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The London man convicted in connection with a fight that broke out during a Pride event in Wortley Village will have to wait another few more weeks to learn his legal fate.
Richard Sillers, 38, was found guilty in March of possessing a dangerous weapon – one of the flagpoles he’d attached to his pickup truck – after protesting a drag queen storytime event in Old South on July 16, 2022. He was acquitted of causing a disturbance by shouting.
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Sillers was expected to be sentenced Wednesday but assistant Crown attorney Lisa Defoe asked Ontario Court Justice Thomas Stinson for an adjournment so she could include victims’ impact statements before he delivered his decision.
“I think it’s important to canvass victims’ input in this case,” she said.
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During his trial, court heard how Sillers was with his wife and daughter in his pickup truck – outfitted with three Canadian flags and a homemade “freedom” sign – when he drove through Wortley Village, yelling and honking his horn during the Pride festival, which included a kids’ event featuring drag queens at the local library branch.
Sillers then stopped on Wortley Road and he and his wife got into a confrontation with a crowd of festival supporters who surrounded his vehicle, at one point engaging in a “sword fight” with a person who was swinging a flag at him, court heard.
The heated encounter, much of which was captured on video, ended when London police arrived at the scene and Sillers, who was wearing a shirt with the words “A lion does not concern itself with the opinion of sheep,” was arrested.
Sillers’ lawyer, Lukas Reidy, has indicated he intends to appeal the conviction.
Wednesday’s postponement is the second time Sillers’ sentencing hearing has been delayed. His April date was also changed after a member of his legal team had to undergo surgery.
“Well, it’s unfortunate we are not able to go ahead with it today,” Stinson said, adding he hopes there won’t be more delays in the case.
A new sentencing date will be chosen on July 17.
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