A former Labour Party councillor and activist for far-left group HOPE not hate has pleaded guilty to multiple child sex offences relating to events that took place in December of 2024 where he attempted to groom a 13 year-old-girl. 

Liron Velleman sent multiple vile messages to the girl over the course of a week, including naked pictures of himself, asking whether the girl was “at home alone,” demanding she “show me your bra,” and inquiring if she was a virgin.

Velleman admitted to attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child and attempting to cause a child aged 13 to 15 to view sexual imagery at Highbury Corner Magistrates' Court on Friday. He was granted conditional bail ahead of his sentencing in February. Velleman has been ordered not to be in the company of anyone under 18.

He resigned from his seat on Barnet Council, as well as his senior position in the Jewish Labour Movement in April of 2025, giving no explanation at the time for his departure. According to GB News, Velleman was described by sources as an “ally” of London Mayor Sadiq Khan, and that he also campaigned alongside Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.

This marks yet another unfortunate revelation for the Jewish Labour Movement, as their former leader Ivor Caplin has also come under fire for inappropriate sexual conduct towards children. Caplin was suspended from the Labour Party for “serious allegations” in June 2024 and was then arrested after being caught in a sting operation by an anti-paedophile vigilante group in January 2025. One can only speculate as to whether there is a larger, structural problem within the organisation.

Velleman’s work at the far-left group HOPE not hate appears to have been relatively inconsequential, with only four articles written by him on their website. They include a critique of the Online Safety Bill which can only now be tainted by his conviction, and an attempted exposé of independent Nationalist Councillor Pete Molloy of Durham County Council.

Perhaps the least surprising of all is a heartfelt story of Velleman’s grandfather, who survived “three labour camps and two concentration camps” during the holocaust, and how he used his trauma (which apparently made him forget his own date of birth) to teach his grandson not to hate, a lesson which stays with him to this day.

A pity, then, that Velleman’s grandfather never saw fit to tell him of the horrors of child abuse.

Liron Velleman’s work remains on the HOPE not hate website and so far, no statement has been issued by them or the Jewish Labour Movement in regards to the convictions.