Councillor Gavin Pepper writes to say he will not film outside finance firm's staff

High Court reporters

Dublin city councillor Gavin Pepper has told the High Court he has written to undertake that he will not attend or film outside the homes of staff of credit servicing and asset management firm, Pepper Finance Corporation.

Cllr Pepper, an independent who was elected in the Ballymun/Finglas area, said he had sent a letter to Pepper Finance lawyers agreeing not to attend the homes of staff of the company.

He had previously denied that he shot footage for social media outside Pepper Finance managing director Ian Wigglesworth's west Dublin home.

Last July, Mr Wigglesworth and Pepper Finance were granted an interim injunction preventing the councillor from attending the Wigglesworth home or filming and watching him and his family or from publishing home addresses of Pepper employees.

That application was made ex parte - meaning only the Wigglesworth/Pepper side was represented - and days later, Mr Pepper appeared himself, saying he wished to be given time to get legal representation.

Cllr Pepper, who is a taxi driver, of Plunkett Green, Finglas, Dublin, was also required to remove social media posts which contain footage of videoing which took place outside Mr Wigglesworth's home.

Brian Conroy SC, for Mr Wigglesworth and Pepper Finance, told the court in July that Cllr Pepper has a well-established association with the far right and social media posts promoting far-right ideas.

On Tuesday, Mr Conroy said there was some contentious correspondence over the summer and difficulties in serving papers on Cllr Pepper. The letter he sent last Friday meant there was now cause for optimism.

While his letter was nuanced, it might resolve the issues, and counsel wanted the matter put back until Friday, and it will issue a responding letter to Cllr Gavin by Thursday. He appeared to "in a large part" have already agreed to the proposals to resolve the matter, counsel said.

Cllr Pepper, in a prepared statement he read to the court, said he could not afford legal representation. In his letter, he had undertaken not to attend the home of anyone who works for Pepper Finance.

He said he had spent less than 40 minutes in Cllr Wigglesworth's neighbourhood and "I cannot understand why I have been sued".

While he had agreed to give undertakings, there had been a lot of things said by Pepper Finance which were not true, he said.

He told the judge he did not want to swear an affidavit in reply to Pepper Finance's claims until they have responded to his letter and the case comes back on Friday.

Mr Conroy also told the court that all but one of a number of social media posts by Cllr Pepper had been taken down. That matter could be resolved between the parties, he said.