Former aide to Labour MP admits possessing over 500 indecent pictures of youngsters | Politics | News | EUROtoday

A former aide to the Labour MP for Stevenage has pleaded responsible to possessing greater than 500 indecent pictures of youngsters. Conor McGrath, 29, labored for MP Kevin Bonavia and served as a borough councillor in Stevenage between 2023 and 2025.

He pleaded responsible to 3 counts of creating indecent pictures of youngsters at Stevenage Magistrates’ Court. The cost states McGrath made 77 class A pictures, 109 class B pictures and 329 class C pictures and movies between June 2024 and March 2025. The 29-year-old spoke to verify his private particulars and to plead responsible to the costs on Wednesday, March 25.

He wore a darkish swimsuit, white shirt and pink tie within the dock, and wiped his forehead as he entered his pleas.

The courtroom heard police arrested McGrath at his house deal with on March 25, 2024, on an unrelated matter and seized a number of gadgets, together with his iPhone and iPad.

Prosecutor Menekse Sahan mentioned his pins and passwords have been requested however he failed to offer them initially.

While he was launched underneath investigation, Hertfordshire Police obtained a referral from the Metropolitan Police over a report that he had made a reference to a colleague that the police might discover indecent pictures on his gadgets.

His electronics have been seized as soon as once more and police discovered indecent pictures on them, the courtroom heard.

It is known Mr Bonavia took motion to make sure police have been knowledgeable as quickly as he turned conscious of the allegations towards McGrath.

Mr Bonavia and McGrath haven’t had any contact since, additionally it is understood.

Angela Horne, for McGrath, informed the courtroom: “Obviously there is mitigation to be put and that would include that the defendant has suffered trauma in his childhood and has a fragile mental health as a result of that and these charges and the proceedings that have changed his life.”

District Judge Alan Thorn informed the defendant the issues fell exterior his sentencing powers within the Magistrates courtroom and the matter could be despatched to Crown courtroom.

McGrath was freed on bail with situations together with to dwell at his house deal with in Biggleswade, Bedfordshire, and to not have any unsupervised contact with anybody underneath the age of 18.

A pre-sentence report was ordered and he shall be sentenced at St Alban’s Crown Court on April 17.