Labour officials charged after criminal investigation into alleged vote-rigging

Fintan Starkey
Tue, 21 Apr 2026 21:31:12 +0000

Four Labour offiials have been charged after a police probe into alleged vote-rigging during a parliamentary selection process ahead of the 2024 General Election.

Joel Bodmer, 40, his wife Shila Bodmer, 41, Gabriel Leroy, 24, and Carole Bonner, 69, a former councillor in Croydon, each face charges of conspiracy and computer misuse connected to alleged irregularities in how the Croydon East candidate was chosen.

Labour has confirmed all four individuals have had their party memberships suspended pending the outcome of legal proceedings.

The selection contest for the London constituency was halted in 2023 after concerns emerged regarding alterations to party members' contact information.

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Allegations centred on phone numbers being tampered with and fraudulent email addresses being registered in the Labour Party database, which reportedly prevented rival candidates from reaching members eligible to vote in the selection.

These complaints triggered widespread accusations that the process had been manipulated to benefit one particular contender.

Mr Bodmer, who works as an organiser for the trade union Unison, had been seeking the nomination himself before withdrawing from the contest.

The Met's Cyber Crime Unit commenced its investigation in March 2024.

The four defendants face charges of conspiracy to commit an offence under Section 1(1) of the Criminal Law Act 1977 and Section 3 of the Computer Misuse Act 1990.

Mr Bodmer faces an additional charge of perverting the course of justice relating to allegations that phone records were altered.

Frank Ferguson, head of the Crown Prosecution Service's Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division, stated: "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.

"We have worked closely with the Metropolitan Police Service as it has carried out its investigation.

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"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."

A Labour Party spokesman said: “These are incredibly serious charges.

“When complaints were first raised with the Labour Party we conducted a thorough internal investigation and we referred the matter to the police as soon as potential criminal wrongdoing was identified.

“We cannot comment further while legal proceedings are ongoing.”

“We cannot comment further while legal proceedings are ongoing.”

A Met police spokesman added: The Crown Prosecution Service has authorised charges against four people after an investigation by the Met’s Cyber Crime Unit into allegations that a 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:

"Joel Bodmer is also charged with perverting the course of justice."