Courts – Kamloops This Week

A rig driller once owned his own home in Kamloops, but lost everything when the price of oil collapsed, his defence lawyer said Tuesday.

Glen Currie, 41, pleaded guilty in B.C. Supreme Court to illegal possession of a firearm — a hunting rifle for which he neglected to renew a possession licence.

Currie was originally charged with a number of weapons offences after police found three recently stolen rifles beneath his mattress.

Crown prosecutor Neil Flanagan said RCMP were called on Aug. 8, 2015, when a guest at the Thompson Hotel and Conference Centre on Lansdowne Street reported a large number of musical instruments, valued in the range of $10,000, stolen from his car.

Police reviewed a security video and saw several people walking from the car. They recognized Brock Froese and traced him to Currie’s apartment, where he was renting a room.

A subsequent search found the three stolen rifles, under Currie’s mattress, as well as the .303 owned by Currie for which he did not have a current possession licence.

Froese was eventually charged with possession of the stolen equipment, while co-accused Aaron Jones was charged with theft.

Defence lawyer Eric Rines said Currie lost his job 18 months ago and later ran out of employment-insurance benefits.

“He was in his living room and renting out bedrooms to make ends meet,” Rines said. “He was trying to keep his apartment.”

The mortgage holder eventually foreclosed on the unit.

Flanagan said police determined a number of people came in and out of what became a “flophouse.” No charges resulted from the discovery of the stolen weapons.

Justice Hope Hyslop agreed with a joint submission for a conditional discharge followed by nine months of probation and counselling.

“No, I don’t need counselling,” Currie replied. “I’m just an asshole. I can’t help it. My old man’s just like this.”

When the sentencing judge told Currie she hopes he will pull himself out of his current problems, which include drug abuse and social-services involvement with his children, he replied: “You guys pushed me down and I’ll stay down.”

A former New Zealand politician charged with first-degree murder in connection to the death of his wife became visibly agitated in a Kamloops courtroom on Thursday as a prosecutor repeatedly drilled him with questions about inconsistencies in his version of events.

Peter Beckett’s cross-examination in B.C. Supreme Court began late in the day Wednesday and is expected to continue on Tuesday, after the Easter long weekend.

Beckett, 59, is accused of killing his wife, Laura Letts-Beckett, who died in a lake near Revelstoke more than five years ago.

Letts-Beckett drowned in Upper Arrow Lake on Aug. 18, 2010. Her death was initially believed to be accidental, but Beckett was charged one year later.

The Crown has alleged Letts-Beckett was killed out of greed, saying Beckett’s motive was financial. Prosecutor Sarah Firestone has told jurors Beckett stood to gain a significant amount of money in life-insurance and accidental-death benefits, as well as his wife’s schoolteacher’s pension.

Court has heard Letts-Beckett drowned after falling off of a Zodiac boat she was on with her husband. At the time, Beckett said, he was fishing and she was reading.

“I’m going to suggest to you that it was helpful for you to have her [Letts-Beckett] in a situation where she would drown if you didn’t save her if she went in the water,” Crown prosecutor Joel Gold said.

“That is offensive and that is total nonsense and I am surprised your mind would even go there,” Beckett replied in a thick New Zealand accent.

“You know I’m the prosecutor in this case, right?” Gold shot back.

“Do you know what the word ‘prosecute’ means, Mr. Gold?” Beckett replied. “It means, ‘To put before the court.'”

Gold also pressed Beckett about what he heard after his wife went into the water. At various times, he described hearing Letts-Beckett screaming or nothing at all.

“You heard her screaming?” Gold asked.

“I heard nothing at all, Mr. Gold,” Beckett replied. “Drowning is a silent death. People think it’s panicking and screaming. It’s not. It’s a silent death, apparently. I’ve done a lot of research.”

In court, Beckett said he believes his wife’s death could have been a suicide. He said she was depressed and dealing with the effects of a rape she suffered at the hands of a family friend when she was seven.

“I felt Laura’s pain, I felt Laura’s anxiety,” he said.

Beckett and Letts-Beckett met in 1995 in New Zealand. Five years later, he moved to Westlock, Alta., to be closer to her. The couple married in 2003.

Previous witnesses have described their relationship as a rocky one. The Becketts split in late 2007 but reconciled months later.

Letts-Beckett also went to police alleging physical abuse on the part of her husband, but no charges were laid.

Beckett was formerly a city councillor in Napier, New Zealand.

His trial, which began in mid-January, had been expected to last three months.

It’s not clear how many more witnesses defence lawyer Donna Turko intends to call, but she mentioned friends, family and experts in her opening statement to the jury.

BECKETT AND LETTS

A former New Zealand politician accused of drowning his Canadian wife while on a B.C. vacation more than five years ago angrily stood his ground on Tuesday as a Crown prosecutor accused him of forcefully holding his wife underwater.

