Ex-Labour councillor charged in Westminster 'honeytrap' case

Oliver Steadman, a former Labour councillor in Islington, has been charged with blackmail and multiple communications offences in connection with an investigation into unsolicited WhatsApp messages sent to people working in Westminster.

The Crown Prosecution Service said the 28-year-old faces a charge of blackmail that relates to alleged unwarranted demands for the phone numbers of up to 12 individuals. He also faces five communications offences in relation to a total of five victims, accused of sending unsolicited indecent images. Steadman is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on 3 November.

Malcolm McHaffie, head of the CPS's Special Crime Division, said prosecutors had concluded there was sufficient evidence to bring the case to court and that it was in the public interest to pursue criminal proceedings. The CPS statement followed an investigation by the Metropolitan Police into messages that allegedly included unsolicited indecent images sent via WhatsApp between October 2023 and April 2024.

The matter emerged publicly last year after a string of men, mostly employed in politics, said they had received flirtatious WhatsApp messages from accounts using names such as "Charlie" or "Abi". In some instances, recipients said explicit images were exchanged. The disclosures prompted a police investigation and political consequences across Westminster.

One high-profile fallout saw then-Conservative MP William Wragg resign the party whip after acknowledging he had given the phone numbers of fellow MPs to a man he met on a dating app. The precise links between that revelation and the wider Met inquiry have been described by authorities only in broad terms while the criminal investigation proceeded.

Steadman was suspended as a Labour member after the party was notified of his arrest in June 2024. He resigned as a councillor in Islington, north London, the following month.

The charges announced on Tuesday comprise one count of blackmail and five communications-related offences. The CPS said the communications counts relate to five victims who work within politics and Westminster. The blackmail charge concerns alleged demands for contact details of up to 12 people.

The Metropolitan Police opened the investigation amid a wave of complaints from people who said they had received unsolicited messages and images. Police previously said they were treating allegations as "non-recent" sexual offences, and that inquiries included both the messages themselves and how phone numbers had been distributed.

No further admissions have been reported. Legal representatives for Steadman did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The case will next be heard at Westminster Magistrates' Court on 3 November, where initial appearances and procedural matters are expected to be dealt with under suitable court processes.