FILE PHOTO

(BEN BULMER / iNFOnews.ca)

A BC woman who coughed in the face of a supermarket employee after being told she had to social distance has been given a probation order after having been found guilty of assault.

According to a July 19 Provincial Court of BC decision, Kimberly Brenda Woolman "forcibly and deliberately" coughed in the face of the employee after she was asked to maintain a distance of six feet.

"It would have been very simple, and easy, for her to have simply complied with the reasonable and lawful request to adhere to social distancing," Judge Barbara Flewelling said in the decision. "Instead, she embarked on a tirade about her belief that COVID-19 was not real and was fake."

The incident took place in the first few weeks of the pandemic at Save-On-Foods in Campbell River when staff asked her to leave the supermarket.

She then began shouting and swearing, and then coughed in the face of the employee twice. She also pushed her shopping cart into another staff member.

Following a three-day trial, wherein five supermarket employees testified, she was convicted of two charges of assault and one of causing a disturbance.

And it doesn't sound like her attitude has changed much in the three years since the incident.

Judge Flewelling said Woolman was "aggressive and rude" throughout much of the trial.

The judge said Woolman had displayed an "astounding level of selfishness" by refusing to social distance.

"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," the judge said.

Woolman's behaviour was "the height of selfishness and self-entitlement," the judge said.

READ MORE: Kelowna antivaxer sues reporters, publishers claiming defamation

"It 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," the judge said. "Ms. Woolman assaulted two front-line workers and caused a disturbance in the Save-On-Foods store that day because she didn’t 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."

Crown prosecutors wanted Woolman to face a $1,000 fine and 18 months probation.

However, Woolman said she received a limited income and would be unable to pay a fine.

READ MORE: BC anti-vaxxer loses case against exclusive club with $65K joining fee

Ultimately, the judge chose not to impose a fine but sentenced Woolman to 18 months probation with few restrictions.

She is, however, banned from going back to the Campbell River Save-On-Foods.

To contact a reporter for this story, email Ben Bulmer or call (250) 309-5230 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.

We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above. SUBSCRIBE to our awesome newsletter here.

News from © iNFOnews, 2023