Setting the Record Straight: The Truth Behind the Brighton Groyne Allegation

There comes a point when misinformation needs to be challenged—not because I object to criticism, but because there is a fundamental difference between legitimate criticism and repeating allegations that do not accurately describe what actually happened.

Recently, the YouTube commentator known as The Mouse claimed:

“There was concern about Matt abusing his own children after he published two videos of himself relating to young boys round Brighton Pier. There wasn't just one report made about him. Quite a few people made reports about it and rightly so. Two 50+ year old men taking an interest in young boys swimming and asking them to swim naked isn't normal behaviour.”

I completely reject that characterisation.

The video being referred to does not show two adult men asking young boys to swim naked. 

That is not what happened.

The footage showed a group of teenage boys jumping from a groyne at Brighton. Their girlfriends were watching them, and, in the context of joking around and trying to impress their girlfriends, Justin jokingly shouted “naked”—essentially suggesting that, if they really wanted to impress the girls, they could jump naked.

It was a joke.

The surrounding circumstances and the footage itself provide the context that is missing from The Mouse's description. There was no sinister proposition, no attempt to persuade children to swim naked and no sexual interaction of the kind his statement implies.

There is an enormous difference between a crude joke made in the context of teenagers showing off to their girlfriends and the allegation that two men were taking a sexual interest in young boys.

That distinction matters.

The Police Were Able to See the Context.

I understand that the video may have been reported to the police by people who were concerned about it. That is their right.

However, the existence of a report does not establish that the allegation contained within that report was true.

As I understand the outcome, no action was taken against me in relation to the footage. The video itself provided the relevant context and demonstrated what had actually been said and what was taking place. Therefore, presenting the mere existence of reports as though those reports validate the allegations is misleading.

A report is an allegation.

An allegation is not proof. And repeating an allegation does not magically turn it into fact.

What I Find Particularly Telling.

What I find particularly revealing about The Mouse's commentary is what is left out. Instead of properly addressing the actions that I say were taken against me by Project Night Watch, the focus is shifted towards an entirely different allegation concerning Brighton Pier.

That deflection matters because there is a significant piece of context that I believe people should know.

I was anonymously reported to social services with allegations that I was sexually abusing my own children.

Those allegations were investigated through a SWIFT assessment, and I was informed that the allegations were baseless.

That is an extremely serious matter.

Anyone can make an allegation. The consequences of an allegation, however, can be enormous—particularly when children and accusations of sexual abuse are involved.

Yet when allegations are made against me, some commentators appear willing to repeat them as though the allegation itself establishes wrongdoing.

That is not how justice works.

Accountability Must Apply to Everyone.

I am not suggesting that people should never report concerns about children. Quite the opposite. If someone genuinely believes a child is at risk, they should report their concerns to the appropriate authorities. But there must also be accountability for what happens after those allegations are investigated.

If an allegation is found to be baseless, it should not subsequently be recycled as though it were established fact. And if someone deliberately misrepresents an innocuous or joking piece of footage in order to create a sinister narrative, that deserves to be challenged.

The Brighton Pier footage should be judged on what it actually shows—not on somebody else's interpretation of it.

Watch the footage. Listen to the words. Consider the context. Then make up your own mind.

I Will Not Allow the Narrative to Be Rewritten.

I have no objection to being scrutinised. I have no objection to people asking difficult questions. I have no objection to criticism. What I object to is false information being presented as fact.

The claim that the Brighton Pier footage showed two men asking young boys to swim naked is, in my view, a fundamentally misleading description of what happened. It strips away the context, changes the character of the interaction and creates an implication that the actual footage does not support.

And when that allegation is used to distract from the separate matter of the anonymous report made to social services concerning my own children, I believe people are entitled to ask why.

I am not asking anyone to take my word for it. I am asking people to examine the evidence. Because ultimately, that is where the truth should be found—not in rumours, not in anonymous accusations, not in YouTube commentary and not in somebody else's carefully constructed narrative.

Look at the evidence. Look at the context. And hold everyone accountable—including those making the accusations.