Lawyers begin pig farmer defence

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/americas/6979345.stm

Version 0 of 1.

Lawyers for alleged serial killer Robert Pickton have begun his defence at his trial in Vancouver, Canada, arguing he has limited intelligence.

Mr Pickton is accused of murdering 26 women but is initially being tried for six murders. He has pleaded not guilty.

The prosecution wrapped up its case in August after calling 98 witnesses.

The defence told the jury the issue of Mr Pickton's intelligence was important given that he had appeared to make incriminating statements to police.

The prosecution argued that Mr Pickton, 57, spoke about the murders during a formal police interview and also to an undercover officer who was sharing his jail cell.

Defence lawyer Adrian Brooks said such statements could be seen as confessional or maybe not, when one was aware of Mr Pickton's level of intelligence.

"He was told he was going to live and die in prison. Think about the thought process, the choices that would be going through Mr Pickton's mind at the time (of his police interview)," Mr Brooks said.

Most of the women Mr Pickton is accused of murdering were prostitutes and drug addicts who disappeared from Vancouver's Downtown Eastside over more than a decade.

Credibility

The defence would be calling several witnesses, including psychologists who gave Mr Pickton IQ and aptitude tests, Mr Brooks said.

The defence team have said they could wrap up their case in about three weeks, far less than the prosecutors who opened its case in January and concluded in mid-August.

Mr Pickton's lawyers have not indicated whether he will take the stand.

He was arrested in 2002 and has been in custody since then.

Prosecutors alleged that Mr Pickton butchered the women after he killed them and disposed of their remains on his pig farm outside Vancouver.

As well as the statements Mr Pickton gave to the police, the prosecution case included DNA evidence from the farm, and witnesses who testified about what they had allegedly seen on the farm or heard from Mr Pickton.

The defence has repeatedly challenged the witnesses' credibility and the reliability of the evidence linking Mr Pickton to the murders.