Ex-Tory MP Admits to Using Fake Passport Image to Gamble Online

A former Conservative MP told a Crown Court they altered the date on an image in their passport to access an online gambling website.

Katie Wallis, who represented Bridgend in Wales from 2019 to 2024, had been due to stand trial on two charges of possessing a false passport and possessing a false passport with improper intention. However, Wallis has instead agreed to plead guilty to a new charge under the Computer Misuse Act, and has been cleared of the other two charges.

Wallis, who uses female pronouns and was formerly known as Jamie Wallis, was given a conditional discharge for nine months in a hearing at Cardiff Crown Court. The court was told by prosecution barrister Richard Posner that Wallis had a “recognised gambling problem” and that she had “taken action” to address the issue by registering with GamStop.

Wallis used her own computer to digitally edit the date on an image of a passport to access an online gambling site in April 2022. Wallis possessed a genuine physical passport which had "not been altered or tampered with" and she had not "attempted to use an image of anyone else".

Mitigating circumstances

Wallis was then said to have deposited money into a gambling website, which she lost. The court was told this happened on a single occasion and that Wallis acted on an “impulse”.  At the time of the offence, Wallis was experiencing a “serious mental disorder” after coming out as transgender while working as an MP. She was separated from her family and publicly disclosed being a victim of rape.

Wallis has since reapplied to be blocked from using gambling websites. Judge Shomon Khan was told by Posner that Wallis had co-operated with the prosecution to reach a conclusion in this case. Judge Khan accepted Wallis committed a “single, impulsive” act in a period of psychological distress" and that Wallis had provided "compelling personal mitigation".

Gambling mixed with politics

This case follows the sentencing of three former Conservative Party staff members, who received suspended custodial sentences for election betting offences relating to the 2024 General Election. Anthony Lee, Laura Lee and Amy Hind were sentenced at Southwark Crown Court in London after pleading guilty to offences under Section 42 of the Gambling Act 2005.

The case related to bets that were placed based on information gained from then Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. Sunak’s Conservatives lost the 2024 election to the Labour Party, led by Sir Keir Starmer. The date of the election, which was scheduled for July 4, 2024, was announced by Sunak on May 22.

Prior to the announcement, there had been significant planning for an election to be held on July 4, including discussions at 10 Downing Street and among staff at Conservative Campaign Headquarters. In the period leading up to the announcement, operators offered markets on when the election would be held.

Anthony Lee, who was the Conservative Party's Director of Campaigning, was party to confidential discussions about the timing of the election. This information was used to place bets on when the election would be held;

His wife Laura, who was Head of International for the Conservative Party at the time, also placed bets on the date of the election. Hind, a former Conservative Party employee who was working as an NHS business support manager at the time, also pleaded guilty to cheating on the date of the election.