London man sentenced in Windsor harassment case

A London, Ont. man, who pleaded guilty earlier this year in a harassment case, has been sentenced to two months in jail for criminal harassment of a Windsor, Ont. family.

“I don't think jail time is going to do anything for him. I think he needs intense therapy,” Britt Leroux told CTV News, moments after the sentencing.

Bubba Pollock admitted that in June 2023, he drove from London to Hotel-Dieu Grace Healthcare (HDGH) in Windsor, snuck into Britt Leroux’s fathers’ room, took a selfie with the man in the background while he was asleep and posted the image to social media.

At the time, Britt Leroux and Pollock were in a disagreement online over Leroux’s support for the 2SLGBTQIA+ community.

“I never met Bubba a day in my life, and he decided to go see my dad,” Leroux said Friday, clutching her fathers’ ashes in an urn, which she brought to court.

“I wanted him (Pollock) to know. Well, that man that you took that picture with, this is all he is now. He's reduced to ash. This is what we all will be one day. And you have to be a better person,” Leroux said.

Judge dismisses defence explanation

Pollock, according to his lawyers, has suffered upwards of 12 concussions. Brain injuries, they said, have caused diagnoses of bipolar disorder and ADHD. They said it causes Pollock to act impulsively.

They wanted house arrest for Pollock so he could continue with therapy and offered the court 25 letters of support for him.

Pollock told the court he wanted to visit Leroux because the man’s palliative condition reminded Pollock of his own mother’s struggle.

“This is not a well-intended act gone bad,” Justice Mark Hornblower said in ruling Friday, criticizing Pollock for trying to “minimize blame”.

“While the initial idea to act the way he did may have been impulsive, the entirety of his actions cannot be viewed that way,” Justice Hornblower said.

He noted Pollock had to search for the address of HDGH, drive two hours to Windsor, find Leroux’s room, take a picture, return to London and post the image to social media.

“These actions reflect planning and deliberation. Not impulsivity,” the judge said.

While sympathetic to Pollocks’ personal health and reasonable prospect of rehabilitation, Justice Hornblower said he needed to send a message of general deterrence to the community.

“This reflects the need to denounce conduct of this nature, which undermines the right of any of us to hold and express opinions free of fear,” the judge said.

Pollock has a criminal record from 2019 for, among other offences, posting an intimate image to social media without consent.

Citing that previous history, Justice Hornblower told the court he didn’t think house arrest was appropriate in the case before him.

‘I feel bad’: Britt Leroux emotional in court

During the court proceedings various members of the Leroux family could be heard crying or expressing relief at the sentence.

As Pollock was led away by police, however, Leroux could be heard in the courtroom saying, "I feel bad".

“For some reason I felt this guilt when I saw the look he gave his wife when he (sic) looked over at her. And you just, like, I know you're saying goodbye,” Leroux said. “I felt bad. I'm a human still. You did terrible things to me. But I can see past that.”

During Leroux’s interview with the media outside the courthouse, members of Pollock’s family could be heard shouting towards her. To the point Leroux’s husband, John Reh, went in to ask Windsor Police to intervene.

“They're bringing more awareness to the cause, and they're showing their true colours and they're just doing all the things that we would expect him (Pollock) to do,” Leroux said. “It's going to make me fight more and more for the trans(gender) community, especially in Windsor and all the youth in Windsor.”

Leroux plans to put the court ordeal behind her and plan her father’s celebration of life.

“In the (courthouse) elevator, I just felt this light on me, and we were in a dark elevator, and it was like my dad just kind of was saying like, ‘It's okay.’ You know? ‘It's done. You fought hard for me. You protected me. And it's okay now to let it go, Britt.’”

Pollock to pay Leroux

For the first year of his three-year probation, Pollock will be prohibited from using social media.

He was also ordered to pay $1,908.25 to Leroux for the security system she installed in her home and for half of the cellphone she decided to purchase after the offences. Pollock will also pay a victim surcharge.

Defence lawyer Laura Ellis declined to comment.

Assistant Crown Attorney Jennifer Holmes told CTV News in a statement, “the Crown respects the decision of Justice Hornblower, who made it plainly clear that the right to freedom of expression does not extend to intimidation or harassment.”