B.C.’s top court has released its reasons for sending a man accused in the “Surrey Six” murders back to trial.
Jamie Bacon is charged with first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder in connection with the 2007 gangland slayings.
A B.C. Supreme Court judge stayed proceedings in December, 2017 after finding allegations of police misconduct amounted to an abuse of process.
The B.C. Court of Appeal issued overturned that ruling on May 21, but only released a summary of the judgement on Friday.
In its reason for decisions, the three-judge panel found that some police conduct had amounted to an abuse of process, but that it had erred in finding other conduct was abuse.
“The balance favours a full trial of the charges on their merits, where Mr. Bacon will be found not guilty or guilty,” states the ruling.
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“The community has a ‘profound interest’ in seeing guilt or innocence of these charges alleged against Mr. Bacon determined on the merits.”
The appellate court further found that other issues that had led the lower court judge to stay the proceedings do not, on their own, support the charges being dropped.
The so-called Surrey Six killings occurred at an apartment at 9800 Whalley Ring Road on Oct. 19, 2007.
Corey Lal, Eddie Narong, Lal’s brother Michael and Ryan Bartolomeo were shot dead, along with 55-year-old fireplace repairman Ed Schellenberg and 22-year-old building resident Chris Mohan, who were both in the wrong place at the wrong time.
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