March 19th, 2025Woman avoids jail for Clunes ‘magic mushroom’ death

The woman who supplied the magic mushrooms at last year’s fatal healing event at Soul Barn in Clunes, has avoided jail time after appearing before the Bacchus Marsh Magistrates Court.

Diane Mathews, 54, faced the Bacchus Marsh Magistrates’ Court last Wednesday to plead guilty to a single charge of drug trafficking in relation to last April’s incident in which a Melbourne woman died.

The drug in question, psilocybin, had been ingested as a tea by 10 participants attending a “healing ceremony” being hosted by Mathews in Clunes on April 13, 2024.

It emerged that Mathews had rented the space at Clunes’ Soul Barn venue, for the event and charged participants to attend.

Among the participants was 53-year-old Melbourne mother Rachael Dixon, who died from cardiac arrest after ingesting the substance.

The mushrooms had been ground up and brewed into tea, with bowls seized by police at the site containing traces of the hallucinogenic compound.

The court heard Mathews had long practiced alternative healing practices and her lawyer, Jon Ross, asserted that psilocybin had a medical application despite being illegal, and compared the compound to cannabis, which has been legalised for medicinal use in Victoria.

Mr Ross, said police were unable to establish a “causal link” between Mathews’ supplying of the mushroom and Ms Dixon’s death.

He also said Mathews had performed CPR on the 53-year-old mother before she died and was was “haunted” by her death.

Magistrate Julia Barling said Matthews’ early plea of guilty and lack of criminal history had worked in her favour.

“To come before the court with your first offence being a charge of trafficking a drug of dependence is a very serious manner in which to enter the justice system,” Magistrate Barling said.

“Trafficking charges are always taken very seriously by the court.”

Mathews was given a $3000 fine without conviction.