A volley of shots in the dark this morning left Phillips dead and an officer in hospital.

Police and Hato Hone St John responded after being notified around 3.30pm this afternoon.

Their mother Catherine says she feels both relief and deep sadness today.

Harley Davidson and Yamahas were involved in incidents.

One of Australia's most notorious killers Erin Patterson could walk free from prison as an elderly woman after a judge gave the triple-murderer a chance at release.

The 50-year-old kept her eyes closed during much of today's sentencing as a court heard her calculated plan to kill four members of her extended family and the lies she told as she tried to cover up the crimes.

But she stared straight ahead as she was given hope of being released while serving three concurrent life sentences.

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Victorian Supreme Court Justice Christopher Beale rejected prosecutors' request that she be denied any chance of freedom, sentencing her to a non-parole period of 33 years due to the harsh conditions she faced in custody.

With time already served, Patterson could be back in the community at the age of 82. 

She deliberately served beef Wellingtons that were laced with death cap mushrooms to four lunch guests in July 2023, the court heard.

Her former in-laws Don and Gail Patterson, 70, and Gail's sister Heather Wilkinson, 66, all died after consuming the meal, while Heather's husband Ian was left seriously ill but survived.

Patterson claimed it was a terrible accident but a jury in July found her guilty of three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder.

READ MORE: Police probe potential mistaken identity after two kids stabbed to death

Justice Beale accepted there was no proven motive for the crime, adding it was not his job to speculate about why she committed the murders.

But he found Patterson concocted an elaborate story to cover up her offending, including lying about a dehydrator, where she sourced the mushrooms and having cancer.

The judge also believed Wilkinson, who described how the killer served the individual beef Wellingtons on grey plates to her lunch guests while her own meal was on a small orange-tan plate.

"I find that you did this to ensure that you did not mistakenly consume a poisoned meal," Justice Beale said.

He described Patterson's offending as the worst category of murder, noting the enormous betrayal of trust towards people she considered family.

READ MORE: What happens next for Erin Patterson?

"They had all been good to you and your children over many years," he said.

"Not only did you cut short three lives and cause lasting damage to Ian Wilkinson's health … you inflicted untold suffering on your own children whom you robbed of their beloved grandparents."

Patterson would have anticipated the victims experiencing protracted suffering when she chose to use the mushrooms to poison them, the judge added.

He also found her intention to kill extended past the lunch and into the days after, when she did not tell doctors or health department staff where the mushrooms were found.

The severity of her crimes and her lack of pity warranted the maximum jail sentence, Justice Beale said.

"Your failure to exhibit any remorse pours salt into all the victims' wounds," he said.

But the judge accepted Patterson's time in custody would be more difficult as she would likely remain in solitary confinement for years.

"Given the unprecedented media coverage of your case, and the books, documentaries and TV series about you which are all in the pipeline, you are likely to remain a notorious prisoner for many years to come," he said.

Patterson's eyes opened at the judge's comments and she turned towards the media box and scowled.

The only other time she opened her eyes during the hearing was when Justice Beale referred to Wilkinson's victim impact statement, in which he offered forgiveness.

You would do well to embrace (the offer) in the manner he suggests," the judge said.

Sole mushroom lunch survivor speaks outside court

Speaking outside court after the sentence, Wilkinson thanked police for bringing "to light the truth of what happened to three good people".

Wilkinson said the police conducted a "professional, efficient and effective" investigation into Patterson's murders.

"They brought to light the truth of what happened with the death of three good people," he said outside court.

"We're grateful for their skills that brought this truth to light."

He added: "The court processes are a little bewildering to laypeople like me and we are grateful for their expertise, their hard work and their perseverance that has secured his conviction."

Wilkinson did not comment on Patterson's sentence but instead praised people from across Australia and the world who had offered their support during the ordeal.

A chance at an appeal

Patterson will have 28 days to lodge an appeal against her convictions and sentence.

Thomson Geer partner and lawyer Justin Quill told 9News that he expects Patterson will almost certainly try to appeal today's sentence or her conviction.

"I think she's almost an unbackable favourite to appeal… She's got money, she's got time, she's got nothing to lose," he said.

