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The KIIS FM breakfast show found itself under scrutiny on June 16 when host Kyle Sandilands made controversial on-air comments regarding an ongoing legal case, including the remark, “just lock that bitch up.” This triggered a referral to the Victorian Office of Public Prosecutions.
Supreme Court Justice Christopher Beale, at the time, cautioned public commentators, urging them to “engage their brains before they open their mouths,” as reckless comments could lead to significant legal repercussions.
However, in a turn of events on Wednesday, the Victorian Director of Public Prosecutions announced that the radio hosts would not face charges of contempt of court. The decision came after careful consideration of the incidents and their potential impact.
The official statement clarified, “It has been determined that in all the circumstances none of the incidents had a clear tendency to prejudice the fair trial of Ms. Patterson on the charges against her.”
Furthermore, the statement concluded that “the required elements of contempt could not be proved beyond reasonable doubt, and there are no reasonable prospects of conviction for the referred incidents.”
A Mamamia Out Loud podcast episode and a presentation from forensic psychologist Rachel Toles about the trial were also referred to prosecutors, but they too were spared charges.
Patterson was in July found guilty of murdering her former in-laws Don and Gail Patterson, 70, and Gail’s sister Heather Wilkinson, 66.
A jury found she deliberately served beef Wellingtons laced with death cap mushrooms to her lunch guests in July 2023 at her Leongatha home in regional Victoria.
She was also convicted of the attempted murder of Heather’s husband Ian Wilkinson, 69, who fell seriously ill after eating the meal but survived.
Patterson was sentenced in September to life behind bars, with a non-parole period of 33 years.