VANCOUVER — The BC Supreme Court says it has the authority to order the destruction of thousands of pieces of evidence seized from a pig farm decades ago, whether or not it was used in Robert Pickton’s murder case.

In a decision posted online today, the court said RCMP could apply to destroy nearly 15,000 pieces of evidence collected from a search of Pickton’s property in Port Coquitlam, including “items identified as belonging to the victims.”

Police asked the court last year to allow the disposal of a trove of evidence collected in the case against Pickton, who was convicted of murdering six women and died in May after being attacked in prison.

However, some family members of the victims objected to the disposal because there was an ongoing civil lawsuit against Pickton’s estate and his brother, David Pickton, and they wanted to ensure that the evidence they needed to prove their case was not dispersed or destroyed.

The court rejected the bid to intervene in July this year, ruling that it now had the authority to order the disposal of evidence regardless of whether it was used at Pickton’s trial.

The ruling says police plan to “make a number of applications” for court orders allowing them to get rid of evidence because they are “legally obliged to dispose of the property” as it is no longer necessary in any investigation or criminal prosecution.

The court’s earlier ruling said the RCMP agreed to allow some civil claimants “limited participation” in the destruction application process and agreed to notify them if police establish “possession or title to the items” they are applying for. destroy

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 6, 2024.

Canadian Press