Five iPads, a mobile phone, a USB and a smartwatch were among items found by sniffer dogs at the home of the Victorian woman at the centre of an alleged mushroom poisoning plot during a six-hour police raid last year, Senate estimates has heard.
The Australian federal police deployed technology detector dogs to help Victoria police execute a search warrant at Erin Patterson’s Leongatha home, in the state’s south-east, last November.
Police allege Patterson killed three people and left a fourth fighting for his life after serving a beef wellington dish laced with death cap mushrooms at a lunch on 29 July last year.
The AFP’s commissioner, Reece Kershaw, told a Senate estimates hearing on Tuesday night that the force had assisted Victoria police in their investigation into the fatal mushroom lunch.
“Technology detector dog Georgia found one USB, a micro secure digital card and a sim card,” he told the hearing. “Technology detector dog Alma found a mobile phone, five iPads, a trail camera and secure digital card and a smartwatch.”
Kershaw said the items were not found during the officers’ initial searches.
Patterson, who denies any wrongdoing, has remained behind bars since she was charged in November with three counts of murder and five of attempted murder.
Her former in-laws, Gail and Don Patterson, both 70, and Gail’s sister, Heather Wilkinson, 66, died after she hosted them for lunch at her home.
Wilkinson’s husband, Ian Wilkinson, survived after spending almost two months in hospital.
Patterson is also charged with four counts of attempted murder related to her former partner, Simon Patterson, including on the day of the fatal lunch. He was not present for that meal.
According to police documents filed in court, Patterson is accused of attempting to murder her former partner in November 2021, in May 2022, on 6 September 2022 and on 29 July.
Police allege Patterson also attempted to murder Ian Wilkinson on 29 July.
She appeared at the Latrobe Valley magistrates court, in Victoria’s south-east, in November. During the hearing, police sought a 20-week adjournment to analyse computer equipment seized at the Leongatha home.
