Patterson Appeal Tests Whether Jury Hotel Arrangement Alone Can Overturn a Murder Verdict

Erin Patterson's conviction appeal asks Victorian Court of Appeal judges whether jurors sharing a hotel with police and prosecutors during deliberations — with no evidence of actual misconduct — warrants overturning a triple-murder verdict. Defence calls it a "catastrophic" failure; prosecution calls it "far from a catastrophe." The ruling could reshape sequestration standards across Victorian jury trials.