Peter Beckett is standing trial in front of a B.C. Supreme Court jury in Kamloops, charged with first-degree murder in connection to the death of his wife, Laura Letts-Beckett, who drowned on a Revelstoke-area lake on Aug. 18, 2010.

Court has heard the Becketts were vacationing at Upper Arrow Lake when Letts-Beckett went into the water on a boating trip and died. The Crown has alleged Beckett killed Letts-Beckett out of greed, hoping to cash in on more than $600,000 in life-insurance and accidental-death payouts, as well as her teachers’ pension and family inheritance.

In his testimony, Beckett said his wife likely committed suicide after years of depression brought about by a rape at the hands of a family friend when she was seven.

But Beckett painted a very rosy picture of Letts-Beckett’s final hours. He said he went with her into Revelstoke to go grocery shopping and get a haircut before returning to Shelter Bay Provincial Park campground and going out for an evening boat ride.

Crown prosecutor Joel Gold pressed Beckett on his depiction of that day and said it did not sound like the actions of a suicidal woman.

“You can’t have it both ways, sir,” he said to Beckett. “You’re saying she was happy with you, but that she was depressed and suicidal. You cannot explain it both ways. It does not make sense.”

Gold then asked Beckett about the shirt his wife was wearing when she was pulled from the lake — a shirt the Crown said was on backwards.

“It came off, I suggest to you, when you were drowning her and you re-clothed her in a way that did not make sense,” Gold said.

“You disgust me, Mr. Gold,” Beckett replied.

Beckett then asked God to have mercy on Gold’s soul at the conclusion of his questioning.

Defence lawyer Donna Turko said she has a few more witnesses to call. She is expected to close her case on Thursday, with closing arguments taking place the following day.

The jury would likely then begin deliberations on Monday or Tuesday of next week.

Beckett and Letts-Beckett met in 1995 in New Zealand. Five years later, he moved to Westlock, Alta., to be closer to her. The couple married in 2003.

Previous witnesses have described their relationship as a rocky one. The Becketts split up in late 2007, but reconciled months later.

Letts-Beckett also went to police alleging physical abuse on the part of her husband, but no charges were laid.

Beckett was formerly a city councillor in Napier, New Zealand.

His trial began in mid-January.

Jann Bailey

The will of the late executive director of the Kamloops Art Gallery could be the subject of a landmark decision in B.C.

A Kamloops lawyer is asking the B.C. Supreme Court to determine whether an unsigned draft will of Jann Bailey should replace an earlier document that details division of her estate.

Bailey, who began working at the gallery in 1987 and oversaw it for decades, died on Oct. 9, 2015, after a long battle with leukemia.

Lawyer Candace Cates has petitioned the B.C. Supreme Court to determine how to divide Bailey’s estate: through her 2008 will or via a subsequent, but similar, document that was drafted and worked on in 2013 and 2014, but never signed.

“Since WESA (Wills, Estates and Succession Act) came into force, the B.C. Courts have yet to consider an unsigned draft will. However, similar cases have been considered by Manitoba and Australian courts under their respective curative provisions,” Cates wrote in the petition filed earlier this month.

In her 2008 will, Bailey left her estate divided in five equal parts among her brother, two sisters, spouse and an endowment fund named for her and administered by the B.C. Interior Community Foundation. The petition filed in court states Bailey contacted Cates in 2013 with some suggested changes. Cates drafted a new will and the document went back and forth between the two. Cates finalized the will in December 2014.

“The Petitioner [Cates] and the Deceased exchanged several emails reminding the Deceased to review the 2014 Will and set an appointment for execution. However, the Deceased ultimately did not advise the Petitioner that she had reviewed the 2014 Will and did not attend the Petitioner’s office to execute the 2014 Will,” Cates wrote.

Changes to the 2008 will included Bailey giving all her interest in property in Northern Ireland to her spouse, Alan Quinn, as well as small changes to a number of gifts.

The court has not yet scheduled a hearing date.

A thief who stole a kid’s BMX from a backyard and was tracked down by the boy’s father was spared jail Friday by a provincial court judge in Kamloops.

Christian Richard pleaded guilty to possession of stolen property and three counts of drug possession relating to small amounts of heroin and crystal methamphetamine.

Crown articling student Danika Heighes outlined events of May 25 and May 26 last year that began when a North Kamloops family discovered a prized BMX missing from their backyard in the early evening hours of May 25.

The father, Joe Cornwell, decided to find the bike himself.

Riding down Eighth Street, Heighes said, “he saw Mr. Richard on his son’s BMX, which is very distinctive.”

Heighes said Cornwell pulled over and told Richard he wanted the bike back, to which the rider agreed.

“After he pulled over and got out, Mr. Richard took off on the bike,” Heighes said.

Cornwall’s pursuit didn’t end there. In the early-morning hours of May 26, he again tracked down Richard and the prized bike in the same area.

This time, the father pulled over, grabbed a hammer from his truck and confronted Richard, who had a knife it his hand. There was no evidence Richard brandished it, however.

