Erin Patterson sentenced to life in prison with a non-parole period of 33 years
Adeshola Ore
Erin Patterson has been sentenced to a minimum of 33 years in prison.
The prosecution and defence both agreed Patterson should receive a life sentence for her crimes. But the defence argued Justice Christopher Beale should impose a minimum term when she could apply to be released.
Key events
Caitlin Cassidy
‘Stressful’ time for UTS staff as SafeWork removes prohibition notice on change plan
SafeWork NSW has removed a prohibition notice that prevented the University of Technology Sydney’s from pushing ahead with its change proposal.
Fronting a Senate inquiry into university governance, the vice-chancellor, Prof Andrew Parfitt, said on Friday the notice was removed based on the work the university had done with health and safety representatives and would plan future meetings with staff today to consult on changes.
Last week, UTS was forced to pause a plan to slash hundreds of jobs after a rare intervention by SafeWork NSW, which said workers would be subject to a “serious and imminent risk of psychological harm” if management pushed ahead.
Under the ruling, UTS cancelled all meetings and paused the release of its change proposal.
Parfitt said he recognised it was a “stressful time” for staff.
We’re balancing two stressful circumstances, the stress of people who want to know what the proposal is so that they can engage in a conversation around it, and the stress of those who are potentially uncertain about the process. So we engaged with the Safe Work inspector on Friday to adjust the timing and the nature of the communication … We had thought that we had adequate provisions in place, but the SafeWork inspector thought otherwise.
The Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA) has also been investigating UTS since last month as a result of the temporary suspension of enrolments.
Caitlin Cassidy
Cyber-attacks push university’s spending on consultants to $36m
Western Sydney University spent $36m on consultants in 2024, largely due to a significant cyber-attack on campus, the vice-chancellor has revealed.
Appearing before a Senate inquiry into the quality of governance in the higher education sector, Prof George Williams confirmed $36m was spent in 2024 and $17m in the year to date on consultants. He said the figure was predominantly related to cybersecurity.
The university has been badly impacted by a number of attacks. I can’t say too much because the threat actor is currently before the courts and has been arrested by the police, but we needed to engage high levels of consultant support for forensic cyber work in many millions of dollars.
Late last month, Williams confirmed previously stolen personal information had been published online, including on the dark web, after the university had been “relentlessly targeted in a string of attacks on our network”.
The information included name and date of birth, email addresses and phone numbers, identity documents, tax file numbers and student admission and enrolment information.
Ian Wilkinson addresses media: ‘I’d like to encourage everybody to be kind to each other.’
Ian Wilkinson has just addressed media outside the Victorian supreme court.
He thanked Victorian police for a “professional, efficient and effective investigation as to what happened at the lunch”.
“They brought to light the truth of what happened to three good people,” he said.
He also extended gratitude to the office of public prosecutions led by senior counsel Nanette Rogers:
The court processes are a little bewildering to lay people like me and we are grateful for their expertise, their hard work and their perseverance that has secured this conviction.
He continued:
We’re thankful that when things go wrong, there are good people and services and systems available to help us recover. I would like to encourage all those involved to keep turning up and serving others. Our lives and life [of] our community depends on the kindness of others. I’d like to encourage everybody to be kind to each other.
Finally, I want to say thank you to the many people from across Australia and around the world who, through their prayers and messages of support, have encouraged us. I thank the people of the Leongatha and Korumburra communities in particular. Your thoughtfulness and care has been a great encouragement to us.
Please respect our privacy as we continue to grieve and heal.
Adeshola Ore
Erin Patterson will be 82 when she becomes eligible to apply for parole in 2056.
The triple murderer has 28 days to lodge an appeal.
Adeshola Ore
Patterson’s ‘harsh prison conditions’
Before handing down Patterson’s sentence, Beale said Patterson was in a management unit to protect her from other prisoners, not vice versa.
He said Patterson has “effectively been held in solitary confinement” for the past 15 months. Patterson is likely to remain in these conditions for years to come, Beale said.
The “harsh prison conditions” that Patterson has endured are relevant considerations for her sentencing, he said.
Patterson will have until 6 October to lodge an appeal against her conviction, sentence or both.
Adeshola Ore
Sentences for each victim
Patterson, 50, has been spared life in prison without parole.
Beale told the court Patterson had already served 676 days in pre-sentence detention.
Beale delivered the following sentences:
Attempted murder of Ian Wilkinson – 25 years in prison
Murder of Heather Wilkinson – life in prison
Murder of Don Patterson – life in prison
Murder of Gail Patterson – life in prison
Fixing a non-parole period means Patterson will need to serve at least 33 years before she can apply to be released into the community.
Erin Patterson sentenced to life in prison with a non-parole period of 33 years
Adeshola Ore
Erin Patterson has been sentenced to a minimum of 33 years in prison.
The prosecution and defence both agreed Patterson should receive a life sentence for her crimes. But the defence argued Justice Christopher Beale should impose a minimum term when she could apply to be released.
Adeshola Ore
Patterson in separation for more than 15 months
Beale says UN guidelines stipulate a prisoner should not be in separation for more than 15 days.
“But you have now been in separation, continuously, for more than 15 months,” he says.
He says given the intense media interest in the case, Patterson is likely to “remain a notorious prisoner for many years to come” and remain at “serious risk” from other prisoners.
Patterson’s offending the ‘worst category’ of murder and attempted murder
Adeshola Ore
Beale says he has no hesitation in finding Patterson’s offending falls into the “worst category” of murder and attempted murder.
He says Patterson’s legal team provided no character witnesses or psychiatric report during the pre-sentencing plea hearing. Beale says this means he has limited information to draw on.
He says Patterson has been in custody since November 2023.
Jenny Hosking, the assistant commissioner for the sentence management division at Corrections Victoria, provided information about Patterson’s custody arrangements at the plea hearing.
Hosking said Patterson was not permitted to mix with other women in the Gordon unit – a protected area. Patterson has spent about 22 hours a day alone in her cell since she was placed in the unit.
Nino Bucci
Wilkinson and Patterson family members attend hearing
Ian Wilkinson is listening intently to the sentence in court, sitting next to his son-in-law, Bradley Dubois.
He is one of a large number of family members to attend the hearing.
Simon Patterson, Erin’s estranged husband, is not in court.
