XPost: van.general, alt.true-crime, can.politics   
   From: campbell@neotext.ca   
      
   On Sun, 03 Dec 2017 02:32:37 -0800, Greg Carr wrote:   
      
   > The families of the two bystanders killed in the Surrey Six drug murders   
   > a decade ago have been left disgusted and broken-hearted after the B.C.   
   > Supreme Court threw out charges against Jamie Bacon, the man accused of   
   > being the mastermind behind the slaughter.   
   >   
   > Steve Brown, who lost his brother-in-law Ed Schellenberg, said Saturday   
   > that he felt numb when he heard news of the court’s ruling. He said   
   that   
   > he is too “worn out” to be angry.   
   >   
   > “There is no trust left. People are just disgusted. They are just   
   > disgusted with the whole thing,” Brown said.   
   >   
   > He said he feels like the judiciary is overwhelmed with big cases that   
   > carry on for years.   
   >   
   > “I feel for the judges, in so much as they are drowning. They are just   
   > paddling like crazy to keep their head above the water,” Brown said.   
   >   
   > He also said it is hard for families to understand what went wrong with   
   > the case when so many of the proceedings have been held in secret.   
   >   
   > Eileen Mohan, whose 22-year-old son Christopher was also killed, told   
   > Postmedia on Friday that she, too, felt like she’d been left in the   
   > dark.   
   >   
   > “I am lost for words, totally lost for words, honestly,” Mohan told   
   > Postmedia. “This is not the message I was expecting to receive about   
   Mr.   
   > Bacon, that the proceedings had been stayed. Honestly, it broke me into   
   > pieces all over again.”   
   >   
   > The Crown made the bombshell announcement and released an abbreviated   
   > court decision in which the judge stayed the prosecution after years of   
   > secret pre-trial proceedings.   
   >   
   > In the opaque, five-page ruling, Justice Kathleen Ker said the evidence   
   > and materials filed and the reasons for entering the stay of proceedings   
   > must remain sealed: “I am bound by the law as I have described it and   
   > accordingly am not at liberty to provide any further information about   
   > my rulings or the evidence and materials underlying them.”   
   >   
   > The ruling dropped a few hints, with the judge citing misplaced   
   > evidence, the testimony of a confidential informer and the fair trial   
   > rights of the accused.   
   >   
   > The abbreviated ruling released by the judge says Bacon’s lawyers had   
   > learned of privileged information that they were not allowed to use in   
   > his defence, which would affect his right to a fair trial.   
   >   
   > “In part, this arose from the manner in which the police handled   
   aspects   
   > of privileged and confidential information,” the ruling says.   
   >   
   > The RCMP said in a statement it is reviewing the ruling to assess any   
   > effects on the force.   
   >   
   > The judge also ruled that a key witness, who can only be referred to as   
   > Person X because of a publication ban, cannot be called by the Crown as   
   > a witness, in order to protect Bacon’s rights.   
   >   
   > Person X pleaded guilty in April 2009 to three counts of second-degree   
   > murder and conspiracy to commit first-degree murder in the case.   
   >   
   > Jamie Bacon posed for this photo while in prison in 2010.   
   > Jamie Bacon posed for this photo while in prison in 2010. VANCOUVER SUN   
   > Attorney-General David Eby offered no further insight into the collapse   
   > of the high-profile case.   
   >   
   > “When I learned of the Supreme Court of British Columbia’s decision to   
   > stay the charges for James Kyle Bacon, I was shocked, as I’m sure all   
   > British Columbians are right now,” Eby said in a statement. “I write   
   > these words today with tremendous disappointment. It is important to   
   > note that the individual remains in custody on other related charges.“   
   >   
   > The B.C. prosecution service said it is carefully reviewing the decision   
   > to determine whether to appeal, and will make a further statement once   
   > its review is concluded.   
   >   
   > A distraught Mohan said she was left in the dark.   
   >   
   > “All I was told is the information was privileged information and this   
   > was the judge’s verdict that she needs to have the proceedings   
   stayed,”   
   > she said. “Privileged information! She didn’t hesitate to break my   
   heart   
   > all over again, but she then doesn’t give an explanation of her ruling   
   > and that’s pretty frustrating, especially when you have trust in the   
   > justice system.”   
   >   
   > The boss of the Red Scorpion gang, Bacon has been in pretrial custody   
   > for more than eight years, charged with first-degree murder and   
   > conspiracy to murder of Corey Lal, one of six people slain on Oct. 19,   
   > 2007 at Surrey’s Balmoral Tower apartment building.   
   >   
   > His trial had been scheduled to begin in March 2018.   
   >   
   >   
   > Chris Mohan. VANCOUVER SUN   
   >   
   > Ed Schellenberg. IAN SMITH / VANCOUVER SUN Six men were killed   
   > execution-style in Suite 1505 — bystanders Christopher Mohan and Ed   
   > Schellenberg, and gangsters Edward Narong,   
   > 22, Corey Lal, 21, Michael Lal, 26, and Ryan Bartolomeo, 19.   
   >   
   > In 2014, Cody Haevischer and Matthew Johnston were convicted of six   
   > counts of first-degree murder and one count of conspiracy to commit   
   > murder. Both are serving life sentences with no chance of parole for 25   
   > years.   
   >   
   > Bacon was charged on a separate indictment to allow the court to deal   
   > with applications that involved issues relating to solicitor-client   
   > privilege, litigation privilege, informer privilege, and public interest   
   > privilege.   
   >   
   > Most of the proceedings were held in-camera.   
   >   
   > Mohan had hoped and prayed for justice for her murdered son, dragged   
   > into a penthouse apartment across the hall from the family’s home,   
   > presumably because he had seen the killers arriving on the floor, and   
   > shot.   
   >   
   > “I feel very betrayed today, and I feel like … the court system needs   
   a   
   > total overhaul,” she fumed.   
   >   
   > “They need to walk into the 21st century — they really do, and   
   > understand the crimes of the 21st century. I feel (the judge)   
   > literally delivered that Mr. Bacon’s rights were way supreme over the   
   > innocent death of my son’s rights. It sends the wrong message, it does,   
   > and having it delivered on a Friday, hoping it will go away by Monday.”   
   >   
   > She had to pause to compose herself.   
   >   
   > “Jamie Bacon can return to his family, you know, he has a mother,   
   father   
   > and brother to embrace him — I have no one,” Mohan lamented.   
   >   
   > “I just feel like screaming to the ends of the world until something   
   > magically happens. I still have a glimmer of hope something will happen.   
   > I know that the Crown will probably appeal, but I really have no hope it   
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)