Labour activist admits vote rigging offence
BBCA 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".
Judge Justin Cole told the court that the trial of Joel Bodmer, Shila Bodmer and Carole Bonner would start on 5 February 2029 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.
A spokesperson for Unison said: "Joel Bodmer is an employee of the union and is currently on unpaid leave."
In April 2026, when the four were charged, Frank Ferguson of the Crown Prosecution Service's Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division said: "Our prosecutors have worked to establish that there is sufficient evidence to bring this case to court and that it is in the public interest to pursue criminal proceedings.
"We have worked closely with the Metropolitan Police Service as it has carried out its investigation.
"We remind all concerned that criminal proceedings against these defendants are active and that they have the right to a fair trial.
"It is vital that there should be no reporting, commentary or sharing of information online which could in any way prejudice these proceedings."
Get in touch – politicsinvestigations@bbc.co.uk
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