Overview
- The Court of Appeal began hearing Erin Patterson’s bid to overturn three murder convictions and one attempted murder conviction on Wednesday in a two‑day, live‑streamed sitting.
- Defense lawyers argued seven grounds for appeal that include a ‘catastrophic’ sequestration error where jurors were housed in the same hotel as prosecutors, a lead police witness and journalists.
- The defence also challenged the admission and exclusion of evidence at trial, citing contested phone‑tower data, iNaturalist mushroom sightings, SD‑card photos and Facebook material as prejudicial or wrongly handled.
- Separately the director of public prosecutions asked the court to find the 33‑year non‑parole period manifestly inadequate and to order life imprisonment without parole.
- Judges must first decide permission to hear the full appeals and are expected to reserve detailed rulings that could take weeks or months with families present in court and Patterson watching by video link.