Aug 20, 2026 · 20 min · 10 segments
It was the final day of Erin Patterson's appeal and the prosecutors spent hours picking apart the defence’s arguments. Then, it was time for their own appeal - time to explain why the convicted…
Brooke Grebert-CraigHostMr. McWilliams came to the end of his submissions here just before lunch.
So I will say probably all of us were maybe itching for a bit of a break.
It was quite cold in the courtroom today as well, or at least for me, I'll say I was sitting in the media box quite close to the vents in the courtroom.
So I was, I remember I was quite cold, sort of almost shivering actually.
But it was after lunch that we started dealing with the prosecution's appeal.
Yes.
So as a quick reminder, this appeal is against Erin's sentence and this appeal is made on two grounds.
The main ground of appeal is that they say this sentence was manifestly inadequate.
That's the legal term that they're required to use in their grounds.
But effectively, they're saying it's not long enough.
It's too short.
And specifically, they've sort of framed that argument around the fact that Erin's non-parole period, so Erin has a non-parole period of 33 years, which means that after 33 years of imprisonment, she's allowed to apply for parole.
Doesn't mean she'll get parole when she applies, but she is able to put forward that bid.
They're saying that there shouldn't even be a non-parole period.
They are saying for Erin, it should be life is life and that she should have no prospect of ever getting out of prison.
I think we've touched on this on an episode before, but not having a non-parole period, is that rare?
That is extremely rare, especially, I'd say, for women in this country.
If Erin is resentenced off the back of this appeal and they do get rid of her non-parole period, she will be only the second woman in Australia to be given life imprisonment without parole.
So it's a very severe sentence.
It does really take a lot for judges to decide that you don't get any option at freedom.
That's not going to be ever something that's available to you.
And I will say the only woman in Australia who is subject to a sentence of life imprisonment without parole, she's from New South Wales.
Her name is Catherine Knight.
Mr. McWilliams came to the end of his submissions here just before lunch.
So I will say probably all of us were maybe itching for a bit of a break.
It was quite cold in the courtroom today as well, or at least for me, I'll say I was sitting in the media box quite close to the vents in the courtroom.
So I was, I remember I was quite cold, sort of almost shivering actually.
But it was after lunch that we started dealing with the prosecution's appeal.
Yes.
So as a quick reminder, this appeal is against Erin's sentence and this appeal is made on two grounds.
The main ground of appeal is that they say this sentence was manifestly inadequate.
That's the legal term that they're required to use in their grounds.
But effectively, they're saying it's not long enough.
It's too short.
And specifically, they've sort of framed that argument around the fact that Erin's non-parole period, so Erin has a non-parole period of 33 years, which means that after 33 years of imprisonment, she's allowed to apply for parole.
Doesn't mean she'll get parole when she applies, but she is able to put forward that bid.
They're saying that there shouldn't even be a non-parole period.
They are saying for Erin, it should be life is life and that she should have no prospect of ever getting out of prison.
I think we've touched on this on an episode before, but not having a non-parole period, is that rare?
That is extremely rare, especially, I'd say, for women in this country.
If Erin is resentenced off the back of this appeal and they do get rid of her non-parole period, she will be only the second woman in Australia to be given life imprisonment without parole.
So it's a very severe sentence.
It does really take a lot for judges to decide that you don't get any option at freedom.
That's not going to be ever something that's available to you.
And I will say the only woman in Australia who is subject to a sentence of life imprisonment without parole, she's from New South Wales.
Her name is Catherine Knight.
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