Heighes said Richard agreed to give up the bike. He was later arrested by RCMP and had a small amount of crystal meth and the knife on him.

Richard failed to appear for a court date in May. He was arrested at the courthouse the next day, when he turned himself into sheriffs. A search found a small amount of crystal meth and heroin, with a total value of about $300.

While the Crown asked for jail time due to Richard’s 34 convictions, including several for violent crime, provincial court Judge Roy Dickey agreed with defence lawyer Jay Michi’s argument for a conditional sentence order.

Michi said Richard is living common law with another even-greater prolific offender who surprised many in the criminal-justice system when she recently abided by court orders through an electronic bracelet monitoring program.

The two support each other, according to Mici, who added that, despite Richard’s criminal record, he has a gap from offending and is attending Narcotics Anonymous meetings.

Carrying drugs into the courthouse when he turned himself in “was a dumb move and he knows that,” Michi said.

Dickey ordered Richard to serve a six-month conditional sentence order of house arrest, including terms that he attend Narcotics Anonymous meetings daily and provide proof of that attendance to his probation officer. He is also on a term of one-year probation, including strict reporting terms.

“You’re not going to get a break again,” he told Richard.

BECKETT AND LETTS

The final defence witness for a former New Zealand politician accused of drowning his Canadian wife while on a B.C. vacation in 2010 described the couple on Monday as “lovebirds” and the alleged victim as a troubled woman hesitant to accept help.

Peter Beckett’s B.C. Supreme Court trial, which started in mid-January, is coming to a close in Kamloops. The 59-year-old is charged with one count of first-degree murder in connection to the death of Laura Letts-Beckett, who drowned in Upper Arrow Lake on Aug. 18, 2010. She died after going into the water while on a Zodiac dinghy with Beckett.

The Crown has alleged Beckett killed his wife out of greed, hoping to cash in on life-insurance and accidental-death benefits, as well as Letts-Beckett’s teachers’ pension.

Beckett said he believes his wife committed suicide after dealing for years with depression brought about by a childhood rape at the hands of a family friend.

Testifying by video from Alberta, Anita Leigh said her son was a student in Letts-Beckett’s Grade 1 class in 2007 and she became fast friends with the teacher, eventually inviting the Becketts to family gatherings and going on short trips together.

“Their relationship can be described as two lovebirds,” Leigh said. “Quite often, he would call her ‘baby’ — just things like that. There was always love and caring that we saw. My kids loved them. Laura loved my kids. Peter loved my kids.”

Leigh and Beckett both began crying in court as Leigh described Letts-Beckett’s personality.

“I can describe her as a beautiful person, willing to do anything for anyone,” Leigh said. “But I can also describe her as a very troubled soul who had difficulty accepting help from anyone. You could tell there were things that were troubling her and it took a lot to get her to understand that there were people who were there for her.”

Previous witness have described Beckett, a mountain of a man who speaks with a booming voice in a thick New Zealand accent, as an overbearing and domineering husband. Leigh said that was not the case.

“I don’t think there was really a dominant factor,” she said. “Like in any relationship, certain tasks were delegated to certain people. Peter is a gregarious guy, but Laura was never shadowed by him. She was confident being around and with him.”

However, Leigh said, that confidence was shaken when Letts-Beckett had to confront her relatives — a religious family, the jury has heard, that was “shunning” her for marrying Beckett, who was divorced.

“Her weakness was maybe not standing up for herself when it came to her family,” Leigh said.

“She commented to me that she would shake when she would see her father’s car pass. She said she just didn’t know why her parents were treating her the way that they were. Her family was a great source of sadness for her. It was just always there, always troubling. It wasn’t a happy situation for her.”

Over the course of numerous boating trips with the Becketts, Leigh said she never saw Letts-Beckett wear a life jacket.

“Did she ever comment to you what would happen if she went in the water?” defence lawyer Donna Turko asked.

“She always thought Peter would save her,” Leigh replied.

Jurors heard Beckett lived with the Leighs on their property after Letts-Beckett drowned — a stay that was cut short because of Beckett’s overwhelming grief.

“Peter became a part of our family,” Leigh said. “He brought his motorhome over to our house. I didn’t want him to be alone. I believe he stayed until October. I got my husband to ask Peter to leave because there was just so much sadness and grief.”

Leigh and the Becketts lived in Westlock, Alta. — a small, rural community 90 kilometres north of Edmonton. Leigh said Beckett became the subject of local speculation after his wife died.

“I know there were people saying he’d done it, that he’d plotted,” she said. “There was a lot of negativity. Peter said, ‘Let them do what they want — I’m telling the truth.’ He didn’t let it bother him because he had truth on his side.”

Beckett and Letts-Beckett met in 1995 in New Zealand. Five years later, he moved to Westlock to be closer to her. The couple married in 2003.

Previous witnesses have described their relationship as a rocky one. The Becketts separated in late 2007, but reconciled months later.

