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Ex-Labour councillor pleads guilty to sex offences after asking schoolgirl, just 13: ‘Are you a virgin?’

A former Labour councillor has pleaded guilty to a series of sexual offences targeting a 13-year-old girl.

Liron Woodcock-Velleman, 30, sent naked photographs of himself to his teenage victim.

He also sent her inappropriate messages asking whether she was “at home alone”.

The ex-councillor, elected in 2022, demanded: “Show me your bra,” and asked “whether she was a virgin”, the court heard.

Woodcock-Velleman, a father-of-one, entered his guilty plea at Highbury Corner Magistrates’ Court on Friday.

He admitted one count of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child.

The 30-year-old also pleaded guilty to attempting to cause a child aged 13 to 15 to view sexual imagery.

The offences took place between December 3 and December 10, 2024.

Highbury Corner Magistrates' Court

A Metropolitan Police sting operation uncovered his crimes when officers caught him attempting to contact the young girl.

His defence barrister Ali Hussain told the court his client suffers from depression and takes medication for the condition.

“He is a person of good character. He is currently unemployed. He is a family man,” Mr Hussain said.

“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.”

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The court released Woodcock-Velleman on conditional bail – but he is barred from being in the company of anyone under 18 years old.

Sentencing has been postponed until February 10 at the same court.

Woodcock-Velleman stepped down from his role as Labour councillor for Barnet in April last year.

He gave no explanation for his departure at the time.

The former councillor also deleted all of his social media accounts when he resigned.

Sir Keir Starmer and Sadiq Khan local election launch April 2022

Woodcock-Velleman had previously campaigned alongside Sir Keir Starmer and was described as an “ally” of Sadiq Khan.

He held a senior position within the Jewish Labour Movement, an organisation affiliated with Labour that advises on tackling antisemitism within the party.

Sir Keir selected Barnet, Woodcock-Velleman’s borough, as the location to launch Labour’s local election campaign in April 2022.

The Prime Minister appeared at that event with the London Mayor.

LP Staff Writers

Writers at Lord’s Press come from a range of professional backgrounds, including history, diplomacy, heraldry, and public administration. Many publish anonymously or under initials—a practice that reflects the publication’s long-standing emphasis on discretion and editorial objectivity. While they bring expertise in European nobility, protocol, and archival research, their role is not to opine, but to document. Their focus remains on accuracy, historical integrity, and the preservation of events and individuals whose significance might otherwise go unrecorded.

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