An Australian doctor who raised the alarm about Erin Patterson has been sanctioned by the medical regulator over disparaging comments made about the triple murderer.
Chris Webster was a key witness in Patterson's trial, at which a jury found her guilty of killing three relatives and attempting to kill another with a deadly mushroom lunch in 2023.
After the verdicts, Dr. Webster told BBC that Patterson - now serving a life sentence - was a 'heinous individual' and called her a 'disturbed sociopathic nut-bag' in an interview with the Herald Sun.
The Medical Board of Australia found his actions were inappropriate and ordered that the general practitioner undergo ethics, privacy, and social media training.
An investigation was launched when the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (Ahpra) received a flood of complaints about Dr. Webster's media interviews and use of explicit language.
Dr. Webster accepted the regulators' decision and stated he stood by his comments while noting that he did not breach patient confidentiality.
He acknowledged he was found inappropriate in his professionalism due to his language and social media use.
Patterson, sentenced to life in prison, was convicted for the murders of her in-laws and her sister-in-law. Dr. Webster treated the victims before they were transferred to a Melbourne facility for urgent care.
The Ahpra investigation concluded he must undergo at least eight hours of training on professionalism and ethics, and be mentored by another doctor. He described the conditions as onerous but emphasized the community's support for him.
