William Wragg: Former Tory MP feels 'tremendous guilt' over Westminster honeytrap scandal

A former Conservative MP has said he felt “enormous guilt” when he discovered he was the victim of the Westminster honeytrap scandal.

William Wragg resigned from the parliamentary party in April. He admitted that he gave the phone numbers of his politician friends to the suspected perpetrator of the sexting scam.

She said she felt threatened and pressured by the “catfish” after exchanging suggestive photos with them.

Mr Wragg Fearing that intimate images of herself would be leaked, she revealed the numbers to what she thought was a real person on a dating app.

Former Tory party whip He said he first saw news about the scandal while he was on the train.

The 36-year-old told BBC: “My stomach dropped.

“When I learned about some of the things that had happened, I felt a tremendous amount of guilt and a tremendous amount of regret.”

After the former Hazel Grove MP provided personal information, the catfish told Mr Wragg to confirm the identities of his next potential victims, and the catfish told his new targets that they were a former investigator of Mr Wragg’s.

Mr Wragg agreed, saying it was “the thing he regretted most” because it was “deceptive”.

panic attacks

After it was alleged he was being blackmailed, Mr Wragg began suffering panic attacks with shouting, crying and swearing, shocking his sleeping housemates.

Police are investigating the scandal involving at least 12 people with connections to Westminster who are believed to have received unsolicited messages from the pseudonyms “Charlie” and “Abi”.

The fake accounts are alleged to be part of a scam to get MPs and others in politics to send sexually explicit images and other private or sensitive information.

Unlike others the catfish accounts have reached out to, Mr. Wragg personally approached “Charlie” after seeing his profile on the gay dating app Grindr.

She thought the account was a real person before sharing suggestive photos with the catfish.

suicidal thoughts

The humiliation and embarrassment became too much for Mr Wragg when the scandal broke.

He said photographers and media camped outside his parents’ house, where he went when he started having suicidal thoughts.

Shortly after receiving medical attention he returned to Westminster to resign his position in the Conservative Party and his positions on two parliamentary committees.

He had already announced that he would not be a candidate in the next general election.

The man was detained

In June, a Labor Party member in his mid-20s was arrested in Islington, north London, on suspicion of harassment and offenses under the Online Safety Act.

He has since been released on bail.

Anyone feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can call Samaritans for help on 116 123 or email [email protected] in the UK.

Related Posts