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Appeal Court sentences Erin Patterson to life without parole

By Drooid · Oct 30, 2026 · How we work

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Summary

Court of Appeal sentenced Erin Patterson to life without parole, dismissing her appeal.
The court removed her 33-year non-parole period, guaranteeing she will never be released.
Patterson was convicted of killing Don and Gail Patterson and Heather Wilkinson with poisoned beef Wellington.
Ian Wilkinson survived the July 2023 lunch after weeks in hospital from the same poison.
She became the second Australian woman sentenced to life without parole, after Katherine Knight.

Summary

Court of Appeal dismissed both of Patterson’s appealed grounds after granting leave on two of seven.
Judges said jurors lodging with prosecution staff did not affect the verdict.
The court upheld phone-tower evidence linking Patterson to mushroom-rich areas as admissible.
Patterson’s only remaining option is a special-leave application to the High Court by November 27.
Legal scholar Christopher Corns noted 2019 reforms permit a rare second appeal only with fresh, compelling evidence.

History

In 2001 the New South Wales Supreme Court, led by Justice Barry O'Keefe, sentenced Katherine Knight to life imprisonment without parole—the first Australian woman to receive that penalty for the brutal murder of John Price. The ruling established a precedent for denying parole in extreme domestic killings, a principle courts invoked in Erin Patterson’s 2024 appeal and that the High Court is expected to uphold.

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In 2001 the New South Wales Supreme Court, led by Justice Barry O'Keefe, sentenced Katherine Knight to life imprisonment without parole—the first Australian woman to receive that penalty for the brutal murder of John Price. The ruling established a precedent for denying parole in extreme domestic killings, a principle courts invoked in Erin Patterson’s 2024 appeal and that the High Court is expected to uphold.

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