Selfie with Windsor, Ont., woman's hospitalized dad leads to charge against London man

When Britt Leroux of Windsor, Ont., opened Facebook on Wednesday night, she was shocked to see a photo of a man she says she had sparred with online — in a selfie with her sleeping, terminally ill father. 

Windsor police said Friday they've charged Bubba Christopher Michael Pollock, 34, of London, Ont., with criminal harassment. 

According to Leroux, the picture was posted in the comments of her Facebook entry.  

Leroux had recently spoken out against Pollock because of his protest of Pride events in London. 

The picture shows a man taking a selfie in front of the bed with a sleeping man who Leroux said is her father, Andre. 

"I opened Facebook and there was a comment," she said. "There was a picture of my dad and he was in the room with my dad. 

"At first I thought it was fake. I called the nurses and said, 'Are there red roses in dad's room?' and they said yes, and that's when I called the police."

Her heart "sank," she said, when she realized the photo was real.

CBC News has reached out to Pollock for comment and as of late Friday afternoon had not received a response.

None of the allegations have been tested in court.

Complainant 'harassed,' police say

Windsor police said an individual travelled from London to a Windsor palliative-care unit. 

"Investigators learned that the complainant, a 36-year-old woman, was consistently harassed through social media over a period of time regarding a recent Pride event in London, Ont.," said Const. Bianca Jackson. 

Police said there were no physical injuries stemming from the incident.

Pollock was released to appear in Windsor court at a later date, police said. 

Leroux said she had not previously spoken with Pollock. But she and her husband, John, attended the Wortley Pride celebration in London last weekend in a show of support for friends at the event. According to Leroux, Pollock had called online for the event to be shut down. 

After the event, Leroux wrote a post on Facebook, calling out the efforts to have it cancelled. She alleges it was on one of those posts, days later, that the hospital room selfie was posted online. 

Leroux said she believes it was possible for someone to find out where her father was staying because of recent news coverage about her wedding, held at the hospital so her father could attend. 

But, she added, she also gave instructions to hospital staff that his room number not be given out to anyone. 

She said she has since met with Hôtel-Dieu Grace hospital CEO Bill Marra and the hospital's security. 

A hospital spokesperson declined to comment further, calling it a police matter, but said staff had been in touch with the family and were providing support. 

Incident used as 'teaching tool'

Leroux said her family is doing OK, and her father is safe and unaware of what happened. 

But, she said, he is still "vulnerable."

"The hospital went on lockdown, they searched the premises, checked dad head to toe," Leroux said. "He is blissfully unaware, he's at the end of his life, he's ... extremely vulnerable. I called the police that night."

Leroux said she's happy police have laid charges. 

"I want [queer and trans youth] to know this is not fear — we're going to show love wins and love is louder. Love will always be louder," Leroux said.

"As terrible as it is what happened to my family, I can look at it two ways: I can be hysterical and completely panic, or use it as a teaching tool and use what happened to us to make a difference, not in the world, but I can make a difference in the queer community and the people that mean the most to us. 

"Dad is safe … we are safe, and as I said, love is louder."