London Labour councillor guilty of child sex offences after messaging decoy officer

Liron Velleman, 30, pleaded guilty to sending lewd videos to someone he believed was a 13-year-old girl. He will be sentenced at Harrow Crown Court.

Barnet councillor pleads guilty to child sex offences after contacting undercover officer

A Labour councillor for the London borough of Barnet has pleaded guilty to child sex offences after sending and requesting lewd videos from someone he believed to be a 13-year-old girl, bbc.co.uk reports.

Liron Velleman, 30, of Finchley, north London, was serving as a councillor when the offences took place between 3 and 10 December 2024. He resigned from the role in April 2025 without giving a reason.

Velleman used the online handle "Tim Graham 95" to send the messages, Highbury Corner Magistrates' Court heard. He was, in fact, communicating with a decoy officer from the Metropolitan Police.

Prosecutor Zahid Hussain told the court that Velleman sent online messages asking to see the girl in her school uniform, inquiring how old she was and whether she was at home alone. He sent a video of his penis and requested to see her in her underwear.

Velleman pleaded guilty to two charges: attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child, and attempting to cause a child aged 13 to 15 to look at an image of sexual activity.

Hussain asked for the case to be committed to the Crown Court, arguing it was too serious to be handled at magistrates' level.

Velleman's solicitor, Ali Hussain, told the court there was "substantial mitigation" that would be presented at the sentencing hearing.

Velleman was released on bail on the condition that he not be in the company of anyone under the age of 18 without supervision from another adult. He is due to be sentenced at Harrow Crown Court on a date yet to be confirmed.

Source: Irish Independent