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Accused 'controlled by brother'
02/02/2007 09:55 - (SA)
New Westminster, Canada - Robert Pickton, charged with allegedly murdering 26 prostitutes, was controlled by a brother who told him when to go to bed, a court heard on Thursday.
The jury wrapped up its second week of hearing six of 26 murder charges against Pickton. Early next week the court is expected to begin viewing 11 hours of videotape of Pickton talking in a jail cell to an undercover policeman, shortly after his arrest in February 2002.
Pickton, a 57-year-old pig farmer who was arrested in February 2002, has pleaded not guilty to all charges of murdering drug-addicted prostitutes from the port city of Vancouver in Canada's westernmost province.
Each day, he is escorted into the small courtroom in this suburb and seated behind a bullet-resistant screen with his back to the public gallery.
For hours at a time, Pickton sits still and watches the proceedings with his head tilted slightly to one side.
'Slow, dependent and swayed by police'
In grilling three police witnesses in the past week, defence lawyer Peter Ritchie has repeatedly portrayed his client as slow, dependent and swayed by the police who nabbed him.
Ritchie asked one police witness, Corporal Dana Lillies, about an interview with Pickton's sister, Vancouver real estate agent Linda Wright in February 2002, about Pickton's relationship to his brother, Dave Pickton.
"Did she tell you Dave told him what time to go to bed?" asked Ritchie.
"Yes," replied Lillies. "Dave was protective. ... she said Robert Pickton was slow ... but he was good mechanically and with the farm."
Again on Thursday, Ritchie focused on Pickton's mental ability and his failure of grade two. Lillies said Pickton's sister told police "he quit school at age 16 to focus on farming, and that he didn't do well academically."
Ritchie also asked repeatedly how his client was treated during an 11-hour videotaped interrogation, which was screened for the jury last week. Pickton made several apparently incriminating statements in the interview, including, "I don't deserve to eat," and "You make me out to be more of a mass murderer than I am."
Police lied during interrogation
On the stand, the police witnesses said they lied to Pickton during the interrogation, a technique allowed under Canadian law.
Ritchie noted that Pickton repeatedly asked to return to his jail cell during the interview. The lawyer asked Lillies, one of three officers who took turns interviewing him, "Why didn't you let him go back to his cell?"
"As police officers we are duty-bound to investigate crime," replied Lillies.
Repeated Ritchie, "Why didn't you let him go back to his cell?"
Lillies gave the same reply, and added that Pickton's "human needs" had been met, including drinks and offers of food, which Pickton refused.
Ritchie repeatedly pointed out to the jury that the police told Pickton "your fate is sealed" because they had so much evidence against him.
Lillies agreed, saying she told Pickton in the interview, "you're going to go to jail regardless."
Earlier on Thursday, Staff Sergeant Bill Fordy told the court that police had put "props" in the room for the interview, including empty boxes labelled to look like evidence.
The current jury trial on six charges is expected to last one year. The remaining 20 charges are expected to be heard after the first trial.
- AFP
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