Disposing Pickton evidence

The B.C. Supreme Court says it has jurisdiction to order the disposal of thousands of pieces of evidence seized from Robert Pickton's pig farm decades ago, whether it was used in his murder trial or not.

The court says in a ruling issued online today that the RCMP can apply to dispose of some 15,000 pieces of evidence collected from the search of Pickton's property in Port Coquitlam, including "items determined to belong to victims."

Police asked the court for directions last year to be allowed to dispose of the mountain of evidence gathered in the case against Pickton, who was convicted of killing six women and died in May after being attacked in prison.

However, some family members of victims disputed the disposal because they have a pending civil lawsuit against Pickton's estate and his brother, David Pickton, and want to ensure that the evidence they need to prove their case is not dispersed or destroyed.

The court dismissed their bid to intervene in July this year, and the court has now ruled it has the authority to order the disposal of the evidence whether it was used at Pickton's trial or not.

The ruling says police plan to "bring a series of applications" for court orders allowing them to get rid of the evidence because they are "legally obligated to dispose of the property" since it's no longer needed in any investigation or criminal proceeding.

The court's earlier ruling says the RCMP has agreed to allow some of the civil case plaintiffs "limited participation" in the disposal application process, agreeing to notify them if police identify an "ownership or property interest in the items" that they're applying to destroy.