A Conservative MP has said he was targeted in the parliamentary honeytrap sexting scam and was the politician that first alerted police and Commons authorities.
Dr Luke Evans, the MP for Bosworth, in Leicestershire, said that he was approached in March by two different numbers on WhatsApp “who purported to know me”.
In a video message on Facebook, he said was the victim of cyber flashing and malicious communications “and blew the whistle by reporting it to the police and the parliamentary authorities as soon as this happened”.
Mr Evans said: “The first set of messages I got was on a day I was with my wife and I got a one-time open photo on WhatsApp of an explicit image of a naked lady. As soon as I got these the next day I reported it to the police, the authorities and the chief whip.
“Ten days later I got another set of messages, this time however, I was sat with my team in the constituency office, so we were able to record the conversation and catch photos and videos of the messages coming through including another explicit female image.”
Mr Evans said “I wanted it to be private” due to the ongoing police investigation, but decided to come forward due to the media attention surrounding the sexting scam.
He added: “I’m just pleased I blew the whistle, reported it to the authorities and it’s now being looked into.”
Leicestershire Police confirmed on Thursday it is investigating a report of malicious communications after a number of unsolicited messages were sent to a Leicestershire MP last month.
Shortly after Mr Evans’ statement, the Metropolitan Police confirmed they are also investigating unsolicited explicit images and messages sent to MPs.
A statement from the force said: “Officers from the Met’s Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Command are carrying out an investigation following reports that a number of unsolicited messages were sent to MPs over recent months.
“We are working closely with other forces and are in contact with colleagues in Parliamentary Security, who are providing support and advice around anyone affected.”
It follows reports this week that a serving minister, some MPs, party staffers and political journalists were among those who received unsolicited messages from two unknown WhatsApp users.
Last night, Tory MP William Wragg admitted to The Times that he shared the personal phone numbers of some of his colleagues to a man he met on gay dating app Grindr.
Mr Wragg apologised for the “hurt” he caused and said he was “manipulated” by the person after he sent intimate pictures of himself.
“They had compromising things on me. They wouldn’t leave me alone. They would ask for people,” he told the newspaper.
“I gave them some numbers, not all of them. I told him to stop. He’s manipulated me and now I’ve hurt other people.”
Sky News understands that Mr Wragg will not lose the party whip over the matter, meaning he can remain in the Conservative parliamentary party.
Many MPs have been sympathetic to Mr Wragg’s situation, with Chancellor Jeremy Hunt praising his “courageous and fulsome” apology.
The scam has been described as “spear phishing”, a type of cyber attack that targets specific groups in order to steal personal or sensitive information.
Security experts have speculated that a hostile state could be behind the scam.
Richard Dearlove, a former chief of MI6, told Sky News: “Any MP is massively of interest to a hostile foreign intelligence service. Not necessarily for the collection of secrets, but for providing insights into the behavioural vulnerabilities of colleagues.”
Source Agencies