Letts-Beckett also went to police alleging physical abuse on the part of her husband, but no charges were laid.

Beckett was formerly a city councillor in Napier, New Zealand.

Closing arguments are expected to begin on Tuesday morning. The case could be in the hands of the jury as early as Wednesday afternoon.

The Crown will appeal a decision by a B.C. Supreme Court justice not to send to jail the operator of a city cocaine ring.

Prosecutor John Walker confirmed the federal Crown will appeal the February sentence of Steven Lloyd Currie, who pleaded guilty to conspiracy to trafficking cocaine.

While the Crown asked for a four-year jail term, Justice Hope Hyslop sided with defence lawyer Jordan Watt, who argued that a conditional sentence order, so-called “jail in the community,” is a tough penalty that will deter others from serious drug crime.

The sentence is expected to be argued in front of the B.C. Court of Appeal later this year.

Currie ran the day-to-day operations of a dial-a-dope operation in Kamloops in 2012, collecting money at the end of the night and reloading drivers with product.

Five driver-dealers rotated shifts selling small amounts of powdered cocaine and delivering it throughout the city in a work car.

They regularly collected thousands of dollars in revenue.

Through wiretapping phones, search warrants and undercover buys, RCMP dissected the workings of the operation headed by Richard Crawford.

By opting not to send Currie to jail, Hyslop handed him a sentence similar to the lowest-level cocaine delivery drivers, all of whom received some form of house arrest. Crawford was given a five-year jail term, while the cocaine wholesaler to the ring, Jean Claude Auger, received a four-year sentence.

Watt successfully argued for a strict conditional sentence over two years that would allow Currie little freedom to leave his parents’ home in Ontario, other than to work.

For the first six months of the three-year probation that will follow, Currie will be under an evening curfew.

An aspiring hip-hop artist who posted a threatening and profanity-laced song on YouTube — which included the lyric “this rap is going to incriminate” — was sentenced yesterday to 30 days in jail.

Colin Goddard — who goes by the stage name Buzzbomb — pleaded guilty to uttering threats, possession of crystal meth and breach of a court order.

Crown prosecutor Camille Cook told provincial court judge Chris Cleaveley that Goddard’s girlfriend of five years ago was made aware of the threats in the song when it was posted on her Facebook wall early last year by a third party.

“Essentially, it’s a lyrical song, a rap, threatening to kill her,” Cook said.

The prosecutor said RCMP ordered the account frozen, but it remained available on YouTube on the day of Goddard’s sentencing.

WARNING; ATTACHED SONG CONTAINS EXPLICIT LYRICS

In the four-minute rap, Goddard begins by singing, “It just so happens I’m in one of my foul moods again.”

He then accuses the woman of stealing his son and fantasizes about killing her:

“It’s time for the situation to be addressed/This is how I’m going to manifest/Your death/When I’m high on crystal meth . . .”

It also includes graphic discussion of shooting his subject with a shotgun, as well as using a knife.

Defence lawyer Renzo Caron said Goddard admits there was a degree of “lashing out” against his ex-girlfriend.

The two had a son together and the rap may have been generated after an access dispute.

“Any artistic motive was inappropriate,” Caron said.

The 37-year-old lives on a disability pension and has a criminal record for related convictions.

Goddard failed to appear in court in November for his scheduled trial on the matter.

He was also arrested in June 2015 in Nelson, when he was found with four grams of methamphetamine.

He failed to report for probation and was arrested in Alberta on March 23. He has been in custody since.

Calling the threats contained in the song “a very serious matter,” Cleaveley opted to give Goddard a 30-day sentence, as well as one day in jail on each on the other two counts.

He will also serve a six-month probation, including a term of counselling.

“You should be rightly ashamed,” Cleaveley said.

Shelter Bay in Upper Arrow Lake near Revelstoke is where Laura Letts-Beckett drowned on Aug. 18, 2010. Her husband, Peter Beckett, is charged with first-degree murder. The Crown and defence completed their closing arguments Tuesday. The jury is expected to begin deliberations Wednesday or Thursday.

The lawyer representing a former New Zealand politician accused of drowning his Canadian wife during a 2010 vacation in B.C. told jurors on Tuesday the investigation into the incident was “a witch hunt” aimed at her client.

Peter Beckett’s trial in front of a 14-person B.C. Supreme Court jury in Kamloops is winding down after nearly three months of testimony. The 59-year-old is charged with first-degree murder in connection to the Aug. 18, 2010, death of Laura Letts-Beckett, who drowned in Upper Arrow Lake near Revelstoke.

The Crown has said Beckett killed his wife out of greed, hoping to cash in on life-insurance and accidental-death benefits, as well as her teachers’ pension.

Beckett, meanwhile, suggested to jurors Letts-Beckett was suicidal prior to her death after suffering for years from depression brought about by a childhood rape by a family friend. Letts-Beckett admitted to having suicidal thoughts in a 2007 diary entry.

