An Australian woman has been jailed for life, with no chance of release for at least 33 years, for murdering three relatives and trying to kill another with a toxic mushroom meal.
The jail term, one of the longest ever handed to a female offender in Australia, means Erin Patterson, 50, will be in her 80s before she can apply for parole.
A Supreme Court judge said Patterson's crimes were the worst category for offending and involved an elaborate cover-up.
Patterson killed her in-laws Don and Gail Patterson, both 70, and Gail's sister Heather Wilkinson, 66, after serving them a toxic beef Wellington at her home in Victoria in 2023.
Heather's husband Ian Wilkinson, a local pastor, survived the lunch after recovering from a coma and has ongoing health issues related to the poisoning.
Patterson's estranged husband Simon Patterson was meant to attend the lunch too but cancelled at the last minute, in part due to his belief that his wife had been trying to poison him for years.
Patterson has long maintained her innocence, saying the toxic death cap mushrooms in the dish she prepared were accidentally added and that she never intended to harm her relatives.
She will serve three consecutive life sentences for the three murders and 25 years for the attempted murder of Mr Wilkinson.
During his sentencing remarks, Justice Christopher Beale said the gravity of Patterson's crimes meant he must impose the maximum penalty. He noted that Patterson's reputation and the high-level of media and public interest in her case meant she would likely remain a notorious prisoner for many years to come, and, as such, remain at significant risk from other prisoners.
Outside the court, Ian Wilkinson, the sole survivor of the fatal lunch, spoke publicly for the first time about the ordeal that tore his family apart, thanking the police and medical staff who assisted after the tragedy. He encouraged others to be kind to each other following the heartbreaking events.
