She’s just been convicted of a shocking mass poisoning – now mushroom killer Erin Patterson is stepping into a world ruled by violence and manipulation.
Behind bars at Dame Phyllis Frost Centre, Victoria’s toughest women’s prison, the former Leongatha housewife is now surrounded by hardened criminals, whose same-sex trysts help decide the pecking order.
While Patterson is reviled for murdering three people – and attempting to murder a fourth – with a death cap mushroom-laced beef Wellington, her new cellmates are every bit as sick and twisted.
Among them are Malka Leifer, the ultra-Orthodox Jewish former school principal and convicted paedophile, jailed for sexually abusing female students, and her jailhouse lover, Samantha Azzopardi, a conwoman known for impersonating schoolgirls.
The pair’s bizarre lesbian romance has made headlines of its own, with reports of note-passing, gift-giving and kissing in front of prison guards.
Sources inside the prison say Leifer and Azzopardi have become inseparable and their unlikely romance unsettles staff and inmates alike.
‘It’s not just about affection; there’s manipulation, control, and status in these kinds of relationships,’ one former inmate tells Daily Mail Australia.
‘Now Erin’s in the mix, bringing a much different dynamic, so things may shift around.’
Behind bars at Dame Phyllis Frost Centre, Victoria’s toughest women’s prison, Erin Patterson is now surrounded by hardened criminals, whose same-sex trysts help decide the pecking order
The romance became the talk of the wing when staff caught the lovebirds exchanging makeshift jewellery crafted from scraps and string.
Leifer, who once claimed to be mentally unfit to stand trial, has reportedly promised Azzopardi post-prison support, even offering her a place to stay in Israel, where she could help her ‘start over’.
‘There can be power plays happening,’ another former inmate says. ‘Both these women know how to manipulate – they’re not stupid.’
Patterson, who has been kept in protective custody since her arrest, is expected to be housed in the same secure unit as Leifer and Azzopardi, placing her in the heart of a prison already buzzing with tension.
Leifer and Azzopardi are not the only female inmates to have recently started an unconventional relationship behind bars.
Convicted killer Alicia Schiller said ‘yes’ to her jailbird lover Rhiannon Dunn in the maximum-security unit in December.
Schiller is serving time for stabbing her friend in 2014 over a $50 debt while she was high on drugs.
Dunn, who got down on one knee to propose, was behind bars for stabbing a man and woman near Flinders Street in Melbourne in 2022.
Samantha Azzopardi (pictured) is serving a two-year jail sentence for posing as a sex-trafficked schoolgirl from Belgium named Hattie Leigh
Malka Leifer (R) abused two students at an ultra-Orthodox Jewish school in Melbourne. She was sentenced to 15 years in 2023 and is now in a jail relationship with Samantha Azzopardi
Dunn was released from prison days after her proposal, but the pair has continued their relationship.
Patterson has already ruffled feathers behind bars, with an inmate accusing her of another attempted poisoning.
She alleged Patterson tampered with food in the jailhouse kitchen, where she was inexplicably given a job while awaiting her triple-murder trial.
Following a dispute with the notorious mushroom chef, a fellow prisoner became sick and pointed the finger at Patterson.
A Corrections Victoria source confirmed to Daily Mail Australia that Patterson had been given a job in the prison kitchen, despite the nature of the allegations against her.
However, a spokesperson for the Department of Justice and Community Safety Victoria said: ‘There is no evidence to support that there has been any contaminated food or suspected poisonings at Dame Phyllis Frost Centre.’
Our prison source says Patterson’s pending long sentence will unsettle the established order.
‘Unlike others in the unit, she’s not loud, not brash, and certainly not remorseful,’ they say.
‘Some inmates will keep their distance, unnerved by her silence and the sheer notoriety of her crime.
‘But others will be curious and even drawn to her, fascinated by her worldwide media attention.
‘Erin’s ability to play the long game could make her a force to be reckoned with, especially if she goes “gay for the stay” like so many others. She could team up with anyone really.’
Who’s who of Patterson’s new roommates
Malka Leifer
A former school principal serving 15 years after being convicted of the sexual abuse of multiple teenage girls. Leifer feigned mental illness for years to avoid extradition to Australia.
Samantha Azzopardi
Infamous conwoman with a long rap sheet of fraud, identity theft and disturbing impersonations, including posing as a teenage human-trafficking victim. Known as ‘Australia’s fake schoolgirl’, she is now romantically linked to Leifer.
Alicia Schiller
Serving 16 years for stabbing a friend over a $50 debt, Alicia Schiller made headlines in 2024 when she applied for taxpayer-funded IVF treatment while incarcerated.
The application sparked public outrage due to ethical concerns and potential costs, leading Schiller to withdraw her request.
Schiller (pictured) wanted to undergo IVF treatment to have a child – but has now withdrawn her application after several IVF clinics said they would refuse to treat her
Judy Moran
Melbourne gangland matriarch and convicted murderer, now elderly and ailing, but still wielding influence inside the prison walls.
Judy Moran (pictured), the matriarch of the Moran criminal family, is now 80, but still wields influence within the prison walls
Robyn Lindholm
Lindholm, a former stripper, was convicted of murdering two of her ex-partners. She attended a private school and is well-respected within the prison walls.
Vicki Efandis
‘Black Widow’ Efandis is one of the most respected inmates at the facility.
She killed her lover George Marcetta by drugging him and setting his house on fire, and is serving 24 years in jail. Now in her 60s, she has navigated to a top position in the jailhouse hierarchy.
