It was a trial that sparked controversy and media attention throughout the community. It all came to a head in March 2024 when Richard Sillers, 40, was found guilty of possessing a dangerous weapon which the court heard was a flagpole which had been attached to his truck. During the trial, evidence showed he came upon a Drag Queen Storytime session in Wortley village during Pride week in July 2022 and began protesting using the flagpole. While arguing the appeal, Sillers’ lawyer, Phil Millar, said his client was acting in self defence, “You can see there is force being used against the appellant,” he said, referring to videos. He goes on to tell Justice Kelly Tranquilli that she should either order a new trial, find Sillers not guilty, or give him an absolute discharge. “Crown witnesses are misrepresenting the evidence in this case,” he said. Meanwhile Crown Attorney Jeremy Carnegie argued that Sillers was the aggressor. “The best evidence of what truly happened is indeed the video the judge relied on,” said Carnegie. “The video is the objective witness … He (Sillers) wanted to disrupt people in the park … he got exactly what he was looking for, he got that confrontation.” As for the flagpole Carnegie argued that “Using an item as a weapon makes it a weapon.” Justice Tranquilli is expected to hand down her decision on the matter at a later date.
