The decision to broadcast Erin Patterson’s sentencing hearing live across the country has sparked fierce debate among Australians.
The triple murderer, 50, will face the Victorian Supreme Court at 9.30am on Monday, with viewers able to tune in for the first time in the court’s history.
Under normal circumstances, it is illegal in Australia for media outlets and the public to take photos, record video or audio of court proceedings.
Justice Christopher Beale, who will be the only person visible during the broadcast, has indicated his sentencing remarks will take about 30 minutes.
The unprecedented access to the Supreme Court’s proceedings comes after the trial garnered immense public interest.
However, some argued broadcasting the sentencing hearing was a step too far.
‘What in the Americanisation?’ one Aussie wrote.
‘It’s pretty s***. Crime as entertainment. It’s not a good step… Everyone knows it’s because we’ve come to treat death, murder and life-changing traumatic events for individuals as our entertainment,’ a second person wrote.
Victoria’s Supreme Court for the first time will broadcast live as Justice Christopher Beale hands down his sentence for Erin Patterson (pictured)
Patterson was found guilty of of three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder after she served beef Wellington laced with death cap mushrooms to her husband’s family
‘I wish there could be a better distinction between “in the public interest” and “interesting to the public”,’ a third said.
A fourth added: ‘If we’re going to make a stupid spectacle of legal proceedings let’s go all-in. We could have a commercial break just before the judgement’.
Another person joked: ‘Bring in Judge Judy to deliver the verdict while we’re at it’.
Patterson garnered international attention after three of her husband’s family died after serving them beef Wellington laced with death cap mushrooms for lunch at her Leongatha home, in south-east Victoria, on July 29, 2023.
The mother-of-two pleaded not guilty to the murders of Don and Gail Patterson – her husband’s parents – and Gail’s sister, Heather Wilkinson. Only Heather’s husband, Pastor Ian Wilkinson, survived her plot – a blunder Patterson would live to regret.
On July 8, following a 10-week trial and seven days of deliberation, Patterson was found guilty of three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder.
During the trial, members of the public joined massive queues and waited patiently in the cold outside Latrobe Valley Courthouse in hopes of securing a seat inside.
The high-profile case drew global attention and developed a cult following, spawning memes and satirical content. The case has also been the catalyst for several podcasts, a series of books and even documentaries.
Patterson’s father and mother in-law Don and Gail Patterson (pictured) died after the lunch
Heather Wilkinson didn’t survived the lunch, but her pastor husband, Ian, lived to tell the tale
Prosecutors have called for the mother-of-two to be jailed for life without parole.
However, her lawyer has argued she should be given the chance of release as sentencing her to a life behind bars would be difficult due to her notoriety.
While it is often rare for court proceedings to be broadcast live, it is not unheard of in Australia, particularly for high-profile cases.
In December 2022, thousands watched a live broadcast from the NSW Supreme Court when Chris Dawson was sentenced to 24 years in jail for murdering his first wife Lynette in 1982.
Cardinal George Pell’s sentencing in March 2019 drew a global audience as County Court of Victoria Chief Judge Peter Kidd handed down six years’ jail after Pell was found guilty of sexually abusing two choirboys when he was Catholic archbishop of Melbourne in the 1990s.
While Lindy Chamberlain’s criminal trial was not televised, the first inquest in Alice Springs in 1981 was broadcast live – an unprecedented event in Australia.
