From the Australian. Here's what's on the front. I'm Claire Harvey. It's Thursday May twenty nine, twenty twenty five. We'd all better hope there's no war anytime soon. Australian forces are badly depleted of munitions, missiles and long range weapons. The Australians reporting today. Experts say the government needs to spend a lot more to ensure we can defend ourselves until nuclear submarines come online in the twenty thirties. What was
going on with Aaron Patterson's multiple mobile phones? The Mushroom trial jury has heard allegations she swapped SIM cards between mobile phones and remotely reset a phone after it was seized by police. The jury also heard about a phone police have been unable to find. That's today's story. We've used voice actors throughout this episode to bring you the
words aired in court. In the trial of the King versus Aaron Patterson, the crown case is that the Victorian mother of two invented a story of having cancer as a pretext for hosting a family lunch without including her children. They say it was all part of her plan to use death cap mushrooms to deliberately poison elderly relatives Don and Gaal Patterson and Ian and Heather Wilkinson after a lunch on July twenty nine, twenty twenty three, Donal, Gale
Patterson and Heather Wilkinson died. Ian Wilkinson recovered from his serious illness. Now, Aaron Patterson is pleading not guilty to three counts of murder and one of attempted murder. Her defense is that the poisoning was a tragedy and a terrible accident, and that after the lunch she panicked, such was her horror at the deaths her beef Wellington lunch had caused. On Wednesday, the triple murder trial of Aaron Patterson heard about a diary kept by her mother in law,
Gail Patterson, with notes of upcoming appointments and reminders. After a lunch with Aaron Patterson in June twenty twenty three, Gail Patterson wrote this.
June twenty eighth, twenty twenty three erin Saint Vincent's arm lump.
In court, prosecutor Jane Warren was questioning lead detective Stephen Eppingstall, who had obtained all Aaron Patterson's medical records.
Did you make any inquiries as to whether or not Mss Patterson had any appointments or had attended Saint Vincent's on that date twenty eighth of June twenty twenty three.
There are no records in a Medicare record indicating that she'd had an appointment in Saint Vincent's, and when we contacted the Saint Vincent's hospital, they had no record of it.
On June twenty eight, Gail Patterson sent Aaron Patterson a text hi erin just wondering how you got your appointment today? Love Gaale and Don. Aaron Patterson replied the next day, according to Detective Eppingstall.
Hi, Gail. Sorry, I had taken my daughter to see a movie last night. We saw The Little Mermaid. The appointment went ok. Thanks for asking. I had a needle biopsy taken of the lump and I'm returning for an MIRI next week and we'll know more after the results of those two things.
Did you review the records and identify any appointments that Miss Patterson had on the twenty eighth of June.
No, there were no appointments at all that day.
Gail Patterson replied, that's a test of patience, isn't it praying you'll know God's peace. We're just ready to relax. Nice to have the fire warming us in this cold weather.
XO.
A week later, Hi Erin, how did you get on yesterday with your medical tests? Love Don and Gail.
Thanks for your message and Gale, there's a bit to digest with everything that's come out of it all. I might talk more about it with you both when I see you in person, Love Erin.
Gale Patterson's diary showed another entry for a few weeks.
Ahead, Saturday, twenty ninth July twenty twenty three, Lunch of erons with Heather and Ian.
In court, Jane Warren asked.
Did you find in the medical records that you're reviewed any medical appointments for the accused on the sixth of July twenty twenty three. No, did you identify any medical appointments for the accused in June of twenty twenty three.
Yes, there was an appointment at Mount Waverley GP, and that was in relation to a complain of rib soreness after it purported for a couple of weeks earlier.
In cross examination on Wednesday afternoon, Council for Aaron Patterson colin Mandy sc asked Stephen Eppingstaol about medical records that showed Patterson had expressed concerns to a doctor about ovarian cancer in twenty twenty one.
She has a family history of ovarian cancer, both paternal and maternal.
That's self reported, sir.
But I'm asking you about the records.
The record says that that's.
What you're going on, Detective. Aren't you when you're relying on the medical records, you're relying on the accuracy of what's within them.
Yes.
Mandy asked Eppingstall to agree. There were more signs Aaron Patterson was concerned about her health, tendering signal messages sent by Aaron Patterson to her ex husband Simon Patterson in January twenty twenty two while she was on holiday with their children in Tasmania. In the messages, Aaron Patterson said she feared she had right side heart failure.
It feels like my heart is working overtime to deliver oxygen to my body.
Mandy also asked epping Stall to agree that when she was admitted to Lee and Gather Hospital after the fatal lunch, Aaron Patterson listed Gail Patterson and as her emergency contact, and Simon Patterson as her next of kin. Evingstall agreed this was so coming up. The jury hears about Aaron Patterson's multiple mobile phones. The prosecution alleges Aaron Patterson had
three phones, two Samsungs and one Nokia. Police say she initially used one phone, a Samsung Galaxy they call Phone A. In January twenty twenty three, According to the Crown, she started using the SIM card for that original phone, with a number ending in seven eighty three, in another phone too, So the Crown says Patterson was switching that main SYM between Phone A and another Samsung Galaxy, Phone B. After the fatal mushroom lunch, police showed up at Patterson's house
on August five, twenty twenty three. During this search, according to the police, Patterson took her main SIM out of Phone A and put it into the Nokia. The jury's been told that when police asked for her phone, she gave them Phone B, the other Samsung Galaxy, which had another SIM in it. Police said this SIM came from
a Samsung tablet, which Patterson also owned. The Crown has told the jury Patterson did factory resets four times on the Samsung Phone B throughout twenty twenty three, including once after it was seized by the cops when it was sitting in a locker at one Thaggy Police station. So Phone B was handed over to the police. The main SIM was in use inside the Nokia So where's Phone
A her original Samsung Galaxy handset? Good question. The Crown has told the jury that phone has never been located by police, even though they searched her house looking for it on November two, twenty twenty three. Police say the original SIM for the number ending in seven eighty three was never located either. On that day, November two, Patterson was arrested and formally charged. She has consistently denied any wrongdoing. The trial continues in the Victorian Supreme Court, sitting at
Morewell in the Latrobe Valley. You can follow the live coverage by our reporters Ellie Dudley and John Ferguson at the Australian dot Com dot a U