Court has finished for the day.

Follow along next week for more updates.

Victoria’s chief toxicologist Dimitri Gerostamoulos has returned to the stand for re-examination.

The court heard earlier on Friday that he would return for re-examination on Monday, however, he was called back to the court after the defence withdrew an objection to a question by the prosecution.

Under re-examination, Gerostamoulos was asked by the prosecution:

Gerostamoulos: “It would be likely there would be adverse outcomes for that person.

“We have had examples where two people have consumed the same meal (containing death caps), including a case in Victoria last year, where one person died and the other person was pretty unwell in ICU.”

The jury has previously heard that Gail Patterson ate half her beef wellington serving, Don Patterson ate his entire serving plus the other half of Gail’s, and Heather and Ian Wilkinson ate their entire servings.

A child protection worker who spoke to Patterson in the days after the lunch said the mother-of-two told her she only ate half her serving of beef wellington at the lunch.

Plant expert David Lovelock has taken the stand.

Lovelock, a plant virology and bacteriology diagnostician, was asked by the Department of Health to examine the lunch leftovers in 2023 to determine what species of mushrooms were used in the beef wellington.

He said his work involves helping farmers determine what fungus are affecting their crops.

Under questioning from the prosecution, Lovelock explained that he took DNA samples from various mushrooms - including button, death cap, and ghost and yellow stain (two other common poisonous Victorian mushrooms) - to carry out controls.

He then ran tests on the food leftovers (including the pasties filled with mushrooms and beef and a separate gravy) and samples of vegetable matter taken from the food dehydrator.

Lovelock told the court two samples from the dehydrator contained traces of death cap mushroom DNA.

Lovelock said no death cap residue was found in the samples taken from the lunch leftovers.

The defence has objected to a question the prosecution put to Victoria’s chief toxicologist Dimitri Gerostamoulos.

Under re-examination, Gerostamoulos was asked: “

efence barrister Colin Mandy SC called “objection”.

Mandy requested the jury leave the room so he could discuss his objection.

When the jury later returned to the room, they were advised re-examination of Gerostamoulos would resume on Monday.

Victoria’s chief toxicologist Dimitri Gerostamoulos told the court on Thursday that the main toxins in death cap mushrooms are alpha-amanitin, beta-amanitin, and to a lesser extent gamma-amanitin.

Asked by Justice Christopher Beale whether the toxins are exclusive to death cap mushrooms, Gerostamoulos said “yes”.

Under cross-examination on Friday, defence barrister Colin Mandy SC put it to Gerostamoulos that those toxins are also found in other members of the amanita species of mushroom.

Mandy: “Certainly they (the toxins) are found in death cap mushrooms.”

Gerostamoulos: “Yes.”

Mandy: “And they are also contained in other members of the amanita family?

Gerostamoulos: “Yes, that is my understanding.”

Mandy also put it to Gerostamoulos that there may be several factors that contribute to whether a dose of death cap mushroom toxins is fatal.

He noted there were studies which showed some people who consumed death cap mushrooms reacted with different levels of severity, which is categorised in four grades.

In reference to those study, Mandy said there were cases where people with a first grade severity may not develop liver or kidney issues even though others who ate the same meal as others who became seriously ill.

Asked whether an individual’s tolerance to death cap toxins could affect the severity of their symptoms, Gerastomoulos agreed, noting their reaction may be influenced by factors such as age, health, and weight.

“There are lots of variables that needed to be considered for that lethal dose,” he said.

Victoria’s chief toxicologist Dimitri Gerostamoulos is being cross-examined by defence barrister Colin Mandy SC about the protocols used to test the lunch leftover samples.

The court previously heard death cap mushroom toxins were found in samples taken from the lunch leftovers and the food dehydrator recovered from a local tip.

Death cap mushroom toxins were also found in biological samples taken from Don Patterson and Ian Wilkinson.

There were no death cap mushroom toxins found in samples taken from Gail Patterson, Heather Wilkinson, or Patterson and her two children.

Gerostamoulos previously told the court the ability to detect death cap toxins in biological samples depend on the timing and the nature of the sample, with those collected soon after the poisoning event more likely to render a positive result.

