Gavin Pepper Injunction: Pepper Finance Home Filming Restrained
Councillor Gavin Pepper Subject to high Court Injunctions Over Harassment of Pepper Finance MD and Family
Dublin City councillor Gavin pepper has been granted High Court injunctions restraining him from filming and besetting the home of Ian Wigglesworth, the managing director of Pepper Finance Corporation (Ireland) Ltd DAC, and members of his family.
The injunctions, which were granted on an ex parte basis, also prohibit Cllr Pepper from obstructing, harassing, threatening, pursuing, or intimidating Mr Wigglesworth and his family, who reside in a Dublin housing estate. Furthermore, Cllr Pepper is compelled to remove social media posts containing video footage taken outside Mr Wigglesworth’s home.
Mr Wigglesworth,in a sworn statement,detailed a series of threats and acts of intimidation by Cllr Pepper. On July 25th, Cllr pepper allegedly arrived at Mr Wigglesworth’s family home, set up a video camera, and began filming his family, including his son with Down syndrome. Mr Wigglesworth expressed particular distress over a social media post on X, Facebook, and Instagram where Cllr Pepper reportedly sought to disparage his son.Brian conroy SC, representing Mr Wigglesworth and Pepper finance, informed the court that Cllr Pepper has a “well-established association with the far right” and has used social media to promote such ideas. He emphasized the urgency of the injunction submission due to recent events and concerns about potential escalation.
Allegations of Defamatory and Threatening Social Media Activity
Cllr Pepper, of Plunkett Green, Finglas, dublin, has published a total of 14 social media posts concerning Mr Wigglesworth and his company. According to Mr Wigglesworth, these posts are “offensive, defamatory, threatening and replete with misinformation.”
The court heard that Cllr Pepper’s initial post on june 12th signalled his intention to attend the homes of named individuals.On July 25th, he allegedly threatened to “camp outside” Mr Wigglesworth’s home if he did not “come to the table” regarding Pepper Finance’s interest rates. Cllr Pepper also commented that he possessed “all the information about the staff” at Pepper Finance and another company, which Mr Wigglesworth stated prompted threatening comments from other social media users.
Mr Justice Brian Cregan also ordered Cllr pepper to be restrained from publishing the addresses of Pepper Finance staff. The judge indicated that the issue of extending the injunctions to Pepper Finance itself would be addressed when the case returns to court.
Second Defendant Admits Disseminating Personal Information
A second defendant in the case, David Rafferty, also of Plunkett Green in Finglas, Dublin, who holds a mortgage account with Pepper Finance, has admitted to disseminating personal information about Mr Wigglesworth, including his address. While Mr Rafferty is sued in relation to the sequence of events, no injunction application was made against him.