Former Belfast councillor Jolene Bunting 'allegedly compared drag queen to wolf in make-up'

A former Belfast councillor allegedly compared a drag queen to a wolf in make-up as part of social media attempts to portray him as a child groomer, a court has heard.

Actor Matthew Cavan claimed that a YouTube posting by Jolene Bunting led to him being threatened by paedophile hunters.

The performer is seeking a protection from harassment order against her.

Ms Bunting denies specifically targeting Mr Cavan and insists she was only concerned about safeguarding children.

In July last year the ex-independent unionist councillor was involved in protests at an arts centre in the city where Mr Cavan, also known as drag artist Cherrie Ontop, was taking part in a children’s story time event.

A group calling themselves Parents Against Grooming held banners which read “hands off our children” outside the MAC theatre.

Belfast County Court heard that following the event a video appeared on YouTube which featured an image of a wolf and a photograph of Mr Cavan.

He claimed the posting was an attempt to undermine his work which left him feeling “truly horrified”. 

“For it to be taken and twisted into something so heinous and hideous was awful,” he said.

“I am not a paedophile, I am not a groomer, I am a decent human being and I am just trying to do something good in the world.”

Mr Cavan likened one of the images in the YouTube clip to the children’s fairy tale Little Red Riding Hood.  

“I take it that the wolf is trying to get kids,” he said.

“The fact that this wolf had make-up on, I believe she was tying connections to me as a wolf in make-up.”

With the YouTube video clip viewed 22,000 times, he said the surrounding attention led to him losing three well-paid gigs. 

He was also put on anti-anxiety medication and had to install security cameras and lights at his home, the court heard. 

“It all became very apparent that people thought I was a paedophile from this video being posted,” he stated.

“The threats that came after this video being posted absolutely made me fear what was going to happen to me inside my own home, let alone out in the street.

“I received a private message on Twitter saying ‘We are East Belfast Paedophile Hunters… we know where you live and we are watching you’.”

Mr Cavan added: “I have had many, many messages telling me to kill myself and that I’m an awful person for trailing a good, God-fearing Christian woman through the courts who is just trying to protect our young people.”

In evidence Ms Bunting said she attended the protest because of press reports of alleged grooming within drag queen storytime events in England and the United States.

“I was horrified that this was taking place,” she said.

“I was concerned that there is no vetting process, there is no safeguarding of children at this drag queen storytimes (and) I think there should be.”

She insisted that her issue was with the MAC, not the performer.

Asked her reasons for the YouTube posting, the former councillor explained that she only checked Mr Cavan’s social media after he appeared in the media about the protest.

“I simply wanted to let parents know what was going on,” she told the court.

“When he did the interview I had a look through his social media and I was horrified to see that he was in her underwear.

“This man has been reading to children. My concern was parents taking their children to drag queen storytime may not know about these pictures being online and their child could subsequently come across that.”

Denying that the image used was a direct reference to Mr Cavan, she added:  “My point with the wolf is don’t trust everyone that looks nice.

“This video was not about Matthew Cavan, it was about the safeguarding of children…. and that there are drag queens out there that do sexualised shows.”

Judgment was reserved in the injunction application.

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