B.C. Court Allows Disposal of Pickton Evidence

The B.C. Supreme Court has ruled that it has the jurisdiction to allow the disposal of approximately 15,000 pieces of evidence seized from Robert Pickton's pig farm, regardless of whether the items were used in his murder trial. The RCMP had requested permission to dispose of this evidence, which includes items identified as belonging to victims, as they are no longer needed for any investigations. Some family members of the victims opposed this disposal, citing a pending civil lawsuit against Pickton’s estate and his brother, David Pickton, and expressing concern that crucial evidence might be destroyed. The court dismissed their intervention request in July and has now affirmed its authority to proceed with the disposal. The RCMP has agreed to notify civil case plaintiffs if any items they plan to destroy may be of ownership interest to them. This decision comes after Pickton, convicted of killing six women, died in prison earlier this year.