“We can confirm that inmate Robert Pickton was involved in a major assault on May 19,” said spokesperson Kevin Antonucci from the CSC. “This assault did not involve any of our staff. We are not able to disclose any additional details, including medical information.”
Quebec’s provincial police said a 74-year-old man is in critical condition in hospital after being attacked in prison.
According to the Sûreté du Québec, the attack happened at 5:15 p.m. on May 19 and the inmate was airlifted to the hospital.
“The 74-year-old man was taken to hospital with serious injuries and is still in “critical condition,” said Hugues Beaulieu, communications officer for the police.
“The suspect is still in the jail, and we will be investigating the incident today,” said Beaulieu.
In a press conference at Parliament Hill, Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs, MP Dominic LeBlanc responds to a question about security in the prison.
“Obviously when an incident like this happens, the Correctional Service has internal procedures where they review the circumstances of the incident to ensure that all of the appropriate security practices are in place,” said Leblanc.
“As I said, federal maximum-security penitentiary is already a tough place to work in so we want to make sure that all of the security precautions are appropriate.”
Pickton was convicted of killing six women, Sereena Abotsway, Andrea Joesbury, Mona Wilson, Marnie Frey, Georgina Papin and Brenda Ann Wolfe.
He was also charged with killing 21 more women at his Port Coquitlam, B.C. farm, 25 km east of downtown Vancouver, but those charges were stayed by the Crown in 2010.
He was taken to Hospital of the Child Jesus in Quebec City. The hospital wouldn’t confirm his admittance citing confidentiality.
Port-Cartier Institution is a maximum-security prison that holds 237 men and is just north of the St. Lawrence River and about 600 km from Québec City.
Pickton is now eligible for day parole.
Federal law allows Pickton to apply for day parole three years before his full parole eligibility. He would not eligible for full parole until 2027.
Parole board hearings are not automatic and Pickton would have to apply.