Court has heard Letts-Beckett went into the water while she and Beckett were on an evening boat ride near Shelter Bay Provincial Park campground. She was not wearing a life jacket and was not a strong swimmer.

In her 90-minute closing submission to the jury on Tuesday, defence lawyer Donna Turko pointed out a lack of physical evidence connecting Beckett to his wife’s death.

“No one testified, ‘I saw Mr. Beckett cause the death of his wife,’ nor is there any medical evidence saying so,” she said.

“This is purely a circumstantial case. Imagine if you were found guilty of murder simply because you were present for the demise of your spouse. While it appears to have been enough to have charged Mr. Beckett, that does not mean he is guilty. . . . In this case, there isn’t a smoking gun.”

Turko attempted to poke holes in the Crown’s theory on motive, saying Letts-Beckett handled all of the insurance paperwork in the relationship and that the amount of money in question was only enough to cover outstanding debts.

“The Crown wants you to find Mr. Beckett guilty because they just don’t know,” Turko said. “This is not proof beyond a reasonable doubt because you just don’t know.”

A Crown witness lied in court, Turko said, and police deliberately withheld information about how much a jailhouse informant who testified against Beckett was paid.

“Some people came to court as more of a witch hunt . . . to burn him at the stake,” Turko said.

Turko also asked jurors to consider wrongful convictions in making their decision.

“Most of these have been convicted on circumstantial evidence or evidence of an informant,” she said. “I know how most of you would feel if you had a loved one wrongfully convicted.”

In its closing, the Crown meticulously detailed a number of inconsistencies in Beckett’s various statements to police and other witnesses.

Prosecutor Sarah Firestone said the totality of the inconsistencies mean Beckett killed his wife.

“All of his lies demonstrate that he is responsible for getting her in the water and keeping her there until she drowned,” Firestone said. “In order for you to convict Mr. Beckett, the Crown does not have to prove how she was killed . . . only that he was responsible.”

Firestone said “one of the most significant lies” Beckett told was that he used a rock from the shore to sink himself down to Letts-Beckett’s body and pull it to shore.

“It defies common sense that a rock is heavy enough to sink with with which you can still swim,” she said.

“The accused is lying to you about finding a rock and doing anything to save Laura. He wasn’t trying to save her because he was trying to kill her.”

At many points during Firestone’s closing argument, Beckett could be seen shaking his head emphatically in his seat in the courtroom.

Beckett and Letts-Beckett met in 1995 in New Zealand. Five years later, he moved to Westlock, Alta., to be closer to her. The couple married in 2003. Previous witnesses have described their relationship as a rocky one, though a defence witness — Anita Leigh, a friend of Letts-Beckett — testified the couple acted like “lovebirds.”

The Becketts separated in late 2007, but reconciled months later.

Letts-Beckett also went to police alleging physical abuse on the part of her husband, but no charges were laid.

Beckett was formerly a city councillor in Napier, New Zealand.

Lawyers agreed to sit two extra jurors as a precaution given the length of Beckett’s trial. Before they are sent for deliberation, two jurors will be selected at random and excused.

B.C. Supreme Court Justice Ian Meiklem will deliver his instructions to the jury on Wednesday. Deliberations will likely begin on Wednesday afternoon or Thursday morning.

Check kamloopsthisweek.com and follow @timpetruk on Twitter for updates.

BECKETT AND LETTS

A Maori war dance, an endorsement of Donald Trump and a claim the victim predicted her own murder by drowning.

These are some of the moments the jury in the murder trial of Peter Beckett were not permitted to see or know about while the trial was underway.

However, now that the jury has been sent to deliberate on a verdict, KTW can publish what the jury was not allowed to see, hear or know — most importantly, perhaps, a statement from the victim’s cousin claiming the victim had predicted how she would be murdered.

Beckett, a 59-year-old former New Zealand politician, is charged with first-degree murder in connection to the drowning death of his wife, Laura Letts-Beckett, in Upper Arrow Lake near Revelstoke on Aug. 18, 2010.

Virginia Lyons-Friesen was one of the first witnesses called by the Crown when Beckett’s trial began in mid-January. She spoke about the relationship between her cousin and Beckett, detailing an intense argument the couple had during a visit in Calgary prior to Letts-Beckett’s death.

But, after extensive pre-trial hearings, B.C. Supreme Court Justice Ian Meiklem ruled Lyons-Friesen could not discuss a conversation she claims to have had with Letts-Beckett after the dust settled. The reasons for that decision have not yet been released.

In a police affidavit obtained by KTW, Lyons-Friesen said Beckett told Letts-Beckett she would drown in a B.C. lake.

“He said to her, ‘This is how you’re going to die,’” the affidavit reads. “You’re going to drown. You won’t know when, where it’s going to happen, you won’t know when it’s going to happen, but you’re going to know how it’s going to happen. That’s how it’s going to happen.’”

