A University of British Columbia professor testified in B.C. Supreme Court that calling 911 about Steven Galloway after a suicide remark was done as an ‘act of care.’
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A University of British Columbia professor testified Tuesday in B.C. Supreme Court that a colleague’s decision to call police to visit author Steven Galloway after he spoke of killing himself was an “act of care.”
Galloway is suing his accuser and others in a defamation trial tied to unproven sexual-assault allegations, which his accuser reported but does not claim were true, and which a former judge hired by the university found were unsubstantiated.
Creative writing professor Annabel Lyon, now director of the university’s school of creative writing, testified as the first witness for the accuser, identified in court as A.B., who cannot be named under a publication ban.
Lyon told the court that she learned about the allegations in November 2015 from a fellow professor, then spoke by phone with A.B. before meeting with others to discuss next steps on Nov. 15 and 16, 2015.
She said that during those meetings, Galloway began calling colleagues from Ohio, and that one colleague eventually called 911 after Galloway appeared to be suicidal. Lyon testified that Galloway told her, “I should just kill myself.”
The court heard that police showed up at the author’s hotel room after receiving a report that he was suicidal. Lyon said Ohio police had called her, saying Galloway didn’t seem suicidal, but she told them he was “manipulative” and later learned he had been taken to hospital.
Lyon said she believed those events were “massively twisted and misunderstood” and that the call was made so he would be safe. She said, “It was an act of care. We made that call as an act in care,” adding that when she heard police were there and that he was in a hospital, she was relieved “because I thought, ‘He is safe. At least for tonight, he’s safe.’”
During cross-examination, Galloway’s lawyer Daniel Burnett asked Lyon why she did not follow up afterward. Lyon said she did not communicate further because she had been told not to communicate with Galloway, except for picking up his call that night because she was told she would not be able to live with herself if she and others failed to act while he was at risk.
Lyon also testified that she previously described Galloway as an “annoying little brother” and said their families were friends before events that led to him being suspended and later fired by the university.
The trial continues Wednesday.
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