The estranged husband of a woman accused of murdering her in-laws with death-cap mushrooms - is the first witness in her trial

Erin Patterson's accused of feeding her ex's parents and sister, a poisoned beef wellington.

She separated from Simon in 2015, who declined the lunch invite.

Sky News' Penelope Liersch says Patterson's lawyer's admitted she lied about having cancer, tossing out a food de-hydrator and foraging for mushrooms.

She says the defense claimed Patterson never sought out death caps and meant to harm anyone.

The trial's expected to run for six weeks.