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Mandy has now turned to Erin inviting Simon to the mushroom lunch which was held on 29 July 2023.
Mandy points to Simon’s evidence yesterday that Erin had informed him she had “important” and “serious” medical news to share when she invited him to lunch.
“Let me put this to you, Erin did not say the words ‘important’ or ‘serious’ when she spoke to you that day,” Mandy says.
Simon replies that he can’t remember the exact words she said but that “important and serious are reasonable descriptions of what she communicated.”
Mandy suggests that the words “important” and “serious” were not used in his police statement.
Simon does not refute this.
Mandy begins by asking Simon about the relationship between his parents and children.
He shows the courtroom a video, showing Simon’s son and his father, Don, playing with a rocket-propelled car in the back yard. Mandy says it was captured on 17 July 2023 – weeks before the fateful mushroom lunch.
As he’s shown the video, Simon wipes away tears from his eyes.
Simon Patterson returns to witness stand
Simon Patterson is back in the witness stand in the courtroom.
Erin Patterson’s lawyer, Colin Mandy SC, is continuing his cross-examination of Simon.
We’re waiting to begin.
Our reporter Nino Bucci was in the courtroom yesterday on day three of Erin Patterson’s murder trial, when her estranged husband Simon Patterson started his evidence.
Here’s Nino’s report filed from Morwell in Victoria’s Gippsland region:
Day three recap
Before today gets under way, here’s a recap of what the jury heard yesterday:
1. Text messages shown to the court on Thursday revealed Erin had texted Simon on the eve of the mushroom lunch, saying she had spent a “small fortune” on buying eye fillet steak for her “special meal” of beef wellingtons. She said she hoped Simon would change his mind after he turned down the invitation.
2. Simon recalled Erin saying she had conducted a “blind taste test” with her daughter by putting dehydrated mushrooms in muffins. He told the court Erin remarked it was “interesting” that their child preferred the muffin that contained mushrooms given she didn’t like mushrooms.
3. Jurors also heard details about Erin’s relationship with Simon’s parents. He told the court Erin was particularly close with his father, Don.
4. Asked about Erin’s self-esteem, Simon said his estranged wife was “not particularly happy with how she is”.
“I don’t think she has high self-esteem,” he told the court.
5. Simon recalled Erin’s mixed plate collection at her home in Leongatha. Under cross-examination, he described her collection, saying there were some plates that matched and a single colourful plate.
Welcome to day four of the trial
Welcome to day four of Erin Patterson’s murder trial.
We’re expecting the trial to get under way at 10.30am. The court will wrap up at 1pm today.
Patterson, 50, faces three charges of murder and one charge of attempted murder relating to a beef wellington lunch she served at her house in Leongatha, regional Victoria, in July 2023.
She has pleaded not guilty to the charges. The defence’s case is that the events were an accident and Patterson never intended to harm her lunch guests.
