 Speaker 3: they would make sure they did toxicology testing. 735 00:39:45,320 --> 00:39:46,439 Speaker 2: This is his mate, doctor Ford. 736 00:39:46,480 --> 00:39:49,000 Speaker 3: This is his mate who's helped him with the spreadsheet, 737 00:39:49,320 --> 00:39:52,280 Speaker 3: who he's told about these cookies, and. 738 00:39:52,400 --> 00:39:54,480 Speaker 2: So he knows he's got a suspicion as well. 739 00:39:54,680 --> 00:39:57,120 Speaker 3: Doctor Ford's also helped him change his medical power of 740 00:39:57,120 --> 00:40:02,160 Speaker 3: attorney to Don yep. So after Simon tells doctor Ford 741 00:40:02,239 --> 00:40:05,839 Speaker 3: about what's happened after this lunch, everyone's sick. Doctor Ford 742 00:40:05,920 --> 00:40:08,479 Speaker 3: races over to caren Borough Hospital where Don and Gaie 743 00:40:08,520 --> 00:40:10,839 Speaker 3: are and he says that he sees Don and has 744 00:40:10,840 --> 00:40:13,600 Speaker 3: this conversation with him, and Don is holding a jar 745 00:40:13,960 --> 00:40:17,600 Speaker 3: of his own vomit and Don says to him, what 746 00:40:17,640 --> 00:40:19,960 Speaker 3: do I do with this jar? I've got this sample? 747 00:40:19,960 --> 00:40:22,040 Speaker 3: What should I do with it? Chris? And doctor Ford 748 00:40:22,040 --> 00:40:24,000 Speaker 3: said he replied, hold on to it because it could 749 00:40:24,000 --> 00:40:27,120 Speaker 3: be useful later. And Doctor Ford told the court that 750 00:40:27,280 --> 00:40:31,359 Speaker 3: he presumed that Don had kept that because he thought 751 00:40:31,360 --> 00:40:34,279 Speaker 3: that it could be evidence, because he assumed that he'd 752 00:40:34,280 --> 00:40:35,520 Speaker 3: been deliberately poisoned. 753 00:40:37,000 --> 00:40:43,520 Speaker 2: So the jigsaw puzzle is now coming together. We've got 754 00:40:43,600 --> 00:40:53,080 Speaker 2: four people in hospital, Don, gail Ian and Heather, all 755 00:40:53,120 --> 00:40:57,960 Speaker 2: aged sixty six and above. We've got Simon Patterson who's 756 00:40:58,320 --> 00:41:05,719 Speaker 2: believes he's been poisoned on moultiple occasions. And Erin where's Erin? 757 00:41:06,880 --> 00:41:07,480 Speaker 3: Erin's at home? 758 00:41:08,480 --> 00:41:12,080 Speaker 2: And what's she doing that day? She is July the. 759 00:41:12,040 --> 00:41:17,720 Speaker 3: Thirtieth, July the thirtieth, two twenty three, she drives her son. 760 00:41:17,680 --> 00:41:20,720 Speaker 2: To a pilot Lesson Yeah, and taiab. 761 00:41:20,560 --> 00:41:22,640 Speaker 3: Yeah, an hour and a half drive away, isn't. 762 00:41:22,440 --> 00:41:23,320 Speaker 2: It And it's canceled. 763 00:41:23,640 --> 00:41:26,000 Speaker 3: Yeah, goes all the way there, finds out it's canceled 764 00:41:26,000 --> 00:41:27,080 Speaker 3: and has to drive all the way back. 765 00:41:27,120 --> 00:41:30,120 Speaker 2: That's the one where she has stop at the service station, 766 00:41:30,239 --> 00:41:32,040 Speaker 2: goes into the toilet for nine seconds. 767 00:41:31,760 --> 00:41:33,520 Speaker 3: Yeah, nine seconds toilet stop. 768 00:41:33,760 --> 00:41:35,360 Speaker 2: And is erin sick. 769 00:41:36,480 --> 00:41:40,839 Speaker 3: She tells Simon that she's been suffering from diarrhea, and 770 00:41:40,880 --> 00:41:44,360 Speaker 3: Simon relays this to doctor Ford, and then doctor Ford 771 00:41:44,440 --> 00:41:47,480 Speaker 3: relays this to the doctors that are treating all of 772 00:41:48,120 --> 00:41:52,440 Speaker 3: Simon's sick loved ones in hospital. Because the conversation is 773 00:41:52,440 --> 00:41:57,640 Speaker 3: is the cook unwell? And doctor Ford says, well, she's 774 00:41:57,680 --> 00:42:01,320 Speaker 3: got Apparently it's just mild. Apparently she's sick, but it's. 775 00:42:01,200 --> 00:42:05,400 Speaker 2: Mild, so the cook is only a little unwell, a 776 00:42:05,400 --> 00:42:09,480 Speaker 2: little unwell. Simon goes back to Cranborough Hospital. 