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crime11h ago
Alleged Westminster ‘honeytrapper’ pleads not guilty to blackmail plot
Metro.co.uk and 2 more
- Oliver Steadman, a former Labour councillor, pleads not guilty to a blackmail charge in the Westminster honeytrap case and remains on unconditional bail ahead of a trial.
- The investigation centers on alleged demands for MPs' contact details via electronic messages amid the Westminster honeytrap saga, extending to multiple targets including up to 12 individuals.
- Steadman, who previously represented Labour as a councillor in Islington, faces continued bail ahead of a trial and has faced Labour suspension following his 2024 arrest.
- A three-week trial is planned for October 4, 2027, with a pre-trial hearing set for October 12, 2026, as the case advances through the backlogged system.
- William Wragg, the ex-Conservative MP, had previously admitted sharing MPs' contact numbers with someone he met on Grindr, and resigned the Tory whip in 2024.
- Steadman is alleged to have targeted up to 12 individuals with menaces as part of the alleged blackmail and honeytrap activity.
- The Westminster honeytrap saga involved messages and explicit images sent to MPs and Westminster figures, prompting a broader police investigation.
- POLITICO's reporting notes the investigation began after revelations that individuals in Westminster received unsolicited messages from online pseudonyms linked to the case, with the broader context of Grindr-related actions.
- Wragg’s 2024 resignation from the Tory whip and stepping down from Parliament are linked to the same controversy that surrounds Steadman’s charges.
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