Labour ex-councillor admits child sex offences

A Labour councillor who sent and requested lewd videos to someone he thought was a 13-year-old girl has pleaded guilty to child sex offences.

Liron Velleman, 30, was a councillor for Barnet in north London when the offences happened between 3 and 10 December 2024. He resigned in April 2025 without explanation.

Velleman, of Finchley, north London, used the handle "Tim Graham 95" to send the messages, Highbury Corner Magistrates' Court heard. Unbeknownst to him, he was actually in contact with a decoy officer from the Metropolitan Police.

The prosecutor asked for the case to be committed to the Crown Court for sentencing as he said it was too serious to be dealt with at the magistrates' court.

Warning: This story contains details that some may find distressing

Prosecutor Zahid Hussain told the court on Tuesday that Velleman sent online messages asking to see the girl in her school uniform, how old she was and if she was at home alone.

He sent a video of his penis and asked to see her in her underwear.

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

Velleman's solicitor, Ali Hussain, said there was "substantial mitigation" that would be heard at sentencing.

Velleman, who was a member of the Jewish Labour Movement, was freed on bail with the condition not to be in the company of someone under the age of 18 without supervision from another adult.

He will be sentenced at Harrow Crown Court at a later date.

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