777 00:42:10,360 --> 00:42:13,080 Speaker 3: He goes to visit his parents and he said that 778 00:42:13,200 --> 00:42:16,000 Speaker 3: for the first time, his mother, Gail, learns about his 779 00:42:16,080 --> 00:42:18,040 Speaker 3: suspicions that Aaron had been poisoning him. 780 00:42:18,080 --> 00:42:18,760 Speaker 2: What's her reaction? 781 00:42:19,600 --> 00:42:21,640 Speaker 3: He says that his father had raised it and told 782 00:42:21,719 --> 00:42:22,920 Speaker 3: him that he'd told. 783 00:42:22,640 --> 00:42:24,640 Speaker 2: His mother about Don tells Gail. 784 00:42:24,760 --> 00:42:28,480 Speaker 3: Don tells Gail that their son believed that Aaron was 785 00:42:28,520 --> 00:42:30,960 Speaker 3: the cause of his repeated illnesses. 786 00:42:30,880 --> 00:42:33,280 Speaker 2: And might be the cause of this one, and. 787 00:42:33,680 --> 00:42:36,799 Speaker 3: Gail's response is that she was thinking that it was 788 00:42:36,840 --> 00:42:38,480 Speaker 3: probably more likely accidental. 789 00:42:39,200 --> 00:42:44,560 Speaker 2: Now the kids then decide, so the Patterson children, Simon's siblings, 790 00:42:45,880 --> 00:42:47,200 Speaker 2: then have a get together. 791 00:42:47,840 --> 00:42:49,000 Speaker 3: Simon's called a meeting. 792 00:42:49,640 --> 00:42:50,760 Speaker 2: Okay, and where's the meeting. 793 00:42:51,120 --> 00:42:53,880 Speaker 3: So by this time, all of the lunch guests except 794 00:42:53,960 --> 00:42:56,560 Speaker 3: Aaron are at the Austin hospital getting treatment. 795 00:42:57,200 --> 00:42:58,040 Speaker 2: This is days later. 796 00:42:58,120 --> 00:43:01,200 Speaker 3: Yeah, this is on the third of August. 797 00:43:01,280 --> 00:43:05,719 Speaker 2: Okay, August three, so that's four days, five days after lunch. 798 00:43:06,560 --> 00:43:10,200 Speaker 3: So as the lunch guests are getting sicker and sicker, 799 00:43:10,560 --> 00:43:15,000 Speaker 3: there are whispers among the siblings, both of the Wilkinson 800 00:43:15,040 --> 00:43:18,680 Speaker 3: siblings and the Patterson siblings about what could have caused 801 00:43:18,760 --> 00:43:24,560 Speaker 3: this situation, and there's commentary that Simon believed that he's 802 00:43:24,600 --> 00:43:26,120 Speaker 3: been deliberately poisoned by Erin. 803 00:43:26,640 --> 00:43:29,840 Speaker 2: So they have what we could term the chapel meeting. 804 00:43:29,680 --> 00:43:32,960 Speaker 3: The chapel meeting. As the whispers swirl, Simon calls a 805 00:43:33,000 --> 00:43:36,399 Speaker 3: meeting of all of the cousins and the siblings and 806 00:43:36,680 --> 00:43:39,239 Speaker 3: they meet in the Austin Hospital chapel. 807 00:43:39,440 --> 00:43:42,320 Speaker 2: So they all get together for what has been called 808 00:43:42,840 --> 00:43:43,640 Speaker 2: the Chapel meeting. 809 00:43:44,960 --> 00:43:48,560 Speaker 3: Simon calls a meeting of his cousins and his siblings. 810 00:43:49,000 --> 00:43:52,120 Speaker 3: I believe it's the day before. Heather and Gail pass 811 00:43:52,160 --> 00:43:58,480 Speaker 3: Away and Ruth Deubois, the Wilkinson's daughter, tells a pre 812 00:43:58,560 --> 00:44:03,560 Speaker 3: trial hearing that Simon gathers everybody together and says to 813 00:44:03,640 --> 00:44:07,160 Speaker 3: them that he'd suspected that his own illnesses had been 814 00:44:07,160 --> 00:44:11,759 Speaker 3: a deliberate poisoning. He'd stopped eating Aaron's food, and he 815 00:44:11,880 --> 00:44:15,960 Speaker 3: was sorry that he hadn't told the lunch guests, but 816 00:44:16,120 --> 00:44:18,440 Speaker 3: he thought that they were safe and that he was 817 00:44:18,480 --> 00:44:20,840 Speaker 3: the only person that Aaron was targeting. 