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B.C. woman sentenced for coughing on grocery worker during COVID-19 tirade

Campbell River resident gets 18 months probation for 2020 disturbance in Save On Foods grocery store
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Campbell River, B.C., Courthouse. Photo by Alistair Taylor/Campbell River Mirror

Our laws apply to everyone, a provincial court judge said to a Campbell River woman who refused to follow COVID-19 rules, claimed the pandemic is a hoax, assaulted frontline workers and coughed into the face of a grocery store worker trying to enforce rules.

香蕉视频直播淎 just society is also a civil, peaceful society,香蕉视频直播 provincial court judge Barbara Flewelling said in her reasons for sentencing Kimberly Brenda Woolman to 18 months probation on July 19. 香蕉视频直播淚t needs to be brought home to Ms. Woolman and others who are like-minded, that our laws, including public health orders and the Criminal Code, apply to everyone.

香蕉视频直播淢s. Woolman assaulted two front line workers and caused a disturbance in the Save On Foods store that day because she didn香蕉视频直播檛 want to follow a public health order that she maintain a distance of six feet from other people. It was far from an onerous law to follow. Her actions were intentional and her moral blameworthiness is high.香蕉视频直播

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On April 13, Woolman was found guilty in Campbell River provincial court of causing a disturbance at the Save On Foods grocery store in Campbell River; assault of a Save On Foods employee by forcibly and deliberately coughing in her face; and assault of another employee when she deliberately shoved and pushed her shopping cart into him.

香蕉视频直播淚 heard evidence from all five store employees who were directly involved with Ms. Woolman that day,香蕉视频直播 the judge says in her reasons for sentencing. 香蕉视频直播淭hey were required to respond to Ms. Woolman香蕉视频直播檚 refusal to follow the Save On Foods store policy requiring all people to maintain a distance of six feet, her refusal to immediately leave the store, and her continuous loud invective that COVID 19 was fake.香蕉视频直播

The Crown had asked that the judge impose a fine of $1,000 and probation for 18 months with minimal conditions. The judge, noting Woolman香蕉视频直播檚 limited ability to pay a fine, suspended passing of sentence and placed Woolman on 18 months probation with conditions that required, among other standard provisions, no contact or communication with the Save On Foods employee attempting to get Woolman to comply with the rules and banned her from going into the Save Foods store in Campbell River.

The judge says denunciation and deterrence are served by the fact that Woolman will now have a criminal record.

香蕉视频直播淭hroughout much of the trial, Ms. Woolman was aggressive and rude to witnesses and, at times, with the Court,香蕉视频直播 Judge Flewelling says in her reasons for sentencing. 香蕉视频直播淗er behaviour on April 24, 2020 was also aggressive and rude. She displayed an astounding level of selfishness as she disregarded the entreaties of Ms. Poulton to simply agree to follow social distancing guidelines. Ms. Woolman was of the view that she was in the right to insist that she did not have to follow the store guidelines which had been put in place to comply with public health orders to slow the transmission and spread of COVID-19 between people.

香蕉视频直播淚t would have been very simple, and easy, for her to have simply complied with the reasonable and lawful request to adhere to social distancing. Instead, she embarked on a tirade about her belief that COVID-19 was not real and was fake. While she is entitled to have her own beliefs about COVID-19, she was not entitled to insist that she did not have to follow rules that were put in place by the Provincial Health Officer to protect people during a pandemic and, at a time when much was still unknown about the virus. It was the height of selfishness and self-entitlement.

香蕉视频直播淚t is aggravating that Ms. Woolman assaulted and disparaged five employees who were required to work on the front lines during a pandemic. People were dying from the COVID-19 virus and front line workers who, like these five individuals, were exposed to the public faced the greatest risk of contracting the virus.

香蕉视频直播淚t is a factor I consider in determining a fit and just sentence and in balancing and weighing the various sentencing objectives.香蕉视频直播

A mitigating factor was that Woolman has no prior criminal record.

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Alistair Taylor

About the Author: Alistair Taylor

I have been editor of the Campbell River Mirror since 1989. Our team takes great pride in serving our community.
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