A former Labour councillor has pleaded guilty to a pair of sexual offences against a 13-year-old girl.
Liron Velleman, 30, admitted one count of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child and one of being an offender 18 or over attempting to cause a child aged 13 to 15 to watch or look at an image of sexual activity during a hearing at Highbury Corner Magistrates’ Court on Friday.
Velleman, a former member of the Jewish Labour Movement, was elected as a Labour councillor for Barnet in 2022 but stepped down in April 2025 without explanation.
He was caught by police attempting to contact the victim in a Metropolitan Police operation, with the two offences committed between December 3 and December 10, 2024.
According to prosecutors, he sent explicit images to the teen, asked whether she was a virgin and demanded: “Show me your bra.”
Appearing for Velleman, Ali Hussein told the court: “He is a person of good character. He is currently unemployed. He is a family man.
“There is a great deal about his background which will assist the court to see how exactly he came to find himself in this position.”
He also said that Velleman had been diagnosed with depression, for which he had been prescribed medication.
Velleman was released on conditional bail, which prohibits him from being in the company of anyone under the age of 18. A sentencing hearing will take place at the same court on February 10.
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