Советник Фенелон-Фоллз дал показания в суде по делу жителя, обвиняемого в угрозах смерти

Fenelon Falls councillor Mike Perry shared how a violence-filled email impacted him personally and professionally as testimony in a Cameron-area resident’s trial continued Tuesday. Bill Denby is facing charges of uttering death threats, criminal harassment and intimidating a justice participant, stemming from an escalation of incidents and communications in late 2023 and early 2024. The trial, which began Aug. 24, is being heard by a 12-member jury. It is being presided over by Justice Lisa Wannamaker and prosecuted by Crown Attorney Natasha Jerome. Denby, who has pleaded not guilty to all charges, is representing himself. Jerome continued her questioning of Perry, who represents Ward 3 on City of Kawartha Lakes council. Perry was one of the councillors and members of city staff who was forwarded an email received by the city clerk and CAO general mailbox on April 9. Perry testified it was his understanding the email was from Denby. Councillor takes security steps Perry testified he had already stopped meeting with Denby weeks before and that the email’s contents “underscored and validated” his decision. The councillor said he “took it very seriously,” especially given the context of the escalation of emails, council disruptions and disparaging remarks on his Facebook page. Perry said in response, he contacted police and spoke with his former spouse, as they co-parent their two children who were six and eight at the time. Perry said he also installed security cameras at his home. “I was raised (to believe) that your home is a personal space,” said Perry, who grew up in Fenelon Falls and returned home 15 years ago. “It should be a safe place.” When asked about his interactions with Denby during 2023 and 2024, Perry said they were growing increasingly “hostile.” The effect was “incredibly stressful” and he said being “always on guard” was “exhausting.” He testified it was impacting how he dealt with others. Perry testified he was already hyper aware when going to city hall for committee and council meetings. He said his fear level ramped up exponentially when he was contacted by his ex-wife saying their son, who had been playing in the backyard, was missing. “I was terrified,” said Perry, who questioned whether he was doing enough to protect his family. “Am I a bad dad?” The boy turned up, having gone for a long walk with another youngster, but Perry said it did little to ease his concerns. That all changed, he testified, after police arrested and charged Denby. “Everything really lifted. It was less stressful … Finally, this has a chance of stopping,” said Perry, who testified he was relieved to return his focus to “council work.” “It was a refreshing change.” Denby raises questions In his cross examination of Perry, Denby brought up past interactions they had, including his group’s opposition to the Juniper Park condominium development. Denby also questioned Perry about his knowledge of the Kawartha Lake Taxpayers’ Association. Perry said he was aware of the group, citing much of his knowledge of their actions came from social media. Perry also recalled Denby being “quite present” at committee of the whole and council meetings. He said he was aware that Denby and his associates had been investigating city and council corruption, explaining it was brought up by Denby a number of times during deputations. Perry was unable to state exactly how many times as councillors, he explained, “don’t track deputations.” Perry also testified that when Denby presented allegations of staff and council, he did make inquiries and relayed responses to Denby. Perry also later stated he didn’t take Denby’s allegations of “hundreds of millions of dollars missing” seriously, given the city’s budget is audited each year by a third party and that any discrepancies would have been identified. Denby asked Perry if he had received the document package, which included videos, prior to the March 19 meeting where the reported “kafluffle” occurred. Perry did not recall receiving the package, noting such documents were handled by the clerk and CAO. When asked about the recess called by Mayor Doug Elmslie to restore order, Perry did not recall Denby apologizing for the disruption. He did cite Elmslie did raise his voice, calling for the group to be quiet and sit down. Perry told the court he felt threatened during the incident given the combination of the escalation of hostile and harassing emails and Denby’s outburst at the preceding March 5 committee of the whole meeting. Perry said as the incident became increasingly hostile, he made a motion to have the gallery emptied, which was denied by Elmslie. Denby drew attention to the April 9 email and authorship, alleging the message had been “altered” due to his email account being “spoofed.” Perry said he had no reason to not associate the missive with Denby as “this email didn’t arrive in isolation,” but had come following a “barrage” of emails and Facebook comments. The day’s testimony ended with the introduction of the Crown’s next witness, Ward 8 councillor and deputy mayor Tracy Richardson. The trial is expected to continue for two more weeks as Denby aims to call several witnesses and take the stand in his own defence. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page.