Welcome to www.20304050.best’s live blog of the Erin Patterson mushroom murder trial.

Here is a recap of what the court has heard so far from the trial:

WEEK 1

Day one: It was revealed that three charges of attempted murder against Patterson in relation to her estranged husband had been dropped by the prosecution.

Day two: The prosecution and defence gave their opening addresses to the jury.

The court heard the prosecution will allege Patterson used a fake cancer diagnosis as the pretense for hosting the lunch, that the guests were served on different coloured plates to her, and she travelled to areas where death cap mushrooms were sighted in early 2023.

The prosecution will also allege Patterson dumped a food dehydrator – which was found to contain traces of death cap mushrooms – at a local tip in the days after the lunch, and that she set up two phones in early 2023 but only one was recovered by police during a search of her home.

The defence will argue the deaths were an “accidental terrible tragedy” and Patterson did not intentionally poison her guests.

The defence say Patterson lied to police because she “panicked”.

Day three: Erin Patterson’s estranged husband, Simon, took the stand as the prosecution’s first witness. The court heard about the former couple’s relationship, Patterson’s inheritance, and were shown texts the pair exchanged about the lunch and child support.

Day four: Simon Patterson returned to the stand for cross-examination. He became emotional as he described the court process as “very difficult”. The court heard Patterson suffered from mental illness, that she was “very hurt” after an “afterthought invite” to Gail’s birthday party, and was shown more heated texts about child support payments.

WEEK 2

Day five: Three friends Patterson made in a true crime Facebook group took the stand. They said Patterson shared photos of her food dehydrator online and that she consulted the group for advice on beef wellington recipes around July 2023.

Day six: Ian Wilkinson, who was the only guest to survive the lunch, took the witness stand. He described his relationship with Patterson, what happened at the lunch, and the symptoms he and his late wife, Heather, later suffered.

Day seven: The court heard evidence from the children of the four lunch guests as well as doctors who oversaw the two couple’s treatment. Don and Gail Patterson’s daughter, Anna Terrington, became emotional on the stand while recalling conversations with her parents about the lunch. The court was also shown CCTV of Patterson leaving the hospital against medical staff’s advice and heard a triple 0 call a doctor made to police after she discharged herself.

Day eight: The court heard from nurses and paramedics who tended to Patterson at hospital. They said she did not seem “unwell” and that they did not witness her making frequent trips to the toilet, despite her reportedly suffering from diarrhoea. The court also saw a pre-recorded interview of Patterson’s daughter speaking to a detective in August 2023 Her daughter told the officer her mother was sick the day after the lunch and she saw her go to the toilet around “ten times”.

Day nine: The court was shown a pre-recorded interview of Patterson’s son speaking to a detective. During the conversation, the teenage boy spoke about disputes between his parents and said his mother reported having diarrhoea after the lunch.

WEEK 3

Day 10: The court heard evidence from a mushroom expert, mycologist Thomas May, who provided information about the growth and distribution of death cap mushrooms in Australia. The court heard that he shared photos of death cap mushrooms on iNaturalist, a website where citizen scientists share observations of wild mushrooms, in May 2023. His observation was made in Outtrim, in Victoria’s Gippsland region. The prosecution will allege Patterson travelled to that area in the days after the sighting.

Day 11: CCTV footage of Patterson allegedly dropping a food dehydrator to a tip in the days after the lunch was shown in court. A mycologist who examined leftovers of beef wellington recovered from Patterson’s bin revealed the food remnants only contained field mushrooms. The court also heard from a medical expert who found Patterson’s hospital records did suggest she was suffering from a diarrhoeal illness.

Day 12: The court heard from a child protection worker who interviewed Patterson in the days after the lunch. She said Patterson described Simon as “controlling”, spoke about the beef wellington recipe, the lunch, and her bid to prevent a diarrhoea accident. The court also heard from a toxicologist who revealed traces of death cap mushroom toxins were found in the lunch leftovers and a dehydrator recovered from a tip.

You can catch up on yesterday’s live blog updates here:

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