Thanks for joining us for our live coverage of Erin Patterson's plea hearing.
If you missed anything from today's proceedings at the Supreme Court, catch up with Kristian Silva's comprehensive wrap here:
Thanks for joining us for our live coverage of Erin Patterson's plea hearing.
If you missed anything from today's proceedings at the Supreme Court, catch up with Kristian Silva's comprehensive wrap here:
Justice Beale adjourns the court, and will spend the next fortnight to decide on the sentence for triple-murderer Erin Patterson.
During today's plea hearing, Justice Beale told the court that Patterson's crimes were egregious, and that it had been conceded that her actions relating to the deadly beef Wellington lunch constituted "worst category offending".
However, Justice Beale also expressed concerns for Patterson's current living conditions in the isolated Gordon Unit of the Dame Phyllis Frost Centre, saying her current arrangements did not sound "humane".
He will take all of these factors into account when deciding on a sentence for Erin Patterson.
In Victoria, the maximum jail sentence for murder is life imprisonment (25 years), with a minimum non-parole period of 30 years.
Patterson will have 28 days from the date of her sentence to begin the process of lodging an appeal, according to the Supreme Court of Victoria.
Here's footage taken earlier today of Erin Patterson as she entered the Supreme Court of Victoria before her plea hearing began.
Justice Beale tells the court he would like to hand down his sentence within a fortnight.
He earmarks 9.30am on the 8th of September as a potential time and date, and both the prosecution and defence say this is acceptable.
Justice Beale says although he would like to hand down the sentence in Morwell, maintenance issues prevent it and the sentence will be given at the Supreme Court of Victoria in Melbourne's CBD instead.
With that, Erin Patterson is led out of the courtroom.
The prosecution addresses Patterson's current condition in the Gordon Unit of the Dame Phyllis Frost Centre, which Justice Beale says "doesn't sound very humane".
Jane Warren concedes the conditions are clearly relevant.
Justice Beale says he will have to determine what Patterson's future looks like.
Justice Beale says he is fairly confident she would remain in isolation in prison for a very long time due to her media presence.
"Her notoriety isn't going to diminish," he says.
"Well one day it will. Her notoriety won't but [public interest will]," Ms Warren says.
She says if you asked the average 20-year-old who Port Arthur mass murderer Martin Bryant is, they would not know.
Ms Warren says eventually Patterson's infamy will decline.
"Can you put an estimate on how long that will be?" Justice Beale asks.
"No," Ms Warren concedes.
Justice Beale says he is fairly confident she will remain in isolated in prison for a very long time.
The prosecution takes issue with the defence's claim that Patterson has autism spectrum disorder, saying any evidence of it is simply "hearsay" from other family members said in passing.
"The evidence just isn't there," Ms Warren says.
"She doesn't have a lot of credibility ... you're pushing on an open door," Justice Beale says.
Jane Warren submits to the court that if Patterson had mentioned cooking with wild mushrooms, it could have changed the trajectory of Don, Gail, Heather and Ian's treatment.
She says Patterson made "zero" effort to do so.
Finally, Ms Warren says the "elaborate" various steps Patterson made to cover up her crime, including disposing of evidence and lying to authorities, indicate a "complete absence of regret or remorse".
"There's been no remorse shown," Ms Warren says.
"No, she maintains her innocence," Justice Beale says.
She says Patterson's actions should be considered "worst category offending".
Justice Beale says this point has been conceded.
He tells the court he read all of the 28 victim impact statements over the weekend, and noted how the crimes had affected four generations of a family.
Jane Warren argues the use of poison is an aggravating factor, as it leads to a long and agonising death for the victims.
Justice Beale raises the point that there may be poisons that do not cause painful or long deaths.
Ms Warren says given her familiarity with mushrooms, she must have known of the effects.
"It seems she had a level of knowledge about death cap mushrooms prior, having sourced them as she did," Ms Warren says.
Ms Warren argues Patterson sat on crucial information for hours and days that could have prevented the victims' experiencing pain from death cap mushrooms.
As we heard earlier from Colin Mandy SC, who argued that prison would be significantly more impactful for Erin Patterson, there are also mitigating factors when considering a sentence.
These factors could be:
Much of the prosecution's argument has dealt with aggravating factors, with Jane Warren claiming the murders featured the "utmost level" of planning.
As a refresher, we can take a look at guides provided by the Sentencing Advisory Council, which lists the following factors which might aggravate a convicted person's sentence