A 200-page notebook detailing an undercover RCMP officer's observations, including photos of suspects in the notorious 2007 "Surrey Six" murders, was found in the officer's former home and returned to the RCMP just last month.
According to CBC News, the officer's ex-wife found the book more than a year ago when she was moving out, and re-discovered it about a month ago among boxes of her former husband's belongings.
The book allegedly contains notes about surveillance of key Surrey Six suspects between December 2008 and April 2009.
An RCMP spokesperson said such books were "personal notebooks" of police officers, who are responsible for their safekeeping, and are used primarily to assist officers in refreshing their memories should they be called to testify in court.
Surrey's Christopher Mohan, 22 (left), and Abbotsford's Ed Schellenberg, 55 (right), were innocent victims in the October 2007 slaying of six people in a Surrey highrise.
Four other men who were shot to death – Ryan Bartolomeo, Michael Lal, Corey Lal and Edward Narong – were described by police as having gang connections.
Cody Ray Haevischer, Matthew Johnston and Michael Le are scheduled to go to trial later this month. The trial date for James Kyle Bacon, charged with first-degree murder for Lal's death, has not been set. And a fifth accused, Sophon Sek, who is charged with manslaughter, is due for a court appearance in January.
Criminologist Rob Gordon told the CBC it's unlikely the police officer's notebook will have an impact on the trial, but noted even the smallest of police observations can be crucial in a such an important case. He added that the security breach was a major concern as the notes contain names of undercover officers, suspects and witnesses.