Lyons-Friesen went to police eight days after she heard about Letts-Beckett’s Aug. 18, 2010, drowning.

The jury also missed out on more light-hearted moments, including one when Beckett, in court on March 3 prior to the jury entering the room, endorsed Donald Trump for the U.S. presidency during a conversation with a lawyer.

“He’s what America needs,” Beckett said in a thick New Zealand accent.

“He’s a proven businessman. He knows how to do things.”

The previous day, jurors sat waiting for an entire morning while Beckett and his lawyer, Donna Turko, had discussions in the courthouse cellblock. Beckett was close to firing Turko, but the reason for their disagreement is not known.

Throughout the trial, jurors were often escorted out of the courtroom for lawyers to make arguments before Meiklem.

A number of those arguments had to do with Beckett having outbursts and, at points, muttering under his breath in front of the jury.

Meiklem also cautioned Beckett repeatedly, with and without the jury in the courtroom, to control his outbursts.

Beckett claimed multiple times in the jury’s absence that his lineage had been traced back to St. Thomas of Canterbury, Thomas Becket, who was the Archbishop of Canterbury in the 12th century.

Beckett claimed no one in his lineage back to the saint had been charged with a crime.

Prior to the jury entering the courtroom for the second day of Beckett’s cross-examination, on March 24, he turned to the gallery, performed a brief Maori haka and referenced New Zealand folklore.

“Today, I am Rongokako of Te Mata,” he said. “Google it.”

One of the first hits on Google is a link to “the mythical story of Te Mata o Rongokako, the sleeping giant.”

Standing six-foot-eight, Beckett is a gigantic man. Estimates about his weight at trial have been as high as 450 pounds.

Drama started long before the trial ever began.

In most pre-trial hearings, Beckett represented himself — which meant he was personally provided with Crown disclosure.

At one point, Beckett smuggled a hard drive of Crown evidence out of Kamloops Regional Correctional Centre. The whereabouts of the hard drive are still not known.

Prior to the trial, a justice official close to the case called Beckett “the ultimate test of the system.”

Wendy Breitkreuz travelled from Alberta to Kamloops to attend every day of the three-month murder trial of Peter Beckett. Breitkreuz was friends with Laura Letts-Beckett since childhood. Peter Beckett is accused of murdering Laura, his wife.
Dave Eagles/KTW

For the better part of three months, Wendy Breitkreuz has been a fixture in the Kamloops Law Courts.

The Westlock, Alta., native hasn’t missed a day of testimony in the B.C. Supreme Court trial of Peter Beckett, who is accused of murdering her childhood friend more than five years ago.

Beckett, 59, was charged with first-degree murder one year after his wife, Laura Letts-Beckett, drowned while the couple vacationed at Upper Arrow Lake near Revelstoke.

At trial, which wrapped up on Thursday, the Crown alleged Beckett killed his wife out of greed, hoping to cash in on life-insurance and accidental-death benefits. Beckett claimed Letts-Beckett either committed suicide or drowned accidentally.

Breitkreuz wrote 500 pages of meticulous notes while listening to testimony from 51 witnesses, closing submissions from lawyers and a day of instructions from B.C. Supreme Court Justice Ian Meiklem.

Breitkreuz is now waiting at her friend’s Barnhartvale home for Beckett’s jury to deliver a verdict.

Letts-Beckett and Breitkreuz were friends since childhood.

“Except for Grade 6, we were in the same homeroom from Grade 5 to Grade 9,” Breitkreuz said. “We were friends throughout high school, went to university together and were employed with the same school division.

“She played piano at my wedding and even our birthdays were only eight days apart.”

Breitkreuz said the trial was an emotional roller-coaster.

“During the first week of witness testimony, I was an emotional wreck,” she said.

“But I strengthened my resolve to try to be objective as I was determined to see this through to the end. And, as things played out, I was able to put most of the pieces of the puzzle together. Sadly, however, some of the pieces will probably always remain a mystery.”

According to Breitkreuz, the trial was the opposite of what Letts-Beckett was like as a person.

“There were days when I felt like I was playing an extra in a dramatic movie,” she said.

“And my feeling was that the bizarre elements and intrigue that was brought out in the trial was so contrary to what Laura was all about. She was quiet, reserved, reflective and, ironically, rarely drew attention to herself.”

Breitkreuz, who left three teenaged children at home, said she is grateful to her husband and employer for allowing her to take the time to take in Beckett’s trial — but she’s ready for the 10-hour drive back to Westlock.

“I did my best to try and normalize a difficult situation,” she said.

“But after 12 weeks of being away from home, I am so ready to descend those five flights of courthouse stairs for the last time and head back to Alberta.”

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PETER BECKETT MURDER TRIAL

The jury box in Courtroom 5D at the Kamloops Law Courts, where Peter Beckett’s jury listened to evidence from 51 witnesses between January and April. (KTW file photo)

The 12-person B.C. Supreme Court jury tasked with deciding the fate of a former New Zealand politician accused of the first-degree murder of his Canadian wife is now into its fourth day of deliberation.

