Erin Patterson mushroom murder trial LIVE updates: Jury hears Patterson should have suffered ‘adverse outcome’

Erin Patterson claims she ate only half of a beef Wellington laced with death cap mushrooms at her deadly lunch.

Patterson made the claim to hospital staff and a child protection officer in the days following the lunch that claimed the lives of her in-laws Don and Gail Patterson, and Gail’s sister, Heather Wilkinson.

The jury has already heard Gail Patterson ate just half of her pastie-sized beef Wellington, with her husband finishing off the rest.

Unlike Patterson, the portion was enough to make Gail violently ill within hours and eventually killed her.

On Friday, Dr Dimitri Gerostamoulos, head of forensic science at the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine, suggested Patterson’s portion should have caused an ‘adverse outcome’ for her.

Defence lawyer Sophie Stafford suggested Ms McKenzie removed the death caps because she feared someone would mistake them for edible mushrooms.

Ms McKenzie agreed. The jury heard even though she was concerned they could grow back, she did not return to the site.

Ms McKenzie said she attempted to remove death cap mushrooms in the Victorian town, Loch.

The jury heard she was able to identify the mushrooms because of her training, and that she was keen to remove them for safety reasons.

Prosecutor Jane Warren asked if more mushrooms could have grown in the area. Ms McKenzie agreed.

Christine McKenzie, a former senior poisons information specialist at the Victorian Poisons Information Centre, was the first witness to be called on.

She explained death cap mushrooms usually grow between March and May in Victora. Several factors have to be right, including the temperature and moisture.

Patterson will face her fourth week of a Supreme Court trial on Monday.

Patterson has pleaded not guilty to killing her three lunch guests and the attempted murder of Pastor Ian Wilkinson – the lone survivor of the deadly lunch.