Death Caps & Ballet Slippers: A Legal Chess Game in Patterson Trial

In this bonus episode, we provide an exclusive transcript of Erin's barrister Mr. Colin Mandy SC conducting the final cross-examination in the Mushroom Murder Trial, methodically addressing key points of contention and establishing crucial facts about mushroom foraging seasons.

• Cross-examination reveals wild mushroom foraging is seasonal (autumn only) and would be "incredibly unproductive" in December
• Defense establishes Erin was in New Zealand for approximately half of December 2022, when prosecution claims she should have mentioned foraging
• Mr. Mandy corroborates Erin's account about her daughter's ballet rehearsal with evidence of Simon Patterson cancelling the lesson
• Discussion of Erin's low potassium levels (2.6) and subsequent treatment with supplements while hospitalized
• Erin acknowledges iNaturalist searches were "most likely" her while maintaining she has no specific memory of conducting them

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Chapters

• 0:00 Bonus Episode Introduction

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Hello and welcome to a bonus edition of the Mushroom Murder Trial podcast. This episode is going first to my newsletter subscribers, so if you'd like to get more material before anyone else, just go to my website, mushroommurdertrialcom. Now what I'm going to be doing today is reading the transcript from the 12th, and it is Erin's barrister, mr Mandy, and they're going through their final cross-examination. Now we're going to talk today about mushrooms In the period of 12th of June 2021 to 19th of December 2022, how many months of wild mushroom picking are available, erin? Well, there's really only one season, so the autumn of 22, march, april and April May. And how often had you been picking wild mushrooms in those months, erin? At most a handful of the times, maybe not even that much. And otherwise, in those 4,000 pages of signal messages, how often did you inform Simon Patterson about what you were preparing for your own meals? Erin, almost never. And why was that, mr Mandy? I don't think we ever talked about what we were eating. To be honest, it just wasn't relevant or interesting for either of us.

Speaker 1: 1:30

You asked some questions about your Facebook friends' discussions. That's Mr Mandy. Erin replies yep, and it was suggested to you that there were 600, oh, my goodness, 600 pages of discussions between you and your Facebook friends, erin? Yes, and Exhibit 54 are the eight pages of the 600 pages that the prosecution put into evidence. That the prosecution put into evidence, erin? Yes, mr Mandy, is it your understanding that the 600 pages of Facebook messages cover a period of about two weeks, from the 5th of December 2022 till about the 19th of December 2022? Erin, yes, that's my understanding, mr Mandy, and it was suggested to you that in those 600 pages, there's not a single mention of foraging for mushrooms. Erin, yes, I remember that, mr Mandy, how productive is December for foraging mushrooms, erin? It would be incredibly unproductive. Mr Mandy, did you ever forage for mushrooms in any december? Erin? No, mr mandy, you were asked some questions, excuse me, and were you for the majority of that december? So for about half of that, I was in new zealand with? Okay, you were asked some questions, excuse me, and where were you for the majority of that December? That's, mr Mandy. Erin answers. So for about half of that, I was in New Zealand with my children.

Speaker 1: 3:15

Now, you were asked some questions about your daughter's ballet lesson. Yes, dr Rogers asked you these questions. Quote you didn't need to go home and pack your daughter's ballet bag correct? And you answered incorrect. And then she said your daughter did not even have ballet on Mondays, did she? And your answer was quote she did. She had a rehearsal that afternoon and Simon had to cancel it, quote. Where do you say the rehearsal was? Quote. I don't remember where it was, but it was a rehearsal for an upcoming mid-year concert. So there were some special extra lessons they had and they had one on that Monday afternoon evening and I had asked Simon to ring Lisa Pellan's studio and cancel it, which he told me he did do. Weren Weren't her rehearsals held on weekends? Some do. Weren't her rehearsals held on weekends? Some were, but some were on the Monday night afternoon. I can't remember what time it was.

Speaker 1: 4:20

Mr Mandy, you remember you gave that evidence in those questions, erin, I do. Mr Mandy, can I ask you if you recall Simon Patterson's evidence? Does she remember Simon giving certain evidence? Mr Mandy, let me try again and has been done through most of the cross examination. I am doing the same thing to remind her of the evidence and then ask her what the position in relation to the daughter's ballet lessons on that day. His honour right, mr Mandy.

Speaker 1: 4:52

Exhibit D, page 26 to 31. Have you got that there, erin? I do. Can you see a message from Simon on the right-hand side of the page, second block down Quote. I left a message on Lisa Pulling's studio phone, erin, yes, mr Mandy, and then corrected to Pellan Yep. Erin replies. What did you understand, simon, to be meaning by those messages? Erin, so Lisa Pellon Studios was the name of the ballet studio, right? I understood he was cancelling her attendance that night, as I'd asked him to do, do?

Speaker 1: 5:42

You were asked some questions about your potassium levels. You were asked some levels about Tanya Patterson's evidence about overhearing a conversation between you and a toxicologist and yourself in hospital. Erin, yes, mr Mandy, in relation to potassium levels. Erin, yes, mr Mandy. You recall that evidence, erin, I do, Mr Mandy. You recall that evidence, erin, I do, mr Mandy. The evidence was to the effect that you asked the toxicologist as to how your potassium levels were. Erin, yes, why did you do that? This is Erin. Because I'd been told they were very low Overnight.

Speaker 1: 6:15

I'd been feeling a bit unwell around 10 or 11, and I expressed that to a nurse 10 or 11 pm, or am, I beg your pardon, 11 to 10 or 11 pm on the 31st, mr Mandy, and, to your understanding, how were your potassium levels at 11pm on the 31st? Ah, it was 2.6. And how were your potassium levels this is, mr Mandy, in the morning when you were discussing these things with the toxicologist, erin? I understand they were normal by then. And what treatment had you had in the meantime, erin? I had two doses of potassium supplement in the early hours of the morning, erin.

Speaker 1: 7:04

No, sorry, mr Mandy, you were asked several times about the Cooler Master iNaturalist searches. Yes, and your response to those questions were to this effect it is possible that it was me. Yep. I don't know if it was child one. Yep, I don't know if it was child two, yep. Why did you answer the questions in that way? So I was answering that way, because I don't have a memory of doing that. So I don't feel like I could say yes, it was me, definitely, if I don't have that memory. And what is the state of your understanding about whether or not it was you, erin, well qualified by? I still don't have a memory of it, but I do accept it was most likely me. Yes, okay. So that's what we've got for Erin's case today.

Speaker 1: 7:54

Next week we'll be getting the final closing addresses from the defence and the prosecution. So we're still a long way to go, but thank you for your time today. Thank you for listening. Let me know what other content you want as well, more than happy to chat to you about that, because I really appreciate you carving out this space for this story. But thank you, and make sure you sign up for the newsletter if you haven't yet. If you want to get things first, it's mushroommurdertrialcom. It's free, and it's not often you get something for free in this world. And please make sure you subscribe to this podcast and leave a review, because I've got a few gremlins out at the moment who are not very happy with me leaving negative reviews. They're actually people who know me in real life, so I don't think they're a good assessment of what this podcast is all about. So if you could leave a review, that would be fabulous. Anyway, have a wonderful weekend. I will more than likely talk to you Monday morning. Thank you, bye.