Dave Hughes has delivered a blunt assessment of Erin Patterson’s situation, as reports emerge that the convicted mushroom murderer has been prescribed taxpayer-funded Ozempic weight-loss injections while in prison.
Patterson, a 51-year-old mother of two, is being held at Melbourne’s Dame Phyllis Frost Centre, one of Victoria’s most high-profile women’s prisons, as she awaits the result of an appeal.
She is serving a sentence carrying a minimum non-parole period of 33 years for the deaths of three relatives who ate death cap mushrooms hidden in beef Wellingtons at her home in Leongatha, in Victoria’s Gippsland region, in July 2023.
A jury found Patterson guilty of murdering her former in-laws, Don and Gail Patterson, along with Gail’s sister, Heather Wilkinson.
Heather’s husband, Ian Wilkinson, became critically unwell after the meal but survived. Patterson was also convicted of attempting to murder him.
Patterson is being held in solitary confinement for at least 22 hours a day at the maximum-security prison.
However, it was revealed on Tuesday morning that the self-confessed ‘binge eater’ was recently approved to receive the weight loss drug Ozempic, reportedly because she is ‘isolated and unable to exercise’.
‘Staff safety is a huge concern, yet management appear more concerned about the weight of a convicted killer,’ an upset prison source told the Herald Sun.
Dave Hughes has issued a message to Erin Patterson over reports the mushroom killer has been prescribed taxpayer-funded Ozempic weight loss injections while behind bars.
Triple murderer Erin Patterson has been prescribed taxpayer-funded Ozempic weight loss injections while behind bars
The news sparked outrage among Australians, with Hughes the latest to join the chorus.
‘She’s in solitary confinement. She’s not trying to keep away from the buffet on a cruise,’ the Australian comedian said.
‘Just ask for less food through the flap, Erin. Or, if you really want to lose weight, just ask them to make your special beef Wellington.
‘I think the weight would fall off pretty quick then.’
The weight loss jab costs $134 a month but is heavily subsidised under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme for eligible patients with type 2 diabetes, reducing the cost to just $25.
Unsubsidised weight loss injections such as Mounjaro cost anywhere from $285 to $700 per month, depending on the prescribed dose.
According to the Department of Justice and Community Safety, inmates’ access to weight loss drugs is based on medical advice from a doctor.
‘Prescriptions are only given by clinicians when there’s a clear medical need, like preventing serious conditions such as type 2 diabetes,’ a spokesperson said.
Patterson’s in-laws Don and Gail Patterson died after consuming death cap mushrooms served in beef Wellingtons at her Leongatha home
Gail’s sister Heather Wilkinson also died following the lunch. Her husband, Pastor Ian Wilkinson survived
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During her 11-week trial, Patterson opened up about her long struggle with binge eating and body image issues from a young age.
The details emerged while she was explaining why she ate several pieces of cake following the fatal lunch before later vomiting.
Patterson appealed her conviction on seven grounds at a recent Court of Appeal hearing, including what she claimed was a ‘substantial miscarriage of justice’ during the 11-week trial.
One of her appeal grounds is that she was forced to give evidence at trial because the trial judge excluded mushroom photos.
The Director of Public Prosecutions also appealed the length of Patterson’s sentence, arguing it was ‘manifestly inadequate’.
Prosecutors are seeking a full life sentence without any possibility of release.
Justices Stephen McLeish, Lesley Taylor and Peter Kidd will hand down their decision on the two appeals at a later date.
Patterson is not the first convicted murderer to be approved for Ozempic while behind bars.
Convicted murderer Alicia Schiller has also been given permission to receive taxpayer-funded Ozempic jabs while in prison
Alicia Schiller is serving 16 years after killing housemate and mother-of-three Tyrelle Evertsen-Mostert, 31, in a drug-fuelled rage in Geelong, Victoria, on November 9, 2014.
Schiller has been given Ozempic by her prison doctor after gaining weight while behind bars and has undergone eyelid surgery to remove excess skin.
It follows reports that Schiller turned her cell into a ‘candy shop’ and regularly ate lollies, chips, chocolate and soft drinks.
Her victim’s mother branded the news as ‘absolutely ridiculous’ and a waste of taxpayers’ money.
‘Why bother giving her Ozempic? She’s got to get off that stuff on her own,’ Jo Evertsen-Mostert said.
‘If she wants Ozempic, ban her from all her sweets. Do that first for a year and see how she goes.
‘She was big when she went in, she can be big when she comes out.’
Minister Nick Staikos previously defended the use of weight loss injections for inmates as a way to prevent serious illness.
‘I’m not generally someone who has sympathy for people who commit terrible crimes, but what I would say is this: these are decisions made by clinicians,’ he said.
‘Prevention and preventing serious illness will actually save the taxpayer in the long run.’