Claims extracted
23
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
22%
5 of 23 hedged
("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
68/100
ABC News (AU)'s corrections and
hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
16
Crime & Law
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Victoria's Court of Appeal has rejected Erin Patterson's appeal against her convictions, leaving the 52-year-old with remaining legal options in her bid for freedom.
asserted
Court → reject → freedom
Patterson was convicted last year of three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder after serving a deadly beef Wellington lunch laced with death cap mushrooms to her relatives in 2023.
asserted
Patterson → convict → 2023
A Victorian Supreme Court jury found her guilty of murdering in-laws Don and Gail Patterson, along with Gail's sister, Heather Wilkinson.
asserted
her → find → sister
Mrs Wilkinson's husband, Ian Wilkinson, was gravely ill following the lunch, but survived.
asserted
husband → follow → lunch
The Leongatha mother has always maintained her innocence and claimed she did not know the mushrooms in the beef Wellington were poisonous.
asserted
mushrooms → maintain → Wellington
In August, Patterson appealed the three life sentences handed down over the crime, but her lawyers were unsuccessful in having her conviction quashed.
asserted
conviction → appeal → crime
Today, the Court of Appeal not only dismissed Patterson's appeal, but increased her sentence to life in prison without parole.
asserted
Court → dismiss → parole
Could Victorian courts hear another appeal?
uncertain
courts → hear → appeal
Former criminal barrister and legal researcher Christopher Corns said the Court of Appeal's decision meant there were very few options for Patterson to plead her case moving forward.
asserted
Patterson → say → case
"The general principle in Victoria is that an appellant can only have one appeal, at least under the section that Patterson has used to appeal the conviction," Dr Corns said.
asserted
Corns → have → conviction
"However in 2019, reforms were introduced to permit a second appeal against conviction in very rare circumstances."
asserted
reforms → introduce → circumstances
He said a second appeal could only be launched in the case of "fresh and compelling" evidence coming to light that would exonerate a convicted person.
uncertain
that → say → person
Dr Corns said examples could be seen in the case of Nicola Gobbo, where several of her former clients were able to go to the Court of Appeal for a second time.
uncertain
several → say → time
However, Dr Corns said in this particular case, it was unlikely to be an option.
asserted
it → say → case
"It seems to me that it is most unlikely that in Erin Patterson's case that she would be able to utilise that avenue, because if there was any significant evidence it would have been turned up by now by her," he said.
asserted
he → seem → her
Could Patterson appeal to the High Court?
uncertain
Patterson → appeal → Court
With that legal avenue unlikely, Dr Corns said Patterson's "only hope" was the High Court of Australia, which is able to overrule Victoria's Court of Appeal.
asserted
which → say → Appeal
But Dr Corns warned the High Court of Australia was not simply another court where those convicted could "have a second go" at appealing.
"There are very strict criteria that the High Court applies to determine which cases they will hear or not," he said.
uncertain
he → warn → cases
One high-profile example is Cardinal George Pell, who in 2020 had his convictions quashed by the High Court of Australia after his appeal was first rejected by the Victorian Court of Appeal.
asserted
appeal → have → Appeal
Criminal law barrister Nick Papas KC said while the case of Cardinal Pell was a strong example of such an appeal, in reality it was "generally very difficult" for those appeals to be successful.
asserted
appeals → say → reality
He said there needed to be a "fundamental failure" with the way Court of Appeal judges had interpreted the law for a person to have their appeal heard.
asserted
appeal → say → law
"You can't just think there was a mistake," Mr Papas said.
"
asserted
Papas → think → ?
It's got to be a clear-cut error that justifies an intervention over the decision of the Court of Appeal."
asserted
that → get → Appeal
The Aporia
