Labour activist admits vote rigging offence

15 hours agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on Google Joe PikePolitics investigations correspondent, Southwark Crown Court BBC Gabriel Leroy is a former councillor in Southend A 24-year-old former Labour councillor has pleaded guilty to a computer misuse offence amid allegations that a party database was manipulated to help fix a parliamentary candidate selection in Croydon. Gabriel Leroy, a former councillor in Southend, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit an offence under the Criminal Law Act and the Computer Misuse Act. Three other Labour activists will face a trial in February 2029 after they entered not guilty pleas. Joel Bodmer, 40, his wife Shila Bodmer, 41, and former Croydon councillor Carole Bonner, 69, pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to commit an offence under the Criminal Law Act and the Computer Misuse Act. Joel Bodmer, who stood for selection as Labour's candidate for the Croydon East constituency, also pleaded not guilty to a second count of perverting the course of justice. The process to select Labour's candidate for the parliamentary seat was abandoned in November 2023 amid alleged irregularities, and re-run four months later without Joel Bodmer taking part. The indictment alleges that Joel Bodmer "provided a PDF document and a Microsoft Excel file purporting to be his complete telephone records" but that "a telephone call to the Labour Party support team… had been deleted." Joel Bodmer's barrister Sean Caulfield told the court that on the first computer misuse charge his defence will be that "he had the authority to act", and on the second charge he had "no intention to pervert the course of justice". Joel Bodmer stood for selection as Labour's candidate for the Croydon East constituency Judge Justin Cole told the court that the trial of Joel Bodmer, Shila Bodmer and Carole Bonner would start on and last four to five weeks. Gabriel Leroy is likely to have to wait until 2029 for his sentencing. All four have been suspended from the Labour Party pending the outcome of an investigation. A Labour Party spokesperson said: "These are incredibly serious charges. "When complaints were first raised with the Labour Party we conducted a thorough internal investigation and we referred the matter to the police as soon as potential criminal wrongdoing was identified. "We cannot comment further while legal proceedings are ongoing." Joel Bodmer is a regional organiser for the UK's largest trade union, Unison.