CORRECTION: Ministry of Justice spokesperson Neil MacKenzie did contact the Global News assignment desk in time for broadcast deadline. We regret the error.
A decade after 50 dead eagles were found in North Vancouver, a massive investigation and criminal case against 11 men is seemingly over.
The Crown dropped charges this week against Gary Abbott and Ralph Leon, the last of the men under investigation.
“It’s good it’s over in a sense, but I would rather have a judgment in the end,” says Abbott.
“The way the prosecution and attorney general have ended this case, I think it’s the cowardly way out.”
Abbott and 10 other First Nations men were hit with more than 100 charges in 2006, a year after the eagles were found.
The lead investigator was senior conservation officer Rick Grindrod. For years, defence argued the charges should have been dropped because Grindrod, the main witness, was convicted for fraud in 2010 while the eagle investigation was underway. Grindrod was eventually fired from the the BC Conservation Officer Service.
“They knew that they were being called upon to explain all of these misgivings in their investigation and everything, and that’s why they said they’re staying the charges,” says Abbott.
For his part, Abbott is wanting the government to return all of their ceremonial costumes that were confiscated for evidence – and also wants an apology.
“There is defamation of character without question, so I would expect compensation in that sense, and also a public apology from the conservation service and possibly the attorney general as well.”