Four people linked to the Labour Party in Croydon have appeared in court charged over alleged vote rigging.
Joel Bodmer, 40, Shila Bodmer, 41, Carole Bonner, 69, all from Croydon, and Gabriel Leroy, 24, from Southwark, are facing allegations that a Labour database was manipulated to increase a candidate’s chance of selection.
Joel Bodmer is also charged with perverting the course of justice for allegedly altering phone records.
They appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday morning and each defendant spoke only to confirm their name, date of birth, and address.
Senior District Judge Paul Goldspring told the defendants they are next due to appear at Southwark Crown Court on June 16 for a plea and trial preparation hearing.
“Each of you will be on unconditional bail between now and then, as long as you keep your obligation to be in that court that day,” the judge added.
The Standard previously reported the charges relate to the selection process for a candidate for Croydon East in the 2024 general election and an offence linked to computer misuse.
It was claimed that phone numbers and email addresses on a list of Labour Party members had been changed to stop some prospective candidates being able to contact them to gather support.
Joel Bodmer ran as a potential candidate but later withdrew from the race.
All four of those accused have been suspended from the Labour Party while legal proceedings are ongoing.
Labour was forced to pause the selection process in the south London seat in 2023 following complaints about party members' contact details being altered.
Phone numbers had allegedly been changed and fake email addresses submitted, meaning that some hopeful candidates could not contact Labour members to vote.
This sparked a flurry of allegations that the selection process was rigged in favour of a particular candidate.
The Met Police launched an investigation in March 2024 and the four defendants were charged last month.
