The phone call from a victim of mushroom killer Erin Patterson's deadly lunch which left hero doctor 'curled up in the foetal position, bawling his eyes out' - and about to lose his entire medical career

By WAYNE FLOWER, SENIOR NEWS REPORTER, AUSTRALIA Published: 16:23, 23 July 2026 | Updated: 16:23, 23 July 2026 The doctor who was instrumental in putting away mushroom killer Erin Patterson has finally broken his silence about his year from hell.  Dr Chris Webster made headlines during and after Patterson's epic trial with his straight-talking account of what took place when the killer walked into his hospital. Patterson, 51, was found guilty of the murders of Don and Gail Patterson, and Gail's sister, Heather Wilkinson. Speaking to Daily Mail's The Trial Australia podcast, Dr Webster revealed his despair about a campaign to end his medical career ever since - and the moment he could no longer keep up his brave face. That moment came when the only living victim of Patterson's deadly beef Wellington lunch made contact with him.  'I received a phone call from Ian Wilkinson on the second anniversary of the presentation of Ian and Heather Wilkinson to Leongatha Healthcare Urgent Care,' he told podcast hosts Wayne Flower and Caroline Cheetham.  The revelations came during an almost hour-long interview where the doctor spoke about how his business has been destroyed since he encountered Patterson. Choking back tears, Dr Webster said he had not expected to hear directly from the man whose wife he had been unable to save through no fault of his own.  Dr Chris Webster (pictured) was instrumental in putting away mushroom killer Erin Patterson but has now broken his silence about his year from hell.  Erin Patterson, 51, was found guilty of the murders of Don and Gail Patterson, and Gail's sister, Heather Wilkinson 'He said, "I'm ringing you, Chris, because I saw on the television that my wife thanked you for your care. And I also wanted to thank you for your care",' Dr Webster said. He admitted the call had a profound impact on him: 'I'm probably gonna struggle to say this without getting emotional.  'I was in the fetal position, bawling my eyes out for 15 minutes after that. But it was a rewarding phone call to receive.' The country doctor was a key medical witness in the ten-week trial, and told the jury he first saw Patterson at Leongatha Hospital about 8am on Sunday, July 31, 2023, two days after her deadly lunch. At that time, Don, Gail, Heather and her husband, Ian Wilkinson, were fighting for life in various hospitals. Dr Webster was already aware that Patterson's four guests may have been poisoned with death cap mushrooms when he first met her at the hospital. He had been the one who made the vital first call to police after she refused treatment and fled the hospital.  After the verdict, Dr Webster told Melbourne newspaper the Herald Sun he thought Patterson was a 'crazy b***h', and described her as a 'disturbed sociopathic nutbag'.  Erin Patterson sneaked past Dr Webster to escape the hospital (pictured). Inside, she had ignored her dying victims only metres away  Dr Webster said that after giving media interviews following Patterson's conviction, he became the target of online criticism and complaints.  'Within 48-72 hours, I was getting trolled online for being a misogynist, for being someone that breaches patient confidentiality, and for being an unsafe medical practitioner,' Dr Webster said.  'Untrusting, not able to be trusted medical practitioner and AHPRA, the Australian Health Professionals Regulation Agency, received complaints about my media performance and they imposed conditions.  'As a result of those conditions, the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners stripped me of my right to supervise trainee general practitioners. 'And that set in motion the collapse of the business. Now I am unemployed and unable to serve the community of Leongatha as a general practitioner.' Part of the pile-on has included claims in the local newspaper that the closure of his clinic saw him withhold medical records of his patients.  The doctor vehemently denies the accusation, saying he offered to drive the computer server holding the records to the new owners.  'On May 12 or 13, an offer was put through my lawyer that the new clinic could have the old clinic's server, which contains the entirety of the patient medical records being discussed,' he said. 'The offer was unconditional.'  Pastor Ian Wilkinson contacted Dr Webster two years after his wife Heather died  Dr Webster's quick thinking ensured police were able to find what was left of Patterson's lethal beef Wellingtons (pictured)  'There was no money requested for the server. I didn't want anyone in the community to be upset at the lack of access to their medical records any more.  'That offer was rejected by the new clinic because they didn't want to cover the costs of the IT support to get the server connected to their system.' Dr Webster said the servers remained stored in a secure facility waiting to be collected.  