Peter Beckett’s trial, which spanned four months, wrapped up on Tuesday in Kamloops.

The 59-year-old is accused of killing his wife, Laura Letts-Beckett, who drowned in Upper Arrow Lake near Revelstoke on Aug. 18, 2010.

The Crown has alleged Beckett killed out of greed, hoping to cash in on life-insurance and accidental-death benefits as well as his wife’s teachers’ pension.

Beckett, meanwhile, claimed the drowning was either suicide or an accident.

The jury began deliberations at about 5 p.m. on Wednesday. They have spent full days on Thursday, Friday and Saturday discussing the evidence behind closed doors at the Kamloops Law Courts, retiring to their sequester at about 6 p.m. on Saturday.

Jurors have returned to court twice with questions — on Thursday to re-listen to testimony from three Crown witnesses and on Saturday to have B.C. Supreme Court Justice Ian Meiklem clarify part of his instructions.

Letts-Beckett admitted to having suicidal thoughts in a 2007 diary entry.

Court heard Letts-Beckett went into the water while she and Beckett were on an evening boat ride near Shelter Bay Provincial Park campground. She was not wearing a life jacket and was not a strong swimmer.

In her 90-minute closing submission to the jury, defence lawyer Donna Turko pointed out a lack of physical evidence connecting Beckett to his wife’s death.

“No one testified, ‘I saw Mr. Beckett cause the death of his wife,’ nor is there any medical evidence saying so,” she said.

“This is purely a circumstantial case. Imagine if you were found guilty of murder simply because you were present for the demise of your spouse.

“While it appears to have been enough to have charged Mr. Beckett, that does not mean he is guilty. . . . In this case, there isn’t a smoking gun.”

“The Crown wants you to find Mr. Beckett guilty because they just don’t know,” Turko said.

“This is not proof beyond a reasonable doubt because you just don’t know.”

Crown witnesses lied in court, Turko said, and police deliberately withheld information about how much a jailhouse informant who testified against Beckett was paid. She also made allegations during the trial about police “trickery” in the investigation.

“Some people came to court as more of a witch hunt . . . to burn him at the stake,” Turko said.

Turko also asked jurors to consider wrongful convictions in making their decision.

“Most of these have been convicted on circumstantial evidence or evidence of an informant,” she said. “I know how most of you would feel if you had a loved one wrongfully convicted.”

In its closing, the Crown meticulously detailed a number of inconsistencies in Beckett’s various statements to police and other witnesses.

Prosecutor Sarah Firestone said the totality of the inconsistencies mean Beckett killed his wife.

“All of his lies demonstrate that he is responsible for getting her in the water and keeping her there until she drowned,” Firestone said.

“In order for you to convict Mr Beckett, the Crown does not have to prove how she was killed . . . only that he was responsible.”

Firestone said “one of the most significant lies” Beckett told was that he used a rock from the shore to sink himself down to Letts-Beckett’s body and pull it to shore.

“It defies common sense that a rock is heavy enough to sink with which you can still swim,” she said.

“The accused is lying to you about finding a rock and doing anything to save Laura. He wasn’t trying to save her because he was trying to kill her.”

At many points during Firestone’s closing argument, Beckett could be seen shaking his head emphatically in his seat in the courtroom.

Beckett and Letts-Beckett met in 1995 in New Zealand. Five years later, he moved to Westlock, Alta., to be closer to her.

The couple married in 2003. Previous witnesses have described their relationship as a rocky one, though a defence witness — Anita Leigh, a friend of Letts-Beckett — testified the couple acted like “lovebirds.”

The Becketts separated in late 2007, but reconciled months later.

That year, Letts-Beckett went to police alleging physical abuse on the part of her husband but no charges were laid.

In the late 1990s, Beckett was elected to city council in his hometown of Napier, New Zealand.

Jury deliberations will resume at 9:30 a.m. on Sunday. If jurors cannot reach a unanimous decision, a hung jury will be declared and jurors will be selected for a new trial.

Check kamloopsthisweek.com and follow @timpetruk on Twitter for updates.

A speedboat driven by Leon Reinbrecht landed inside a houseboat piloted by Ken Brown, with the July 3, 2010, collision killing Brown. In October 2015, Reinbrecht was convicted of criminal negligence causing death and criminal negligence causing bodily harm, but his lawyer is asking that the convictions be overturned, citing an unreasonable delay in proceedings.
KTW file photo

It took 46 months from the time the Crown laid charges following a fatal houseboat crash in 2010 to a finding of guilt last year by a B.C. Supreme Court justice.

A defence lawyer argued yesterday that nearly four-year delay is unreasonable and breaches Leon Reinbrecht’s rights under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Joe Doyle is asking B.C. Supreme Court Justice Sheri Donegan to overturn convictions against his client based on delays by the Crown and courts.

