When Ms. Ireson was asked to describe Mr. Pickton, she pointed and said "He's right there." She later described a discussion at the vehicle as being very "messy." The man, who identified himself as "Willie" Pickton, vetoed the idea of having a "car date" or going back to the room she had at the Cobalt Hotel on Main Street. Instead, he wanted her to go out to his farm. She also recalls a stiletto shoe and some rope being in the car. It was decided that they would meet the following Thursday. Before they went their separate ways, Pickton bought her some cigarettes and munchies and lent Ireson some money.
Ms. Ireson missed the scheduled Thursday meeting but bumped into Pickton a few weeks later. She testified to being dope-sick that day and so she asked Pickton for some money for a score. He did give her some money, and after scoring, she realized it was fake dope. She went back to the spot where she saw Pickton and he was still there. After telling him what happened, he gave her more money.
When questioned, she said she was absolutely sure that's what happened between her and Pickton.
*****
In court on Thursday there were less media than had been there earlier in the week, but in the general seating of Courtroom 102, I saw more new faces than I have since the trial started. There was even an "Oh my God, there he is" whispered behind me as Pickton entered court.
Other testimony came from Juanita Maginily, who worked as a street nurse in the DTES. She was a very short and brief witness, mostly discussing the condoms that the street nurses handed out. Seeing the blue and red Durex condom packaging brought me back years; I was always finding those things in my purses, pockets and coats. No kidding, six years off the streets, I found some in a box that held my diaries...they haunt me!
Ms. Maginily testified to how the manufacturers of the condoms put a yellow sticker on the un-lubed variety because of complaints from the sex trade community about not being able to tell them apart. For the adorably naive woman sitting behind me who quietly mused to her friend "Why do they need two kinds?" the answer is un-lubed is for oral sex, lubed is for intercourse.
The third and final witness was Monique Wood, who at 28, lived on the DTES from the ages 17 to 24. She was in the American bar when she ran into a girl by the name of Dinah Taylor. They had a conversation, and it was suggested she grab her laundry out of the car (where she was living parked behind the Cobalt Hotel), because Dinah was with someone who would let her do her laundry at his place.
Ms. Wood packed her laundry in a large duffel bag and walked over to a white truck by the CN rail station and was introduced to "Willie" by Dinah. The duffel bag was put in the back of the truck and Dinah got $50 from Pickton. Her and Ms. Wood went and scored some dope, they both got high and then Dinah took off.
With her bag of clothing in the back of the truck, Ms. Wood went to the truck to talk to Pickton, who said she could still come and do her laundry. She had made it clear she would not have sex with him and he was OK with that. They went to the farm.
She spoke of the general disorder of the property and how the trailer looked "like an elementary school portable." She said there seemed to be no one else on the property, and she took her bag inside the trailer and then went to the bathroom to mainline (shoot up) some down (heroin).
When she came out of the bathroom, Pickton was laying on the bed and asked her if she wanted to watch a movie; she put one on and lay down on the bed and feel asleep.
The next morning Pickton asked if she wanted to come to got to Surrey to get pigs, she declined.
Pickton dropped her off at the Coquitlam bus loop with $70 to make her way back to Vancouver; he gave her his number so she could call him later on if she wanted to do her laundry. She never returned to the property.