A British-Israeli Zionist activist has pleaded guilty to a string of sex offences against a 13-year-old girl.
According to media reports, Liron Woodcock-Velleman, 30, sent the victim naked pictures of himself and asked whether she was “at home alone”.
The ex London Labour councillor, who is an avowed Zionist and formerly worked for Hope Not Hate, also demanded “show me your bra” and asked “whether she was a virgin.”
His offending came to light when he was caught in a Met Police sting operation trying to communicate with the young girl.
Woodcock-Velleman appeared at Highbury Corner Magistrates’ Court on Friday where he admitted one count of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child.
The father-of-one also admitted one count of being an offender attempting to cause a child aged 13 to 15 to watch or look at an image of sexual activity.
Woodcock-Velleman, elected in 2022, carried out the offences from December 3 to December 10, 2024.
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Ali Hussain, defending, said he has been diagnosed with depression and is on medication.
He added: “He is a person of good character. He is currently unemployed. He is a family man.”
Woodcock-Velleman’s sentencing was adjourned to February 10 at the same court. He was released on conditional bail not to be in the company of someone under the age of 18.
Jewish activist
According to an interview he gave, Woodcock-Velleman is a British-Israeli Jewish activist and former politician known for his involvement in Labour Party-affiliated Jewish organisations and campaigns focused on antisemitism.
He grew up in a Jewish and Zionist household in London. His grandfather was a Holocaust survivor and part of the group known as the “Southampton Boys,” young survivors brought to the UK after the Second World War. This family history has been cited as a significant influence on his engagement with Jewish history and opposition to antisemitism.
Velleman studied politics at the University of Leeds, graduating around 2017–2018. During his time at university, he became active in Jewish student organisations, serving as Youth and Students Officer for the Zionist Jewish Labour Movement and later as Campaigns Manager for the Union of Jewish Students.
He became a prominent figure in efforts to combat antisemitism within the Labour Party, particularly during the Jeremy Corbyn leadership period. He wrote articles for outlets including The Times of Israel, HuffPost, and Medium, addressing topics such as campus antisemitism, Israel Apartheid Week, and Labour’s handling of antisemitism complaints.
In 2017, he gave testimony to the USC Shoah Foundation about his experiences with contemporary antisemitism in the UK, focusing on universities, politics and online spaces.
After university, he worked as a policy officer for the Jewish Labour Movement and later as a political organiser for the anti-extremism charity Hope Not Hate.
In 2022, he was elected as a Labour councillor for the Whetstone ward on Barnet Council in north London, during a period seen as reflecting renewed Jewish support for the party under Keir Starmer. Until early 2025, he also held the position of Head of Politics at the Community trade union.
In April 2025, Velleman resigned from Barnet Council, left the Labour Party, and stepped down from his trade union role. The resignation occurred without a public explanation, and he deleted his social media accounts. Media reports at the time described his departure as taking place under unclear circumstances.
