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Dropped Erin Patterson poisoning charges were 'dubious', judge says
Judge Beale criticized the prosecution's handling of attempted murder charges against Simon Patterson as lacking sufficient evidence, leading to their withdrawal before trial.
- Last month, a jury found Erin Patterson guilty of using a beef Wellington laced with death cap mushrooms to murder Don and Gail Patterson, Heather Wilkinson, and attempt to murder Ian Wilkinson.
- The Supreme Court ordered two separate trials after prosecutors sought to have a single jury decide on Erin Patterson's alleged poisoning of Simon Patterson, leading the OPP to drop those charges before the lunch trial.
- Pre-Trial rulings note CCTV and downloaded articles, including 'Some Common Homicidal Poisons', as evidence; judges found Erin at the Koonwarra tip on August 2, 2023, but some tip evidence was ruled speculative.
- Following the verdict, a pre-sentence hearing is set for August 25 and 26, and Erin Patterson faces life imprisonment; Simon Patterson expressed confusion as the Office of Public Prosecutions said no reasonable conviction prospects existed for dropped charges.
- Last week, the Court of Appeal noted prosecutors had "extraordinarily strong" evidence the lunch poisoning was deliberate, with suppression order lifted revealing pre-trial rulings and public comparisons to Veronica Monty and thallium cases in the early 1950s.
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12 Articles
Coverage Details
Total News Sources12
Leaning Left6Leaning Right1Center0Last UpdatedBias Distribution86% Left
Bias Distribution
- 86% of the sources lean Left
86% Left
L 86%
14%
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