Anti-gay preacher sentenced to conditional discharge in West End assault

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – An anti-gay street preacher has been sentenced to a 12-month conditional discharge after he pleaded guilty Friday to assault causing bodily harm, over a year after an altercation on a street corner in Vancouver’s West End.

Dorre Love was charged after the altercation with Sportsnet 650 broadcaster Justin Morissette in August 2020.

Love had been holding a sermon at Thurlow and Davie streets, using a microphone and a loud speaker. Morrissette grabbed the microphone and refused to give it back, claiming Love was spreading homophobic rhetoric.

A fight ensued, ending with Morissette in the hospital with a broken leg.

“In a judo-style takedown he wrenched my leg against his until my tibia and fibula snapped, broke and my knee dislocated,” Morisette told NEWS 1130 last year, adding the breaks resulted in the need for surgery.

The incident drew national attention, spurring a phone call between the victim and Prime Minister Trudeau.

Initially Love was charged with aggravated assault, but earlier this year he agreed to plead guilty to the lesser charge of assault causing bodily harm.

Judge Reg Harris said Love took steps to turn his life around and followed orders during the 13 months since the incident, reducing his sentence to one year on conditional discharge.

During the sentence, Love can’t be in contact with Morissette or post anything on social media about what happened in the West End.

He is not allowed to be in certain parts of Vancouver, including English Bay and Sunset Beach, with the judge saying the community needs time to heal.

He is also banned from using any kind of voice amplifying system in the province.

Related articles:

• West End assault leaves Vancouver man with broken leg, follows confrontation with homophobic street preachers

• Anti-gay preacher in Vancouver claims self-defence after man’s leg broken in West End confrontation

• Vancouver MLA asks why anti-gay preachers weren’t stopped before attack

• Prime minister ‘gets it,’ says man hurt in altercation with anti-gay street preacher

Harris said Morissette could have broken the law by grabbing the microphone from the preacher’s hand twice, potentially counting as theft or creating a disturbance.

Love had claimed self-defence in the incident. He took to YouTube, claiming he was “assaulted” first.

MORE: the plea entered is to assault causing bodily harm and NOT aggravated assault. Court was a bit delayed this morning (tech issues) so we are just getting underway.

— Ria Renouf ???? (@riarenouf) September 17, 2021

Another person who lives in the neighbourhood has also told NEWS 1130 the “angry shouting” was happening every weekend prior to the incident.

Lynne Polischuik said street preachers spread anti-LGBTQ and anti-Muslim sentiments, and she and her neighbours had called the police several times.

Love has since moved back to Ontario after receiving a warning from police about threats on his life.

With files from Ria Renouf