No evidence to link brother of Pickton to murders, jury told

No evidence ever emerged to link the younger brother of Robert William Pickton to any crime, an officer in charge of reviewingthe B.C. pig farmer'sfile testified on Thursday.

Robert Pickton's defence team zeroed in on Dave Pickton, saying police should not have ruledhim out as a suspect.

Peter Ritchie, a lawyer for Robert Pickton, cross-examined Sgt. Dan Almas,who had been asked in 2004 to conduct a file review on everything the missing women's task force had about Dave Pickton.

At the end of the review, Almas came to the conclusion there was nothing to link Dave Pickton to any murders or any of the missing women. He believed there was nothing to elevate Dave Pickton from a person of interest to a suspect.

"We were engaging in an over-abundance of caution in making sure we hadn't missed anything and at the end of that, I was unable to uncover any evidence that drew a direct link between Dave Pickton and the offence of murder," Almas told Robert Pickton's first-degree murder trial. "I was always open to that, but I couldn't find it."

The trial, in B.C. Supreme Court in New Westminister, began in late January.Robert Pickton, whose farm is inPort Coquitlam,has been charged in the deaths of Sereena Abotsway, Andrea Joesbury,Mona Wilson, Marnie Frey, Georgina Papin and Brenda Wolfe, among missing women from Vancouver's Downtown Eastside.

In all,he is accused in the deaths of 26 women. He has pleaded not guilty to all the charges. Another trial on the 20 other counts will be held later.

Lawyer gets into brother's life

Ritchie said Dave Pickton exhibited behaviour that should have made him a suspect.

Ritchie pointed out, and Almas agreed, that Dave Pickton used sex trade workers.

Ritchie also raised the notion that it was believed Dave Pickton had disdain for women. But Almas suggested that is not evidence of murder.

Ritchie also said Almas became aware of an incident in 1999, where a woman alleged she was violently assaulted by Dave Pickton in his home. The unidentified woman allegedhe bound her limbs to the bed using bungee cords and tried to shove pills in her mouth

Almas said he was aware of that allegation, and agreed that pills and bungee cords were found in a search of the younger Pickton's bedroom.

"Someone who is alleged to have committed a serious sexual assault does not a murderer make," Almas replied.

'Open to all possibilities'

Ritchie further suggested that there was a belief Dave Pickton exerted a "controlling influence" over Robert Pickton. Almas said although he had heard that, he had no real information about it andthatit was simply a rumour or allegation within the file.

Despite the issues raised by Ritchie, Almas maintained that all of those factors did not mean Dave Pickton had any connection to the murders.

"I have no information that he was involved in murders, as an investigator I remain open to all possibilities," Almas said.

The request for Almas to review Dave Pickton's file came after police learned new information about DNA belonging to a still unidentified woman, known as Female 58.

Her DNA was found in two locations in Dave Pickton's bedroom, as well on a floor vent in Robert Pickton's trailer and in a freezer in the slaughterhouse, the same building where the remains of Mona Wilson were found.