A five-year harassment order imposed on former Belfast councillor Jolene Bunting has been upheld by the Court of Appeal. The order restrains Ms. Bunting from any further harassment of drag artist Matthew Cavan, who performs as Cherrie Ontop, after senior judges backed the original decision to impose the injunction.
The case relates to events in July 2022 when Ms. Bunting, a former independent unionist councillor, attended protests outside the MAC theatre in Belfast. The demonstration occurred while Mr. Cavan was taking part in a children’s story time event. A group calling themselves Parents Against Grooming held banners outside the venue.
Following the event, a video was uploaded to YouTube which featured an image of a wolf alongside a photograph of Mr. Cavan. The performer previously told Belfast County Court that this posting was a ‘twisted portrayal’ of his work, which left him horrified at being likened to the creature in make-up from the children’s fairy tale Little Red Riding Hood. The content was alleged to have falsely portrayed Mr. Cavan as a child groomer.
The consequences for Mr. Cavan were severe. He received threats, including a warning message from a group in east Belfast who claimed they knew where he lived and were watching him. The video clip was viewed 22,000 times, leading to Mr. Cavan losing three well-paid professional engagements. He also required anti-anxiety medication and had to install security cameras and lights at his home.
Ms. Bunting denied specifically targeting Mr. Cavan, stating she was only concerned about safeguarding children. She explained that she attended the protest after being ‘horrified’ by press reports of alleged grooming within similar drag queen storytime events in England and the United States, insisting her issue was with the MAC venue, not the individual performer. However, the County Court judge found that her actions amounted to targeted harassment of Mr. Cavan, with the intention to incite hatred and link him to child grooming and the sexualisation of children.
The case was referred to the Court of Appeal to determine if the injunction was legally correct, particularly concerning Ms. Bunting’s freedom of expression rights. Lady Chief Justice Dame Siobhan Keegan ruled that the previous court was entitled to conclude that the conduct amounted to unlawful harassment.
Dame Siobhan confirmed that Ms. Bunting had a legitimate right to participate in protests against drag queen storytime as a concept. However, she stated that the former councillor ‘was not entitled to associate the plaintiff with grooming of children and paedophilia,’ concluding that to cast Mr. Cavan in that light was a serious slur on his reputation that was not evidenced. The five-year order restraining further harassment remains in place.