Jurors in the Robert William Pickton trial returned to the courtroom on Tuesday after a two-week summer break — only to be sent away minutes later.

Justice James Williams told jurors there is a matter he and counsel need to deal with and the jury is not needed back until Thursday.

"Well that might be the easiest jury fee you ever earned," Williams said jokingly to the jurors. "That is all we have for you today, so we want to break you in gently after that long holiday."

Before they were sent away, the jurors did hear Crown lawyer Mike Petrie read into the record four brief admissions agreed to by the defence and Crown. Those admissions eliminate the need to call a number of witnesses, the court was told. 

The Crown is expected to wrap up its case in the next few days. Petrie told the court Tuesday that the end of the Crown's case is "virtually imminent."

On July 10, Williams told jurors the trial was moving more quickly than had been anticipated, and that he expected it would be over "significantly in advance of the end of the year." The trial began Jan. 22.

Pickton is accused of 26 first-degree murders, but is currently on trial for six. The current trial relates to the deaths of Sereena Abotsway, Mona Wilson, Brenda Wolfe, Marnie Frey, Andrea Joesbury and Georgina Papin. A trial on the other 20 counts is to be held at a later date.