Welcome to our live coverage of Erin Patterson’s appeals.
It’s been more than a year since a Victorian jury found Patterson guilty of murdering three of her estranged husband’s elderly relatives and attempting to murder a fourth.
Today, three judges of Victoria’s highest court will begin hearing two appeals, one brought by Patterson and another by the state’s director of public prosecutions (DPP).
They will be considering whether her convictions should be quashed, and if she should remain in prison for life without the possibility of parole.
Patterson is appealing against her convictions while the DPP is appealing against her sentence, arguing it is “manifestly inadequate”.
Last September, Patterson was sentenced to life imprisonment, with a non-parole period of 33 years, for the murders of her estranged husband’s parents – Don and Gail Patterson and his aunt, Heather Wilkinson. She was also convicted of the attempted murder of Heather’s husband, Ian Wilkinson, who survived the lunch after spending weeks in hospital.
It’s expected to be a two-day appeals hearing.