818 00:44:21,880 --> 00:44:24,680 Speaker 2: So he believed he was the target and she would 819 00:44:24,719 --> 00:44:26,000 Speaker 2: never hurt his family. 820 00:44:26,360 --> 00:44:28,480 Speaker 3: That's what he said to his loved ones. And the 821 00:44:28,520 --> 00:44:31,840 Speaker 3: next day, Simon's loved ones walked into Hardelberg. 822 00:44:31,400 --> 00:44:34,720 Speaker 2: Police station and they give a tell all statement. 823 00:44:35,040 --> 00:44:37,879 Speaker 3: They tell the police that they think Aaron has tried 824 00:44:37,880 --> 00:44:38,720 Speaker 3: to kill their family. 825 00:44:39,120 --> 00:44:42,960 Speaker 2: And interestingly, as this trial got under way and Simon 826 00:44:43,000 --> 00:44:45,640 Speaker 2: Patterson had a bit of a conversation with the judge 827 00:44:46,239 --> 00:44:49,960 Speaker 2: while the jury wasn't present, so we can't report this 828 00:44:50,000 --> 00:44:52,839 Speaker 2: stuff while the trial's underway, but we can talk about 829 00:44:52,880 --> 00:44:59,120 Speaker 2: it now. And he basically told the judge that he 830 00:44:59,239 --> 00:45:04,400 Speaker 2: felt this whole awful time, his illnesses, the way the 831 00:45:04,840 --> 00:45:08,120 Speaker 2: justice system had treated him, he felt was in a 832 00:45:08,160 --> 00:45:08,880 Speaker 2: way unfair. 833 00:45:10,239 --> 00:45:13,520 Speaker 3: Yeah, he said that he did not understand why his 834 00:45:13,640 --> 00:45:17,239 Speaker 3: charges were dropped. He said it was seemed bizarre to me, 835 00:45:17,560 --> 00:45:20,280 Speaker 3: is what he said. Bizarre that his charges were dropped. 836 00:45:20,320 --> 00:45:22,960 Speaker 3: And when he was giving evidence in the triple murder trial, 837 00:45:23,440 --> 00:45:25,879 Speaker 3: there was a lot that he couldn't say. He called 838 00:45:25,920 --> 00:45:27,160 Speaker 3: it non evidence. 839 00:45:28,160 --> 00:45:31,080 Speaker 2: That is got to be difficult for anyone in his 840 00:45:31,200 --> 00:45:35,400 Speaker 2: position to be in the witness box being asked questions, 841 00:45:35,760 --> 00:45:39,600 Speaker 2: some open ended questions, and he can't tell them what 842 00:45:39,840 --> 00:45:40,400 Speaker 2: he knows. 843 00:45:40,960 --> 00:45:43,840 Speaker 3: Here's Simon's conversation with Justice Christopher Biale. 844 00:45:44,320 --> 00:45:47,120 Speaker 7: Once you've completed giving your evidence, you're free to be 845 00:45:47,200 --> 00:45:49,799 Speaker 7: present in court if you wish, or to watch the 846 00:45:49,840 --> 00:45:51,560 Speaker 7: live stream of the rest of the case. 847 00:45:52,200 --> 00:45:56,400 Speaker 4: I understand and I appreciate that. Thank you all the 848 00:45:56,440 --> 00:45:59,320 Speaker 4: hearings that's led up to this, all the discussions about 849 00:45:59,320 --> 00:46:01,719 Speaker 4: the way we got to this point here where I'm 850 00:46:01,760 --> 00:46:04,840 Speaker 4: sitting here half thinking about the things I'm not allowed 851 00:46:04,840 --> 00:46:09,160 Speaker 4: to talk about and I understand I don't actually understand 852 00:46:09,200 --> 00:46:12,000 Speaker 4: why it seems bizarre to me, but it is what 853 00:46:12,080 --> 00:46:15,160 Speaker 4: it is, Your honor, Would you be able to make 854 00:46:15,200 --> 00:46:19,400 Speaker 4: available after all the legal proceedings are finished, the transcripts 855 00:46:19,480 --> 00:46:23,360 Speaker 4: of all those hearings, including the trial, for me to 856 00:46:23,440 --> 00:46:26,799 Speaker 4: be able to as I grieve the legal process to 857 00:46:26,880 --> 00:46:29,799 Speaker 4: help me deal with that grief over it will take 858 00:46:29,840 --> 00:46:30,320 Speaker 4: me years. 859 00:46:30,719 --> 00:46:33,240 Speaker 7: Can I have the opportunity to think about that request? 