London, Ont., police charge infamous street preacher after women’s driveway yoga interrupted

One of London’s notorious “street preachers” is facing a charge of mischief after two women were interrupted while attempting to exercise in their driveway on Saturday morning.

Two women were practising yoga in a driveway on Raymond Avenue, off of Richmond Street north of the Western University gates, when a man approached them at roughly 10:40 a.m. and began yelling at them, police say.

Police were contacted and when officers arrived the suspect was found nearby, “continuously yelling at the women in the driveway.”

London police say Matthew Anthony Carapella, 33, has been charged with mischief.

Carapella, along with Steven Ravbar, were the focus of so many complaints to the city in 2018 that London created a bylaw to prohibit abusive or insulting language that prevents people from enjoying public spaces. The duo were known to use abusive language to passersby, mostly toward women.

The two were charged under the new bylaw just over a month after it came into effect. At that time, the city reported it had received over 75 complaints against the duo in less than three months.

Most recently, the two were arrested in Kingston in January after shouting hateful comments to women on the Queen’s campus.

— with a file from Global News’ Jennifer Basa