The judge has handed down his sentance to Erin Patterson. She is to receive a life sentence for all counts of murder with a non parole period of 33 years.
Erin will be eligible for parole at the age of 82 years (approximately). She was born in Adelaide in 1974.
The judge described the conditions of her incarceration and they sound incredibly bleak and morbid. I am not sure I agree with the sentence, only in the last 12 months (November 2024) an Asian man was sentenced to prison for 14 years for the murder of 2 females in Melbourne, he is expected to be paroled within 7 years.
Erin’s sentence is extreme in my view as her daily outlook is awful as she will be in protection for years to come in the “Gordon Unit”.
25 years would have been a sufficient sentence with a non parole period of 20 years.
We have teenagers attacking others with machete’s and they are oiut on bail. It makes no sense to me whatsoever. That sentence is extreme.
What might have made a difference are psychological evaluations provided to the judge that stated (if appropriate) there was scope for rehabilitation. None were provided meaning there was not an available reason to be more lenient.
The judge knew very little about her except what she said when being cross examined or what was provided via affidavit for which she would have provided detailed instructions. Patterson gave the judge very little to work with in the end. I think it is a very harsh sentence if you consider the issues of her prison cell, the need to be kept from other prisoners and the Gordon Unit. What a terrible life and not much to look forward to.
What is the bloody difference between a man who kills sex workers “A man who killed two women in the space of 24 hours could be released from prison in seven years, with a judge describing his crimes as “callous” and “without justification”, and Erin who killed using a meal? This woman who did the wrong thing has received 3 x life sentences and this grub from Asia will be out in 7 years after killing two women on shocking circumstances.