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Canada pig farmer trial nears end Canada pig farmer trial nears end
(about 14 hours later)
Closing arguments are due to begin in the trial of a Vancouver man accused of being Canada's worst serial killer. Key prosecution witnesses in the trial of a Vancouver man branded Canada's worst serial killer lied in court, a defence lawyer has suggested.
Robert Pickton is charged with killing 26 women but is being tried initially for the murder of six women whose remains were found on his pig farm. Adrian Brooks said in his closing argument that the witnesses were drug addicts whose testimony was unreliable.
Robert Pickton is charged with killing 26 women, but is being tried first with the murders of six whose remains were found on his pig farm.
Mr Pickton, whose trial began in January, has pleaded not guilty.Mr Pickton, whose trial began in January, has pleaded not guilty.
Final arguments are expected to take three days and the judge several days to sum up before the jury retire to consider their verdict. Final arguments from the defence and the prosecution began on Monday and are expected to take three days.
The judge will take several days to sum up before the jury retires to consider its verdict.
'Liars'
In court, Mr Brooks attacked the testimony of three key prosecution witnesses, saying they were paid police informants who were addicted to crack cocaine.
"Some people can tell a lie and it just doesn't bother them at all," Mr Brooks said.
Investigators spent months combing the farm near VancouverHe told the jury of seven men and five women that the discovery of women's remains on Mr Pickton's pig farm did not mean his client was guilty of their murders.
"If you have reasonable doubt it is your duty to acquit Mr Pickton," Mr Brooks told the jury.
During the trial, the prosecution called 98 witnesses while 30 defence witnesses took the stand.During the trial, the prosecution called 98 witnesses while 30 defence witnesses took the stand.
Prosecutors argued that Mr Pickton alone killed the six women. But in Monday's summation the defence focused on the testimony of just three witnesses.
Their case included apparently self-incriminating statements made by Mr Pickton to the police. One of them, Lynn Ellingsen, had said that she saw Mr Pickton cutting up a woman's body.
Investigators spent months combing the farm near Vancouver In his testimony another witness, Andrew Bellwood, said Mr Pickton had told how he killed his alleged victims and fed their remains to the pigs on his farm.
Mr Pickton's defence team acknowledged that the women's remains were found on the farm but said that many other people had access to areas where the evidence was found. Mr Brooks also poured scorn on apparently self-incriminating statements made by Mr Pickton to the police, and asked the jury to believe that Mr Pickton was not intelligent enough to kill so many people and conceal the crimes.
Expert witnesses called by the defence also questioned whether he was clever enough to have been capable of killing so many people and concealing the crimes. More charges
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. Prosecutors have argued that Mr Pickton alone killed the six women.
Most of the women Mr Pickton is accused of murdering were prostitutes and drug addicts who disappeared from Vancouver's Downtown Eastside area over more than a decade.
The current trial deals with the deaths of six women: Sereena Abotsway, Andrea Joesbury, Mona Wilson, Brenda Wolfe, Georgina Papin and Marnie Frey.The current trial deals with the deaths of six women: Sereena Abotsway, Andrea Joesbury, Mona Wilson, Brenda Wolfe, Georgina Papin and Marnie Frey.
A trial date for the other 20 murder charges has not been set.A trial date for the other 20 murder charges has not been set.