The doctor who alerted the authorities to Erin Patterson has been punished by the medical regulator for discussing the case.
Dr Chris Webster, who was on duty the morning Erin Patterson came into the hospital two days after the mushroom-laced lunch, was a key prosecution witness at the trial.
He was forced to appear before the Medical Board of Australia for comments he made about the case after the verdict was delivered.
The Victorian doctor told the Herald Sun he thought Erin Patterson was a “crazy b*tch” after she was found guilty of three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder.
“If she said she picked them (the death caps), it would have been a very different mindset for me because there would have been an instant assumption it was all a tragic accident,” he told the newspaper.
“But once she said (that she bought the mushrooms from Woolworths), my thoughts were, ‘holy f***ing shit, you f***ing did it, you crazy b***h, you poisoned them all.’
“The turning point for me was that moment.”
He also described the 50-year-old as a “disturbed sociopathic nutbag”.
During the trial, the experienced doctor said he first encountered Erin Patterson at Leongatha Healthcare clinic at 8am on Sunday, July 31, 2023, two days after she’d served the deadly lunch to her relatives.
Dr Webster, who now owns the practice, was aware that four of Erin’s relatives were fighting for their lives in nearby hospitals when she was admitted.
He said he apologised to her at first before recognising her as the one who cooked the lunch.
He also told the court that Erin had discharged herself against medical advice.
“I was surprised, well, I had just informed (her) she had just been exposed to a deadly death cap mushroom and I thought hospital would be a better place to be,” he said.
“I rang Erin’s mobile three times and left three voicemails,” he continued. “I was apologetic, and I informed the voicemail that I would have to inform police for her health and safety to bring her back to hospital.”
As part of his punishment, Dr Webster must complete one-on-one education with an approved educator for a minimum of eight hours.
The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency has also ordered the country doctor to undertake mentoring, which will see him participate in a minimum of five one-hour sessions on a monthly basis.
The training will instruct him on the “appropriate use and disclosure of private and confidential information, managing and responding to requests for private and confidential information, professionalism and ethics and professional communication”.
While speaking to the ABC last week, Dr Webster said he was okay with the outcome and is glad the trial was finally over so he could return to his normal life.
“I am not happy about the conditions, but I am happier,” he said. “Since accepting the conditions I have actually felt a burden released from my shoulders.”
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