Kim Pemberton
May 24, 1997
The lawyer for Tami Morrisroe's estranged husband demanded Friday that the Crown produce alleged wiretaps of murder confessions and Morrisroe's police - informant agreement.
Ken Young is representing Sal Ciancio. Morrisroe, who says she acted as an RCMP informant, has publicly claimed her husband was a hitman for the mob. However, Ciancio has not been charged with murder.
He is facing three charges of possession of guns and three charges relating to breaching an earlier court order prohibiting him from possessing guns.
During a brief pre-trial hearing in Port Coquitlam provincial court Friday, Young told Judge Tony Spence he is still waiting for the Crown to make full disclosure so he can adequately represent Ciancio on weapons charges.
Spence has given the Crown until June 6 to decide if he can comply with the disclosure requests.
Crown prosecutor Robert Bonner told Spence some of the documents Young is asking for may not be relevant to the weapons charges against Ciancio.
He noted that one document being requested is Tami Morrisroe's plea for clemency to the Canadian justice department on behalf of her father Sid Morrisroe. The 62-year-old is serving a life sentence for the 1983 murder of nightclub owner Joe Philliponi.
"No doubt my friend is interested in it [the plea for clemency], but it may not be relevant to these proceedings," said Bonner.
He said the Crown may also have difficulty complying with other defense requests for documents. Bonner singled out a request for contents of an internet website set up in Austria that details Tami Morrisroe's efforts to have her father released from prison.
In a telephone interview, Tami Morrisroe, who is in a witness protection program with her family, said she doesn't understand why information about her father has anything to do with the weapons charges against Ciancio.
But she said the plea for clemency and the website are in the public domain, so she wouldn't object to the Crown providing this information to Young.
Outside the courthouse, Young said he doesn't believe the Crown will be able to produce the tapes because he believes they don't exist.
"They have one witness in this case - Tami Morrisroe. There is no evidence to confirm, collaborate or support what she said and you read about these so called tapes."
Morrisroe said she isn't worried because the RCMP have the tapes in their possession and the truth will come out.
Young said Ciancio is still in jail because he hasn't been able to post the $15,000 bail, which goes against Morrisroe's claims that he was one of five deputy leaders of a drug ring.
"If he has access to the [Cali Columbian cocaine] cartel money one would assume $15,000 [needed for bail] is less than pocket change. He is nothing more or less than garage mechanic."
But Morrisroe said it's a brilliant move on Young's part to make it seem like Ciancio has to remain in jail because he doesn't have money.
Young said he asked for the agreement between the RCMP and Morrisroe to become a paid informant because it speaks to her credibility.
Morrisroe said she doesn't mind if the defense gets access to the agreement. "A lot of people speculate I've been paid millions. That's far from the truth. It wasn't about money. It was about justice," she said.
Morrisroe has maintained she was helping the police in order to gain favour for her father's clemency bid.
Young also told the media Friday that the gun Morrisroe gave to police has been tested by RCMP and he has a document to prove it is not connected to any of the murders Morrisroe is claiming Ciancio is connected to.
"One of the essential elements of this case is while she was a paid agent of the RCMP, she turned over a pistol. She claims the gun was used to kill five people," he said. On Sept. 12 there was a mass murder at an Abbotsford farmhouse of five people. No charges have been laid in connection with the killings.
Morrisroe said she never claimed the pistol she gave police was the actual murder weapon.
THE END
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