Murder trial begins

In its report on the opening day of the jury trial, ABC Riverina reported that Mr Patterson pleaded not guilty.

It surmised the main point of contention to be debated during the trial would be whether Patterson is criminally responsible for the act of killing his sister.

ABC Riverina reported crown prosecutor Kate Ratcliffe said the defence lawyers would argue the accused was suffering a mental health impairment and did not understand he was doing something wrong.

“She said the prosecutors disputed this claim and would argue his conduct was solely the result of his use of methamphetamine, also known as ice, which caused him to have a psychotic episode,” the report said.

In a report provided to the Pastoral Times in 2021, police claimed a 42 year-old woman had sustained significant head injuries before being set on fire on November 17, 2021.

When officers attempted to assist the woman, a male senior constable suffered burns to his hand while trying to extinguish the blaze.

The woman died at the scene.

A 31 year-old man was arrested and charged with murder.

ABC Riverina’s article from the opening day of the trial reports the jury was told they could hand out a special finding of "act proven but not criminally responsible" if they were sufficiently convinced the accused was suffering a mental health impairment.

“Justice Hament Dhanji told the jury this would result in Mr Patterson being kept in a prison or a secure hospital until it was deemed safe for him to be released,” the article stated.