Overview

• Oliver Steadman, 28, was charged with one count of blackmail and five counts of improper use of a public electronic communications network.
• The charges follow a Metropolitan Police investigation into WhatsApp messages, including alleged unsolicited indecent images, sent between October 2023 and April 2024.
• The blackmail count relates to alleged unwarranted demands for the phone numbers of up to 12 individuals within Westminster circles.
• He was remanded in custody and is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on November 3, with no plea entered yet.
• The probe began after reports of personalized messages from aliases “Abi” and “Charlie,” and it drew political fallout including William Wragg surrendering the Conservative whip and Steadman resigning as an Islington councillor after his arrest in June 2024.