Oliver Steadman allegedly focused Tory MPs and high-profile Westminster figures.
Oliver Steadman leaving Westminster Magistrates’ Court docket, central London, the place he’s charged with one (Picture: PA)
A former Labour councillor has denied concocting a “Westminster honeytrap” plot focusing on male Tory MPS. Oliver Steadman, 29, has been charged with one depend of blackmail and 5 allegations of improper use of a public digital communications community, over allegations that he was behind a collection of “flirty” messages and express pictures despatched to a collection of MPs and excessive profile Westminster figures together with ex-Conservative MP William Wragg.
Mr Wragg, who was Hazel Grove MP and an influential backbencher, resigned the Tory whip in April 2024 and stood down from Parliament on the subsequent normal election after he admitted giving out the cellphone numbers of politicians to somebody he met on homosexual relationship app Grindr. Steadman is accused of being the one who was involved with Mr Wragg. At Southwark Crown Court docket on Wednesday, Steadman stood within the dock to enter a not responsible plea to a blackmail cost.
Oliver Steadman is a former Labour councillor Islington council (Picture: -)
It’s alleged that between February 1 and March 31 2024, Steadman “made unwarranted calls for in a collection of digital communication community messages for contact phone numbers of as much as 12 people from William Wragg with menaces”.
Decide Tony Baumgartner adjourned the case for a three-week trial which is because of begin on October 4, 2027.
Steadman, who beforehand represented Labour as a councillor in Islington, will stay on unconditional bail till his trial.
An extra pre-trial listening to is because of happen on October 12, 2026.
Steadman, who was working for the psychological well being charity Thoughts, didn’t enter pleas on Wednesday to prices of sending menacing messages to Mr Wragg, and sending indecent pictures to Ben Everitt, the previous Conservative MP for Milton Keynes North, Luke Evans who was the Conservative MP for Hinckley and Bosworth, Ross Thomson, the Tory MP for Aberdeen South from 2017 to 2019, and a person known as Ben Proctor.
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