Convicted triple murderer Erin Patterson showed no pity for her victims, no remorse over their deaths and continued to pour salt in the wounds of their families with her lies.
One of Victoria’s most notorious killers sat with her eyes closed as Justice Christopher Beale delivered the damning assessment of her crimes which he said remain without explanation more than two years after the deaths of Don and Gail Patterson and Heather Wilkinson.
Erin Patterson’s sentencing at the Supreme Court. Credit: The Age
Patterson opened her eyes only a handful of times as she was sentenced to life in jail with a non-parole period of 33 years.
This included when the judge mentioned surviving lunch guest Ian Wilkinson’s offer of forgiveness, and a scowl towards the media when Beale said her case was so infamous she was likely to remain in restricted conditions in custody.
“I have no hesitation in finding your offending falls into the worst category. The gravity of your offending warrants the maximum penalties for your crimes,” Beale said.
“The word used again and again in the [victim impact] statements to describe your crimes is ‘senseless’.
“Your failure to exhibit any remorse pours salt into all the victims’ wounds.”
Watching on from the courtroom as Beale delivered his remarks was Ian Wilkinson, about a dozen members of both families and more than 80 members of the public packed into an upstairs gallery where people were seen peering over a wooden balustrade and glass scre
Read More