Joel Bodmer, 40, Shila Bodmer, 41, Gabriel Leroy, 24, and former Croydon councillor Carole Bonner, 69, have been charged with computer misuse, according to the Met. Joel Bodmer is also charged with perverting the course of justice. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) authorised the charges after an investigation by the Met's Cyber Crime Unit into allegations that the Labour Party database was manipulated to increase a candidate's chances of selection in Croydon. The individuals have been charged with conspiracy to commit an offence contrary to Section 1(1) of the Criminal Law Act 1977 and Section 3 of the Computer Misuse Act 1990, the Met said. The Met handed its case files to the CPS in September last year, and the investigation began in March 2024.
The charges relate to irregularities surrounding Labour's 2023 candidate selection process for the Croydon East parliamentary seat, according to the Metropolitan Police. Labour had to suspend the selection process in the south London seat in 2023 after complaints about party members' contact details being altered, multiple reports said. Phone numbers were allegedly also changed and fake email addresses submitted, preventing some hopeful candidates from contacting specific Labour members in the run-up to the vote, according to multiple reports. The charges are connected to alleged irregularities in how the candidate was chosen, the Met 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.
Joel Bodmer worked closely with local MP Steve Reed on Croydon campaigning in 2021 and 2022, according to research from multiple sources. Carole Bonner was a former councillor in Croydon and a local party official in charge of membership and the selection process, research showed. All but Leroy have addresses in Croydon; Leroy is from Southwark, according to multiple reports. Gabriel Leroy is a former Labour councillor in Southend, research indicated. Mr Bodmer withdrew from the race after complaining of suffering 'abuse' during the selection process, multiple reports said.
Natasha Irons won the selection and was elected the Labour MP for Croydon East, according to multiple reports. News of the criminal charges was released as postal ballots for the May 7 local elections were being delivered, research from two sources indicated.
We have worked closely with the Metropolitan Police Service as it has carried out its investigation.
The selection process used the Anonyvoter online voting system, which has been shown to be easy to manipulate, according to research from two sources. Anonyvoter is provided free-of-charge to the Labour Party by the family business of Labour councillor Maddie Henson, research showed. The exact nature of the alleged manipulation of the Anonyvoter system remains unclear, and it is not known which candidate was allegedly favored by the database manipulation. The specific evidence that led to the charges has not been disclosed, and it is unknown whether any other individuals remain under investigation. The current status of the Labour Party's selection process for Croydon East has not been confirmed.
Frank Ferguson, Head of the CPS's Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division, said that prosecutors had worked to establish sufficient evidence to bring the case to court and that it was in the public interest to pursue criminal proceedings. He added that they had worked closely with the Metropolitan Police Service during its investigation. Ferguson reminded all concerned that criminal proceedings against the defendants are active and that they have the right to a fair trial, stressing that there should be no reporting, commentary or sharing of information online which could prejudice these proceedings.
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.