Former Labour Councillor Escapes Prison After Paedophile Conviction
A Labour councillor, who was previously endorsed by Keir Starmer and other senior party members, has avoided a custodial sentence after being convicted of child sex offences. Liron Velleman, 30, used the alias 'Tim Graham 95' to send explicit messages and nude photographs to an undercover police officer posing as a 13-year-old girl named Kaylee.
Details of the Undercover Operation
The British-Israeli father-of-one initiated contact with the decoy child on the messaging service Chatib in early December 2024. Prosecutor Edmund Blackman stated that despite being informed of the girl's age from the outset, Velleman persisted in his interest and shifted the conversation to Snapchat, where it rapidly turned sexual.
Over the course of several days, from December 3 to 10, 2024, Velleman, a former activist with Hope Not Hate and member of the Jewish Labour Movement, engaged in depraved exchanges. He stripped to his underwear, pressured the child to send images in her underwear, demanded photos of her bra and school uniform, inquired about her virginity, and asked if she was home alone. The communications culminated in Velleman sending a video of his penis.
Legal Proceedings and Sentencing
Velleman, from North Finchley, was elected as a Labour councillor for Barnet's Whetstone ward in 2022 but resigned without explanation in April 2025, following his arrest. He pleaded guilty in February to charges of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child and attempting to cause a child aged 13 to 15 to view an image of sexual activity.
At Southwark Crown Court, supported by his parents, he received an eight-month prison sentence suspended for 15 months. Judge James Lofthouse also imposed a 10-year term on the Sex Offenders Register, a Sexual Harm Prevention Order for the same duration, 180 hours of community service, 20 rehabilitation days, £150 in costs, and a £187 victim surcharge.
During sentencing, Judge Lofthouse told Velleman, 'You know you have no one to blame for the disintegration of your personal and professional life but yourself. This is where your reckless, vile and frankly devious interest in children has led you.'
Political Connections and Fallout
Velleman had been actively campaigned for by numerous Labour figures, including Keir Starmer, who deleted a social media post from 2018 endorsing him. Photographs show that in 2022, he was supported by now-Cabinet ministers such as Chancellor Rachel Reeves, who described him as 'brilliant,' along with Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, Health Secretary Wes Streeting, Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson, and others including Mayor of London Sadiq Khan.
Labour immediately suspended Velleman upon notification of his arrest and condemned his 'sickening crime,' stating that no one could have foreseen his future conduct. However, Tory MP Jack Rankin criticised Starmer, noting, 'Starmer pledged to tackle violence against women and girls, yet sex offenders threaten to be the defining issue of his premiership.'
Background and Organisational Responses
Velleman worked as a junior employee at advocacy group Hope Not Hate until early 2023. The organisation released a statement in January, saying, 'HOPE not hate fully condemn these heinous crimes and believe that he should rightfully be punished under the full force of the law.' They confirmed no contact with him since before his arrest.
According to a deleted biographical profile, Velleman grew up in a Jewish and Zionist household, attended Jewish schools, and was active in synagogue life. He studied politics at the University of Leeds, where he was involved in Jewish student groups and spoke out against anti-Semitism on campuses in 2017.
There is no suggestion that any of the political figures who endorsed Velleman were aware of his offences at the time.
