Hospital selfie taker back in court over drag queen protest

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A London-area man convicted of harassment in a bizarre incident in which he took a selfie with the dying father of an online critic has pleaded not guilty to the same charge, this time stemming from a protest against a drag queen story event last year.

Bubba Pollock, 35, was in London court on Friday to face a criminal harassment charge laid following the April 29, 2023, public event at the Parkhill library branch that attracted protestors and counter-demonstrators, as well as provincial police officers.

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One of the complainants in the case, whose identity is protected under a publication ban, testified he attended the event with his husband and young children and was planning to enter the library through a back door to avoid protestors when they saw a vehicle parked nearby.

Two men – one of them Pollock, the other wearing a face mask – were inside the car with a sign that read Kill Pedophiles, court heard Friday.

“I remember clearly because my kids can read and they asked what a pedophile was,” the man said in response to questions by assistant Crown attorney Shane Wright.

The man then said he and his family waited inside their vehicle for the men to join other protestors, but when they got out and unloaded some material for the event, they were approached by Pollock and the other man, both of who began yelling and insulting them in “a threatening manner” and calling them “f—— pedophiles” and “groomers.”

The man testified Pollock went on to pull his cellphone out, at one point having it within “three or four inches from my face” and saying he would run the man’s car’s licence plate to find out where he lived.

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The man, whose husband testified he felt intimidated and fearful, then said he tried to enter the library, at one point bumping into Pollock, who he said was blocking his way before Pollock incited him into a fight.

“But I just ignored him and . . . entered the library . . . and I immediately comforted my children,” the man said to court, later saying he decided to contact police and report the incident a few days later.

But Pollock’s lawyer Laura Ellis challenged the man’s recollection of his interaction with her client, suggesting at one point he had plenty of opportunity to simply walk around Pollock and avoid any physical contact.

A video of the incident also showed the complainant at one point turning to face Pollock, who’s heard saying, “Do you want one?” as opposed to “Do you want to go,” which was the initial testimony given by both witnesses.

“So, my suggestion to you is that you made an intentional choice to push past him rather than walk around,” Ellis said.

“And so, the only one who actually initiated any physical contact was you.”

Following the 2023 incident, the first complainant and his husband decided to install security cameras at their homes, saying since then they fear for the safety of their children, court heard.

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Pollock, wearing a grey suit, white shirt and red tie, sat silently, at times drinking from a water bottle.

The case, being presided over by Ontario Court Justice George Orsini, will return Aug. 8 to set a date for final submissions.

Pollock in January pleaded guilty to harassment after he admitted visiting the terminally-ill father of Britt Leroux, a strong supporter of the Pride community, at Hotel-Dieu Grace Healthcare in Windsor and taking a photo of himself with the dying man. The incident happened after several heated social media exchanges between Leroux and Pollock, who went on to share the photo on social media.

The maximum penalty Pollock faces for his criminal harassment summary conviction is two years less a day in jail. His sentencing hearing in the Windsor case is scheduled for Sept. 4.

jjuha@postmedia.com

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