He helped solve one of Australia’s biggest crimes. Now, Dr Chris Webster says he has paid the ultimate price.
The Victorian GP, who made headlines after raising concerns about convicted mushroom killer Erin Patterson, has confessed his outspokenness on the case has left him unemployed and penniless.
After taking the stand as a key prosecution witness in the triple-murder case that captivated Australia, Dr Webster spoke to the media in the days after to express his outrage over the horrific Leongatha mass poisoning.
A litany of complaints about his language towards Patterson, specifically calling her a “sociopath” and “crazy b***”, resulted in the doctor facing sanctions from the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency.
Four months after his sanctions were put in effect, the doctor shut his regional GP clinic in Leongatha.
Dr Webster has now spoken out about the ripple effect the trial and subsequent sanctions have had on his life — with the man once praised for his professionalism admitting he is now unemployed and broke.
The Victorian began a TikTok series on July 7 about the challenges he has faced — exactly one year since Erin Patterson was found guilty in a Morwell courthouse.
“In these twelve months since the verdict, I had vicious trolling and my registration had conditions imposed on it within 48 hours,” he said in a video.
He said the imposed conditions resulted in “severe financial hardship” for both him and the now-defunct clinic.
Bank statements provided to Daily Mail from Dr Webster revealed the doctor’s financial woes have since hit rock bottom — with the GP having just one dollar in each of his four accounts.
His fifth account, which is labelled as a trust for the now-closed clinic, is overdrawn by $18.
The doctor also admitted that the National Bank of Australia have continued chasing him for unpaid loan repayments, which he told Daily Mail total “tens of thousands of dollars”.
“Do you think AHPRA contacted the NAB before taking away my livelihood?” he shared in a clip.
Dr Webster’s most viral video has already amassed 70,000 views in less than two days.
“If you think I deserve to lose my livelihood, have my company bankrupt, have my reputation sh**-canned in the media — all for the heinous crime of calling a mass murderer a sociopath — then you’re wrong,” the 52-year-old told the camera.
A flurry of Australians commented support for the sanctioned doctor and his actions during the infamous trial.
“It’s such a rare, unexpected, unhinged and evil situation you found yourself in — be proud you recognised it and didn’t drop the ball,” one commenter said.
“I feel for you, far worse things have gone unpunished by regulators,” another Aussie wrote.
“Country towns in Australia need good doctors, this is a travesty,” a third person lamented.
Supporters of Dr Webster in Leongatha have expressed their hopes of supporting the GP through his sanctions by setting up a GoFundMe.
“The bloke would make a million dollars,” one local told Daily Mail.
Dr Webster’s testimony in the 2025 trial revealed Patterson had presented herself to Leongatha Hospital two days after the fatal lunch.
Lunch guests Don Patterson, Gail Patterson, Heather Wilkinson, and Ian Wilkinson were already fighting for their lives by then.
During his testimony, Dr Webster revealed Patterson had checked herself out of the hospital against medical advice, prompting him to contact triple-0 with welfare concerns for her and her children.
He was the key medical expert through the three-month trial.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.perthnow.com.au ’
