SURREY — We have to question the Court of Appeal for British Columbia’s judgment in hearing an appeal of the murder conviction of a Surrey man who had already died in prison.
Thomas Robert Elton had been sentenced to life in prison in 2012 for the 2009 murder of his wife, Brenda Turcan.
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Three high-paid judges considered Elton's appeal on March 3, 2016, almost four months after he died in Matsqui prison on Nov. 13, 2015.
The court then revealed its decision on Nov. 9, 2016.
The obvious question is, why bother?
How many hundreds, if not thousands, of taxpayers’ dollars were blown out the door on this one?
Surely the services of three judges, three lawyers and courtroom staff could have been applied more profitably to a case where the appellant was actually still alive.
The money should have gone to a food bank.
The Now