Relatives of the victims of mushroom poisoner Erin Patterson have told a court that the intense media coverage of the case has compounded their suffering. Ruth Dubois, daughter of Heather and Ian Wilkinson, said the media's behaviour had left her isolated and unable to trust others.
“It is particularly revolting to experience our family’s tragedy being turned into entertainment for the masses and to know that people are using our family’s trauma for their own personal gain,” Dubois said in her victim impact statement. She was referring to the multiple books, television programmes and podcasts that the crime has inspired, including a three-part documentary due to air on Stan after Patterson’s sentencing.
Patterson’s estranged husband, Simon, also criticised the “deplorable” behaviour of journalists who he said had stalked him and his children, knocking on their windows in the early hours. “My kids and I have suffered many days filled with strangers menacing our home, brandishing notebooks, phones, cameras and microphones,” he told the court.
Crown prosecutor Jane Warren acknowledged that the case would continue to attract media attention even after the legal proceedings conclude. She noted that while no television series was made about Martin Bryant, the perpetrator of the Port Arthur massacre, “they make TV series out of everything now”.