860 00:46:33,840 --> 00:46:36,560 Speaker 7: I certainly don't take a negative view of that request, 861 00:46:36,920 --> 00:46:39,200 Speaker 7: but I'd like to consider it before making a final 862 00:46:39,239 --> 00:46:40,080 Speaker 7: decision about that. 863 00:46:40,760 --> 00:46:41,480 Speaker 2: Is that all right? 864 00:46:42,040 --> 00:46:45,640 Speaker 4: Thank you, your honor. Yes, for me, it's really important, 865 00:46:45,719 --> 00:46:48,319 Speaker 4: So I thank you that you'll consider that. And I 866 00:46:48,360 --> 00:46:51,080 Speaker 4: suspect some of the family, especially the ones who are witnesses, 867 00:46:51,120 --> 00:46:52,600 Speaker 4: would probably appreciate the same. 868 00:46:53,120 --> 00:46:57,719 Speaker 2: Ash As an observer of our justice system and having 869 00:46:57,840 --> 00:47:01,600 Speaker 2: sat through all the hearing, to the pre trial hearing, 870 00:47:01,640 --> 00:47:04,719 Speaker 2: the trial, what does this process all say to you? 871 00:47:05,480 --> 00:47:08,800 Speaker 3: I think it says that the jury will be blind 872 00:47:09,040 --> 00:47:13,319 Speaker 3: to a lot of things that has been ruled inadmissible. 873 00:47:13,600 --> 00:47:16,439 Speaker 3: There is a lot of stuff that the jury will 874 00:47:16,480 --> 00:47:20,560 Speaker 3: never know until after they've reached their verdict and those 875 00:47:20,640 --> 00:47:23,920 Speaker 3: things could be very important context. They could explain a 876 00:47:23,920 --> 00:47:26,960 Speaker 3: lot of things, but they have been ruled by the 877 00:47:27,080 --> 00:47:30,080 Speaker 3: judge to be inadmissible, so. 878 00:47:29,960 --> 00:47:34,400 Speaker 2: They go to the jury room not knowing the full story. 879 00:47:35,000 --> 00:47:37,359 Speaker 3: It's a weird facet of our justice system that there's 880 00:47:37,360 --> 00:47:40,120 Speaker 3: a lot of information that does not go before the jury, 881 00:47:40,200 --> 00:47:42,799 Speaker 3: and in this trial, more than in a lot of 882 00:47:42,800 --> 00:47:46,080 Speaker 3: other trials that I've seen, the jury will only hear 883 00:47:46,160 --> 00:47:48,840 Speaker 3: what the judge has decided that they can hear, but 884 00:47:48,880 --> 00:47:51,600 Speaker 3: they'll be hearing about those missing pieces right now. 885 00:47:52,400 --> 00:47:57,080 Speaker 2: The charges laid against Darren Patterson for poisoning her estranged 886 00:47:57,160 --> 00:48:02,440 Speaker 2: husband Simon have been withdrawn and in most cases they 887 00:48:02,520 --> 00:48:06,600 Speaker 2: never come back, but there are rare occasions where they 888 00:48:06,680 --> 00:48:07,719 Speaker 2: can be refiled. 889 00:48:08,840 --> 00:48:12,000 Speaker 3: So it's likely we'll never hear what happened to Simon 890 00:48:12,160 --> 00:48:13,640 Speaker 3: unless he writes a tell or. 891 00:48:13,600 --> 00:48:15,879 Speaker 2: Book, which probably going to be the case. 892 00:48:16,040 --> 00:48:16,600 Speaker 3: It could happen. 893 00:48:17,760 --> 00:48:21,480 Speaker 1: Thanks Dows and Ash Now a bit of housekeeping throughout 894 00:48:21,520 --> 00:48:24,560 Speaker 1: the trial. We've had quite a few questions about where 895 00:48:24,640 --> 00:48:28,440 Speaker 1: Season one of The Mushroom cook had gone because it 896 00:48:28,520 --> 00:48:31,319 Speaker 1: talked to the charges relating to the attempted murder of 897 00:48:31,400 --> 00:48:34,919 Speaker 1: Simon and other things not before the jury. We made 898 00:48:34,960 --> 00:48:38,880 Speaker 1: the decision to unpublish it before the trial, but now 899 00:48:38,960 --> 00:48:42,160 Speaker 1: we can open it up again, So from tomorrow you'll 900 00:48:42,200 --> 00:48:45,200 Speaker 1: be able to listen to the entire first season of 901 00:48:45,239 --> 00:48:48,120 Speaker 1: The Mushroom Cook wherever you get your podcasts.