Justice Christopher Beale: From Jesuit Priest to High-Profile Judge

When mushroom murderer Erin Patterson was handed her sentence, the world eagerly tuned into a live stream from Victoria's Supreme Court.

As Patterson was sentenced to life in prison for murdering her in-laws, Don and Gail Patterson, as well as Gail's sister Heather Wilkinson, by serving them a poisonous beef Wellington, it was Justice Christopher Beale listeners heard speak.

The judge was on TV networks and social media channels in every continent, but few people knew much about the man behind the robe.

The infamous mushroom trial wasn't Justice Beale's first experience navigating a high-profile legal case.

In 2019, he was the judge who sentenced Borce Ristevski to nine years behind bars for killing his wife, a term later increased to 13 years after a Court of Appeal ruling.

As a prosecutor in 2010, he led the case against a pair of swingers who were found guilty of killing Melbourne businessman Herman Rockefeller.

Nearly a year to the day after the infamous mushroom murder trial finished, the now-retired judge shared his story on legal podcast William and Lonsdale, including his temporary pivot to becoming a Jesuit priest.

Inspired by To Kill A Mockingbird

The former judge started life in Melbourne's west, before moving to Toorak and later New York, to undergo his school studies.

It was in New York that he found a passion for musical theatre and acting after taking on the key role of Nathan Detroit in Guys and Dolls.

Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird has sparked legal careers right around the globe, and Justice Beale is another name to add to that list.

On his return to St Kevin's College in Melbourne for years 11 and 12, he began pursuing a legal career.

"That wonderful book and movie To Kill a Mockingbird was an influence," Justice Beale said.

Early legal career

After school, he enrolled in an arts-law degree. Despite experiencing anxiety at university, he enjoyed much of his time deep in debates and moot court competitions.

He pursued a range of legal pathways after graduation, including a couple of years at Victorian legal aid in the late 1980s.

But an unusual twist in his career path came two years into the bar, when he took a detour to Sydney to become a Jesuit priest.

"I was thinking about that detour … before I went to the bar," Justice Beale said.

"I thought that I'd been on this path to becoming a barrister for a long while … and after two years at the bar I took that detour."

As part of his training to become a Jesuit priest, he spent 30 days in silence and prayer.

He was also sent to various communities around Australia as part of his studies, including a home for homeless men in Melbourne, the Northern Land Council to visit Aboriginal communities in the Northern Territory, and a hospice in Sydney.

Pilgrimage, begging as a Jesuit

A pilgrimage to South Australia's wine country without money or accommodation was among his most unique experiences as a Jesuit trainee.

The Jesuits covered his bus fare, but once on foot, he had to make his own way to the Clare Valley.

"You had to beg for food, beg for accommodation, you weren't allowed to tell them you were a Jesuit trainee initially," he said.

"That was a wonderful five days."

Initially, he put off begging for food, but as the first afternoon wore on his hunger took over.

He spotted a woman hanging out the washing with her young son at a farmhouse and sought her help.

"I said, 'Sorry about this, but I haven't got any money or food, can you spare me some food,'" he recalled.

Once stocked up with some lunch and cake, he was back en route to the Clare Valley.

"About 10 minutes later I found a spot by the side of the road, and I don't think I've ever had a meal that's tasted as good as that," he said.

From priesthood to Patterson

While Justice Beale had a "positive" experience with the Jesuits, within a couple of years he decided it was time to return to the law.

"I wasn't confident that I would last. And I wasn't going to take vows if I had serious doubts I would stick to them.

"So, I came back to Melbourne and resumed my life at the bar. It was like turning a ship around really."

Religion stayed with Justice Beale through the rest of his legal career, often praying during his walks through Flagstaff Garden in Melbourne while on a break from the courthouse.

He worked for both sides of the courtroom between 1986 and 2014, serving as a defence barrister for a decade after his Jesuit training.

In 2014, he was approached by the then attorney-general for a position as a Victorian Supreme Court judge.

"I was a bit anxious about it, it's a big role," he recalled.

It was here he stayed until his retirement in December last year, mere months after handing down Erin Patterson's murder sentence for 33 years behind bars, which has been appealed by both the prosecution and Patterson's lawyers.

Patterson was also convicted of the attempted murder of Gail Wilkinson's husband Ian.

The dual appeal is scheduled in the Court of Appeal on August 19 and 20.

Due to the appeals, Justice Beale said he was "limited" in what he could say about the Patterson case, but that he believed the jury had acted "conscientiously" during the trial.

When asked about how he coped with the pressure and media scrutiny of the high-profile case, the former judge said: "I cope with it mainly by working hard."

The trial was held in Morwell, meaning the judge had to travel from his home to the Latrobe Valley every Sunday night.

"It was heard there and that was Erin Patterson's wish, and it was appropriate that it be heard near the location of the crimes," he said.

"It meant that while I was there in the country I could just concentrate on work.

"There was usually some issue around the media that I had to consider and then I might say some things publicly before we brought the jury in … Most of the coverage was very good and reasonable."

Alongside cooking himself dinner and early nights in bed, the judge wound down after a long day at trial with a PG Woodhouse book.

After a long 10 weeks in the Morwell courthouse, the jury found Patterson guilty of three counts of murder on July 7, 2025.

In September, Justice Beale delivered his sentence in a packed Supreme Court in Melbourne.

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He handed Patterson a sentence with a non-parole period of 33 years, which meant with time already served Patterson could be freed in 2056.

He said the harsh conditions Patterson had already faced in custody as well as the prospect of solitary confinement "for the foreseeable future" were "weighty considerations".

Retired life

Less than three months after delivering his sentence as the world watched on, Justice Beale packed away his robes for the last time.

Now six months into retirement, Justice Beale said he was very comfortable with the decision.

"I've spent 40 years as a lawyer, my wife and I are in good health. We're looking to another productive phase of our life rather than sort of stumbling into it."

"As much as I enjoyed my role at the Supreme Court which was a real privilege, and I have to say it was the highlight of my career."

The former judge has also played a role in creating the next generation of lawyers, with his son, daughter, as well as son-in-law and daughter-in-law, all now pursuing a legal career themselves.