A Campbell River woman sentenced to 18 months of probation for coughing in the face of a grocery store supervisor in the early days of the pandemic has had her convictions thrown out.
Woolman was complaining with “considerable persistence and vigour” about the store’s pandemic safety policies, according to a B.C. Supreme Court decision released Thursday. At the time, public health officials were urging people to keep at least two metres of distance from other people. The Crown argued on appeal that a character witness was not relevant because Woolman’s identity was not in question. The trial relied on testimony from several witnesses as well as video of the incident.
While the bulk of evidence supported the trial judge’s finding that Woolman shouted, one employee characterized the volume of her voice as “a slightly aggressive tone” that became elevated over time but did not amount to yelling.