A Jewish former Labour councillor has been released on bail after pleading guilty to sexual offences involving someone he believed to be a 13-year-old girl.
Liron Velleman, was caught by police in an undercover operation while serving as a councillor for Barnet in north London.
Velleman, 30, who was also a member of the Jewish Labour Movement, believed he was communicating online with a child when he sent explicit images and a video of his penis to a Metropolitan Police officer acting as a decoy, Highbury Corner Magistrates’ Court heard.
Using the online alias "Tim Graham 95", he also asked the recipient to “show me your bra”.
Velleman, previously pleaded guilty to two charges – one count of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child and one count of attempting to cause a child aged 13 to 15 to watch or look at image of sexual activity.
The two offences took place between December 3 and December 10, 2024.
Velleman’s solicitor, Ali Hussain, said his client was a “person of good character” and a “family man” who had been diagnosed with depression, for which he had been prescribed medication.
District judge Ashwinder Gill committed the case to Harrow Crown Court for sentencing, saying the magistrates’ court did not have sufficient sentencing powers.
Velleman was elected as a Labour councillor for Barnet in 2022 but abruptly resigned in April 2025.
His bail conditions prevent him from contact with anyone 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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