PICKTON APPEAL MIRED in POLITICS

Oldtown News
Vancouver, BC

PICKTON APPEAL MIRED in POLITICS

Today, the Attorney General of BC, Hon Wally Oppal, plans to formally announce the crown is set to launch an appeal of the second-degree convictions of the crimes attributed to Mr. Pickton.

Why the crown is embarking in the direction of an appeal is sheer politics.

The best case scenario of altering second degree to first degree convictions--all it accomplishes--is well nothing really. An appeal will not bring to justice those who were involved with Mr. Pickton. Those who in a premeditated way, used the cesspool of the Downtown Eastside as their personal stalking grounds.

The public is well aware that Mr. Pickton didn't act alone and an appeal will not change this fact.

The jury, which is forbidden by law to speak about the trial or its deliberations, let the public know in the only way possible to them, that they believed others to be involved and this is why they convicted on second degree rather than first degree.

The jury wasn't presented with any evidence showing others, besides Mr. Pickton, being directly involved with the planning, procurement, aiding or abetting of this genocide. To convict on first degree there must be beyond a reasonable doubt, evidence showing planning and deliberation.

If others had been charged with these heinous crimes, no question, a strong case would have been presented to the jury, showing a premeditated plan of using Low Track (the area where the sex trade workers were targeted) to wreck havoc.

Now the crown, because it wants the public to buy into only one person being responsible for these heinous crimes is left having to back peddle. They made a huge mistake in not charging others and they are left with no re-course but to appeal. Blame though has to rest solely with them for not showing a premeditated plan.

Another frightening aspect of this appeal is that the long requested Public Inquiry will not see the light of day.

There is no question that the Pickton trial wasn't the forum to get at the whole truth.

To move forward, we must hold others to account for their culpability in turning a blind eye to what became known as the Low-Track killing fields.

We must strive to address how these types of crimes can be prevented and an appeal or the conviction of Mr. Pickton sentencing will not accomplish this goal.

It is up to the public to clamour for an Public Inquiry. There is nothing set in law which forbids this. Pressure must be brought on the Attorney General and the Liberal government to initiate an Inquiry.

Jamie Lee Hamilton
tricia_foxx@yahoo.com