VANCOUVER, B.C. (CN) - Siblings of serial killer Robert "Willy" Pickton have sued the British Columbia government, claiming the RCMP demolished and contaminated the now-notorious Pickton pig farm while investigating the disappearances of dozens of women from Vancouver's drug-infested Downtown Eastside.
David Pickton and Linda Wright claim in B.C. Supreme Court that police failed to compensate them for damage to the properties, and say they haven't had use of the land since February 2002.
"The RCMP demolished, removed destroyed or rendered uninhabitable or useless, various buildings, residences, infrastructure, motor vehicles, stores, equipment, and machinery on the properties," the complaint states.
The massive excavation of the sprawling site in the Vancouver suburb of Port Coquitlam allegedly destroyed vegetation and killed fish in a pond and contaminated it with gypsum, drywall and asbestos.
Robert Pickton was convicted of six charges of second-degree murder in December 2007 and handed a life sentence without possibility of parole for 25 years. Both the prosecution and defense have appealed the verdict, with hearings scheduled for late March. Twenty other murder charges are pending against Robert Pickton, but crown prosecutors have pledged not to pursue them if Pickton's appeal fails.
David Pickton and Linda Wright sued the B.C Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General and the attorney general as representatives of the Queen. They are represented by Robert D. Holmes with Holmes & King.
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