The Australian woman who cooked beef Wellington using mushrooms that apparently contributed to the death of three of her relatives spoke of an accident in her statement to the police.

Erin Patterson, who is not facing charges, has completed her statement about the events to police, local media reports.

Police believe the victims had eaten so-called death mushrooms, which are poisonous.

In her statement, Ms Patterson said she had used some dried mushrooms but did not think they were poisonous.

“I am now devastated to think that these mushrooms may have contributed to the illness my loved ones suffered from,” the 48-year-old said.

“I really want to reiterate that I had absolutely no reason to hurt these people, whom I loved.”

Her statement to Victoria Police has not been made public, but parts of it have seen the light of day.

The case has caused an uproar in Australia with the whole country discussing, without exaggeration, the fateful meal – held at Ms Patterson’s home in the small Victorian town of Leongatha on July 29.

Mrs Patterson had invited her former in-laws Gail and Don Patterson, along with Gail’s sister Heather Wilkinson and Heather’s husband Ian.

Her estranged husband was unable to attend at the last minute.

Hours after the meal, all four guests became ill, initially thought to be severe food poisoning.

Within days, Heather, 66, Gail, 70, and Don, also 70, were dead.

Ian, 68, is still fighting for his life in a Melbourne hospital as he awaits a liver transplant.

Patterson was identified as a suspect after the deaths – as it was initially thought to be a paradox that she and her children were unharmed from the meal.

In any case, the assessment of the Australian police was that she could possibly be completely innocent.

In her testimony reported on Monday, Ms Patterson insisted she was innocent and said she herself had been taken to hospital after the meal with stomach pains.