Four Labour-linked figures have been charged after a Metropolitan Police investigation into allegations that a party database was manipulated in an attempt to influence the selection of a parliamentary candidate in Croydon East ahead of the 2024 general election.
The Crown Prosecution Service said Joel Bodmer, 40, Shila Bodmer, 41, Gabriel Leroy, 24, and Carole Bonner, 69, had been charged following an inquiry by the Met’s Cyber Crime Unit. All four face conspiracy allegations and offences under the Computer Misuse Act 1990. Joel Bodmer also faces an additional charge of perverting the course of justice.
The Metropolitan Police said the CPS had authorised the charges after an investigation into claims that a Labour Party database was manipulated to increase a candidate’s chances of selection in Croydon.
The case centres on the Croydon East selection contest, which was halted in 2023 after complaints that membership data provided to candidates had been altered. Reports at the time said some names, addresses, telephone numbers and email addresses had been changed during October and November that year.
Police had previously said they were investigating allegations of computer misuse linked to an internal political party selection process in Croydon. The inquiry later became one of the most serious controversies to affect Labour’s local organisation in south London in recent years.
Frank Ferguson of the CPS said: “Our prosecutors have worked to establish that there is sufficient evidence to bring this case to court and that it is in the public interest to pursue criminal proceedings.”
The four defendants are due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on 19 May. The charges are allegations, and none of those charged has been convicted.
Joel Bodmer had been a prospective Labour candidate in Croydon East before withdrawing from the contest as the row over the selection process intensified. Bonner is a former Croydon councillor who had been appointed interim chair of the Croydon East constituency Labour party. Leroy is from Southwark.
The disputed selection process drew scrutiny after concerns were raised over the handling of internal voting data and members’ personal information. Labour paused the contest while it carried out an internal review, and the Information Commissioner’s Office was also drawn into the matter because of data protection concerns.
In an earlier statement issued during the investigation, Labour said it took the protection of personal information and the rights of party members “very seriously” and had carried out a thorough investigation into the Croydon East selection process. The party said members affected had been written to with the outcome of that review.
The Croydon East contest later resumed. Natasha Irons went on to become Labour’s candidate for the seat and was elected as the constituency’s MP at the 2024 general election after Bodmer withdrew.
The charge announcement is the latest development in a case that has raised wider questions about how political parties handle member data and safeguard internal selection systems. It is also likely to renew scrutiny of Labour’s local structures in Croydon and of the checks in place around candidate selection contests.
Further court proceedings are expected after the initial appearance in May.