BREAKING: BBC Breakfast’s Sally Nugent and Jon Kay open show with Breaking News Announcement

As a breaking news banner appeared on the screen, the BBC presenters revealed that Australian mushroom murd3rer Erin Patterson has been jailed for life.

Patterson was convicted of murd3ring three people and trying to k!ll another by serving a beef wellington containing poisonous mushrooms in 2023.

Opening the programme on Monday (September 8), Sally told viewers: “The judge said Erin Patterson would not be eligible for parole for 33 years.”

The programme then cut to the Supreme Court of Victoria, to show Justice Beale delivering the sentence.

He said: “For the attempted murd3r of Ian Wilkinson, I sentence you to 25 years imprisonment.

“For the murd3r of Heather Wilkinson, I sentence you to life imprisonment. For the murd3r of Gail Patterson, I sentence you to life imprisonment. For the murd3r of Don Patterson, I sentence you to life imprisonment.”

Patterson, 50, had served the meal containing d3adly d3ath cap mushrooms at a lunch in July 2023 at her home in Victoria.

She had invited her former parents-in-law, Don and Gail Patterson, both 70, and Gail Patterson’s sister, Heather Wilkinson, 66, and her husband, Ian Wilkinson.

Three of the guests later d!ed, with Ian Wilkinson the only survivor.

He spoke out after the sentencing, paying tribute to lawyers, police and health workers.

“We’re thankful that when things go wrong there are good people and services and systems available to help us recover,” he said.

Australia correspondent Katie Watson said that the judge said Patterson’s crimes had been “an enormous betrayal of trust”.

Justice Beale said: “Four generations of the extended Patterson and Wilkinson families have been traumatised by your crimes, not to mention their friends.”

“here is of course great anger at the callousness of your actions,” he went on.

The judge also fixed a non-parole period of 33 years.