Erin Patterson’s trial started on September 15, 2023. The case against TSPL, her first witness, chronicled the grave allegations stemming from a deadly noon-time church congregation. The court appears now in Leongatha, where Patterson threw the disastrous lunch on July 29, 2023. Simon, who fostered a particularly close relationship with Patterson, painted an incisive picture of the months leading up to that day in courtroom testimony. He provided some useful perspective on their co-parenting setup and what happened.
Simon gave us a picture of how the events all played out before lunch. Patterson had called him, he said, telling him that it all started on Saturday afternoon and went well into the night. This timeline is very important. It gives us an idea of the snapshot of events that may have ultimately led to that hospital visit.
Patterson moved into her home in Leongatha at the end of 2021. She has a vested joint interest with Simon in the Leongatha house, as well as a Melbourne apartment. Their relationship had always been focused on a good co-parenting approach. Simon painted their meetings as congenial. He recounted memories of them all taking family trips together and keeping in contact daily through a messaging app.
Weber taking their second lunch party
On July 16, 2023, Simon was invited by Patterson to join them for a second lunch at Patterson’s home. The day before the event, Simon texted her saying that he was uncomfortable with coming. He stated, “Sorry, I feel too uncomfortable about coming to the lunch with you, mum, dad, Heather and Ian tomorrow.” Yellen expressed an openness to discussing health issues in the future.
Patterson’s response expressed disappointment over Simon’s decision to decline the invitation. She said she was proud of all the work she had put into getting ready for the lunch. This was a very special event for her. “That’s really disappointing. I have spent many hours this week preparing lunch for tomorrow which has been exhausting. It’s important to me that you are all there tomorrow,” she said.
The morning of our lunch, Simon had dropped off his kids, like usual, at Patterson’s house. He decided not to stick around for the meeting. He later received a call from his father, Don, on July 30 at approximately 8:35 AM. This call was an inflection point for Simon. He quickly found that the damage from the lunch was considerable, as many of the attendees had come down sick.
During his testimony, Simon testified that Patterson had told him she ended up going to the hospital for treatment following the luncheon. In addition to this, he remembered that she was sick with diarrhea on the 29th of July. He was concerned at the poor state of her condition during this period. Patterson looked terrible and it was obvious she was in excruciating distress. “He was lying on his side, hunched, quite noticeably,” Simon stated regarding Patterson’s demeanor at some point.
The trial has served to show the public deeper layers to their relationship dynamics. In late 2022, Patterson allegedly told Simon’s parents that child support payments. He suggested they split the tuition for their kids’ schooling. These conversations surfaced financial strains that had been brewing in their co-parenting relationship.
During our discussion, Simon reminisced about his relationship with Patterson, their mutual attempts to keep things cordial even when things were simmering. He acknowledged the importance of preserving good relationships within family dynamics, stating, “Partly because it is good to remain good relationships with anyone, especially your wife.” There was one thing he said had changed in their relationship that he considered a real breakthrough. “That was the first thing that made me feel like there was a substantiate change in our relationship,” he said.
As the trial progresses, it remains to be seen how these testimonies will shape the court’s understanding of the events surrounding the tragic lunch. The intricacies of relationships and responsibilities within co-parenting arrangements will likely continue to be scrutinized as more witnesses are called to testify.
