Restraints placed on Erin Patterson’s properties as legal fight over her estate looms

Erin Patterson’s remaining property holdings were ordered preserved this year as lawyers and the court consider whether proceeds from her estate could be used to satisfy compensation claims after her conviction in a high‑profile triple murder.

Patterson, 50, was sentenced on Monday to life imprisonment with a non‑parole period of 33 years for the murders of Don and Gail Patterson and Gail Wilkinson, and to 25 years for the attempted murder of Ian Wilkinson. Supreme Court Justice Michelle Quigley imposed a restraining order in July 2023 on Patterson’s Gibson Street home in Leongatha to ensure the asset remains available to satisfy any claim for compensation or restitution arising from the convictions.

Court documents and reporting indicate Patterson’s ability to pay for an extensive legal defence was underpinned by two significant inheritances that funded a substantial property portfolio and a previously affluent lifestyle. The first bequest, from a grandmother in 2006, totaled A$2 million and was paid out over eight years. The second followed the 2019 death of her mother, Heather Scutter, an academic.

Those funds helped Patterson and her then‑partner, Simon Patterson, acquire multiple properties and undertake international travel. The property portfolio ultimately included a townhouse in Mount Waverley, a family home on Shellcot Road in Korumburra, and a purpose‑built house on Gibson Street in Leongatha valued at more than A$1 million. Patterson purchased the Leongatha block in 2019 for A$260,000 and described the home as her intended "forever house." The Gibson Street residence became the scene of the fatal lunch in 2023 and was later the subject of the restraining order.

Following the couple’s separation in 2015, they remained financially linked for several years, with Simon listed as a joint owner on several properties. The couple formally divided assets by 2022. By the time criminal charges were filed in 2023, Patterson had already begun selling and encumbering property. Six weeks after charges were laid over the Leongatha lunch, she sold the Mount Waverley unit for A$1.025 million. Shortly before trial, a mortgage was registered against the Leongatha home for nearly A$1.2 million in the name of the law firm Doogue + George, according to court reports.

Justice Quigley noted in the restraining order that it was “likely” a compensation claim would be made and framed the order as a mechanism to preserve assets while victims consider remedies. In Victoria, victims may apply for compensation within 12 months following a guilty verdict. Proceedings related to the restraining order over the Gibson Street property are listed to return to the Supreme Court in November.

Patterson’s conviction and sentencing raise practical questions about the future of her estate. Legal costs associated with a top‑tier defence team depleted part of her holdings, and the sale of properties and registration of mortgages have reduced the portfolio available to creditors or claimants. The existence of joint ownership arrangements and the timing of asset transfers will be relevant to any court‑supervised process to determine whether funds can be redirected to victims.

Victim‑compensation and restitution claims in such cases typically proceed through civil applications or dedicated compensation schemes and may be contested on grounds ranging from ownership structure to the application of proceeds. The restraining order prevents the Leongatha property from being sold or otherwise dissipated pending further court consideration.

Patterson will not be eligible for parole until the non‑parole term elapses, which, based on the current sentence, would make her 83 at the point she could first apply. Whether any remaining assets will be available at that time depends on the outcomes of pending restraining‑order proceedings, potential compensation claims by the victims or their representatives and any further steps taken by prosecutors or civil claimants in the coming months.

Proceedings relating to the preservation of assets and any compensation applications are expected to return to the Supreme Court in November, where judges will consider competing claims on what remains of Patterson’s estate.