The court will be asked to determine how long is too long.

In October of last year, Donegan found Reinbrecht guilty of criminal negligence causing death and criminal negligence causing bodily harm in connection to the July 3, 2010, crash in Magna Bay that left houseboat operator Ken Brown dead at the scene and at least five people injured.

The resulting impact from the accident following post-Canada Day fireworks on the lake resulted in Reinbrecht’s boat coming to a stop inside the houseboat.

The case has been marked from the beginning by delay.

The Crown did not bring charges against Reinbrecht until 17 months after the accident.

While that period is not part of the defence’s argument, Doyle said it only adds to his argument the system took too long to bring his client to trial.

“Mr. Reinbrecht did nothing to slow his trial down,” Doyle said. “At all times, he wanted it to proceed.”

Argument on the Charter application is set for three days this week. The Crown is set to present its facts at the completion of the defence’s evidence and final argument.

While Doyle said all the blame for the length of trial process falls at the feet of the Crown, he is the third defence lawyer to represent Reinbrecht.

Lengthy delays were also caused by hearings to determine whether Reinbrecht required legal-aid funding.

The first prosector who worked on the case retired and a number of court dates were delayed, including Donegan’s decision.

During the trial, Reinbrecht’s defence lawyers suggested the Crown had not proven Reinbrecht was piloting his speedboat dangerously, suggesting instead Brown was at fault because his houseboat was not properly lit and he was intoxicated.

However, in her October decision, Donegan agreed with the Crown that there is ample evidence Reinbrecht’s “joyride” that night — after he dropped off several passengers on shore and returned for a nighttime cruise at speeds between 30 and 40 m.p.h. (48 to 64 km/h), cutting donuts and zig-zagging — was reckless and endangered the safety of his passengers and others.

BECKETT AND LETTS

Six days after deliberations began, the judge presiding over the B.C. Supreme Court jury trial of a former New Zealand politician accused of murdering his Canadian wife may urge jurors on Wednesday to come to a resolution.

The 12-person jury tasked with deciding Peter Beckett’s fate following a trial that spanned four months was sent out to deliberate on Wednesday, April 6.

Beckett, 59, is accused of killing his wife, Laura Letts-Beckett, while on vacation at a lake near Revelstoke more than five years ago.

Letts-Beckett drowned in Upper Arrow Lake on Aug. 18, 2010. Her death was initially believed to have been an accident, but Beckett was charged one year later.

At trial, court heard Letts-Beckett went into the water while on an evening boat ride with her husband. She was not wearing a life jacket and was not a strong swimmer.

The Crown’s case is circumstantial. Prosecutors have alleged Beckett killed his wife out of greed, hoping to cash in on life-insurance and accidental-death benefits, as well as her teachers’ pension.

Beckett, meanwhile, maintained Letts-Beckett either committed suicide or fell into the water accidentally.

On Tuesday, B.C. Supreme Court Justice Ian Meiklem called lawyers and Beckett into court. They discussed exhortation — a legal maneuver in which a judge urges a jury to come to a resolution.

Meiklem said exhortation could take place on Wednesday.

The jury has deliberated for four full days and three partial days. Deliberations on Monday were cut short due to the illness of a juror.

In court on Tuesday, Meiklem said that juror’s health issue has been resolved and the jury has resumed deliberations. If the jury cannot come to a unanimous verdict, a hung jury will be declared and jurors will be selected for a new trial.

Beckett and Letts-Beckett met in 1995 in New Zealand. Five years later, he moved to Westlock, Alta., to be closer to her. The couple married in 2003.

A number of Crown witnesses have described their relationship as a rocky one. The Becketts separated in late 2007, but reconciled months later.

A defence witness, Anita Leigh, described the couple as “lovebirds.”

In 2007, Letts-Beckett went to police alleging physical abuse on the part of her husband, but no charges were laid.

Beckett was formerly a city councillor in Napier, New Zealand.

The judge presiding over the first-degree murder trial of a former New Zealand politician has told a 12-person jury to keep trying to reach a unanimous verdict after jurors passed a note to the court saying they were hung.

Peter Beckett is charged with the murder of his wife, Laura Letts-Beckett, who drowned in a lake near Revelstoke more than five years ago. His trial spanned four months before being handed to jurors last Wednesday (April 6).

At about 3 p.m. on Tuesday, B.C. Supreme Court Justice Ian Meiklem received a note from the jury foreperson stating jurors could not come to a unanimous decision.

Meiklem then exhorted the jury, reading to them a document urging them to reach a unanimous verdict.

“Often, juries are able to reach an agreement if they are given more time,” he said.

“I ask you to still keep an open mind. . . . There must be some give and take in the exchange of your opinions. I know you have been trying your best to reach a unanimous verdict. I ask you now to give it one more try.”

Earlier Tuesday, before jurors said they were at an impasse, Meiklem said he would consider exhorting the jury on Wednesday.