"I felt like His Honour was saying to Erin Patterson, 'stop the lies, don't appeal. You've done the crime, now do the time'."

Quill said Patterson's sentence is "more severe" given the nature of her time behind bars, which includes solitary confinement.

Patterson's life behind bars 

Justice Beale spoke at length about Patterson's time in prison.

She has been in custody since her arrest in November 2023.

Patterson is assessed as "major offender status", meaning she is at significant risk from other inmates, Justice Beale said.

He noted Patterson does not pose a risk to other prisoners.

She is also not permitted to mix with other women in her unit and spends at least 22 hours per day in a cell.

Meals and medicine are delivered through a flap in Patterson's cell door.

She accesses a small concrete yard for fresh air.

Justice Beale told the court that Patterson only has approval to speak to one other inmate in her unit.

Any communication needs to be a wire mesh.

This unnamed inmate is undergoing a lengthy sentence for terrorism offences and has attacked other inmates, Justice Beale said.

"You did not ask to communicate with that person and have not communicated with her," Beale noted.

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It comes as a coronial inquest into the fatal 2019 eruption will soon begin.

The children have been taken for medical checks.

Pirate-battling Kiwi company says funding takes it closer to ruling the waves.

The Wiggles are playing hot potato with their former boss, denying claims he was illegally fired after raising concerns about the hiring of friends and family.

Luke O'Neill says he was denied bonuses and excluded from meetings before being dismissed without a reasonable basis by the famous children's entertainers.

He has launched legal action against the group, blue Wiggle Anthony Field and its general counsel Matthew Salgo in the Federal Court.

LIVE UPDATES: Mushroom killer Erin Patterson sentenced to life in prison with non-parole period

No defence has been filed with the court but the band's lawyer indicated today the allegations were contested.

"There are multiple complaints or inquiries pleaded during the course of the applicant's employment … all of which are denied," The Wiggles' lawyer Bianca Dearing said today.

"We're in the process of taking instructions on the finer points of the defence."

Justice Michael Lee asked the parties to set out timetabling ahead of a potential hearing in April, noting he was "unclear about how long it will take".

A preliminary estimate of three days was offered but the court was told it might be longer if other issues arose.

READ MORE: Mushroom lunch survivor Ian Wilkinson speaks after Erin Patterson sentenced to life in jail

The Wiggles and its former chief executive will likely attend mediation before the end of the year to see if the issue can be resolved before a hearing, the court was told.

O'Neill claims Field – the sole original Wiggle still performing in the group – questioned his competence and "undermined him" in front of more than a dozen staff at a meeting in February.

The former boss complained about the blue Wiggle's nephew being hired to work on an upcoming album and a bonus scheme implemented for Field's friend and daughter's boyfriend without approval, in contrast to the usual scheme.

Field then allegedly took steps to reduce O'Neill's roles and responsibilities, according to court documents.

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That included excluding him from meetings with department store Kmart about selling branded toys and emailing all staff about an intention to remove a tour promoter without prior consultation.

O'Neill made multiple other complaints about staffing and other decisions allegedly made by Field without approval.

He eventually complained in April to the group's director, red Wiggle Simon Pryce, that the decisions were creating budget overruns, endangering his bonus.

Pryce agreed his performance justified a raise after the three-decade-old group's earnings increased from $2 million in the 2023 financial year to a forecast figure of up to $7 million in 2025.

But O'Neill was fired in May, a decision he says came without a reasonable basis and without any prior warning or earlier adverse feedback.

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He alleges his dismissal was unlawful and an adverse action taken by the Wiggles after he exercised his workplace rights.

The bonus payment of $86,000 he received in July was less than what he was owed, he claimed in court documents.

O'Neill began working for The Wiggles in a consultancy role in April 2023 before becoming chief executive in January 2024.

He was tasked with implementing strategies to grow the group's revenue, maintaining its budget and overseeing hiring decisions.

The Wiggles formed in 1991 and are among Australia's top-earning and most widely beloved entertainment groups, winning multiple ARIA awards and being inducted into its hall of fame in 2011.

In 2022 they were recognised for outstanding services to Australian music at the APRA awards.

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‘I will get through this setback,’ Haehaetu Barrett posted on social media.