'And they will remain there until somebody pulls their head out of their a***,' he said. 'I'd be happy to drive it to them. But the principal doctor of the new clinic wrote an email saying we don't accept that offer.' Dr Webster said he was the victim of a witchhunt by the medical authority.   'I gave an interview about a trial I was involved in,' he said. 'I spoke the truth, I spoke my mind, and I did it with a bit of colourful language. 'I don't think AHPRA bothered to look at the bigger picture. Ian and Heather Wilkinson had been invited to Patterson's lunch in the hope it would lure her husband Simon in too Erin Patterson had poisoned her victims with deadly deathcap mushrooms  'Now we've got a town that's very upset, that the large clinic that serviced over 50,000 patient presentations a year has gone kaput.  'A lot of my loyal patients will stop me in the street and say, "When are you coming back?"  'I'm like, well that's not up to me. That that's up to the people at AHPRA and it's just sad really what's happened.' Dr Webster says he is now broke and pottering about his home pondering his future.  'Today I have been cooking brownies, doing loads of washing and contemplating planting parsley in the veggie patch,' he said.  'I am loved. I will be fine financially. What I am devastated about is that I can't provide quality health care to the community that I live in.' In September, he was ordered to complete one-on-one education with an approved educator for a minimum of eight hours by the health watchdog. But the doctor claimed he was doomed to fail.  Dr Webster after giving evidence at the trial of Erin Patterson in May last year. His honest account helped seal her fate  'AHPRA is good at telling you you have to do something and then they don't provide any support whatsoever, he said. 'I had to find a doctor to act as my educator. And I actually received a very heartfelt letter of thanks from a member of the family of the victims.  'That happened to be a doctor and I requested that person be my educator. That person agreed. AHPRA rejected that person.' Dr Webster said AHPRA had shown little concern that he had failed to comply with the education and mentoring conditions it imposed. 'Usually if you're not compliant with AHPRA, they deregister you completely,' he said. 'AHPRA's created a situation which is far more sinister as far as I'm concerned.' 'They said that I am not allowed to practise individually, that I must have a supervisor present at all times, that I am not allowed to practice unless it's an approved location. 'And those two alone were enough to prevent me from servicing the community that I reside in.' Dr Webster said his Leongatha clinic had relied on supervised trainees and internationally-trained doctors. Once he lost the ability to supervise them, those doctors could no longer work under his practice arrangements. The clinic lost key medical staff and quickly became financially unviable and closed.  Dr Webster admitted the mental toll from the Patterson trial and resulting fallout had been immense.  'I see a psychologist quite regularly,' he said. 'The psychologist summed me up by saying you entered a practice where everybody's wearing grey suits and red ties.  'You've got jeans and a t-shirt on. You were supposed to wear a grey suit and a red tie. And you didn't.  Dr Webster is the first to admit he is stubborn and there could have been ways for him to continue being a doctor  'And this is a big part of the reason why you find yourself in the position that you're in.' Dr Webster is the first to admit he is stubborn and there could have been ways for him to continue being a doctor.   'There would have been opportunities for me to comply, but I know that I would not be happy with myself for the rest of my life if I compromise my principles in that way,' he said.  'I don't think that being a doctor is what defines me. The journey of life is myriad experiences, bad and good, highs and lows, happy and sad.  'What's happened to me has affected me, but it hasn't destroyed me. It has destroyed the clinic that serviced the community. 'It has left a hole in the availability of a compassionate doctor.  'Look, I don't type at my keyboard. I look at patient in the eye. I don't write a slip saying, "Here, go and get this steroid injection at the X ray facility". 'I do the steroid injection myself. 'I am a multi-skilled, dedicated rural doctor and if I'm not allowed to practise in the rural town in which I live, I'll find something else to do.' AHPRA said it was restricted in its response to Dr Webster. 'By law, AHPRA cannot comment about an individual practitioner or matter beyond information that is already on the public record, such as the register of practitioners,' said a spokesman. Daily Mail has also contacted Leongatha Health for comment.