A child protection operation conducted by an activist group posing as a 15-year-old led to Ivor Caplin’s arrest.
Former Labour MP and Under-secretary for Defence Ivor Caplin is in custody following a confrontation with the activist group, Stop Stings, who alleged he attempted to engage a 15-year-old boy. Authorities have confirmed the arrest.
Videos circulating on social media appear to show Caplin’s apprehension at a train station by Stop Stings members, followed by police arrest.
Stop Stings reported to The Sun that they initiated contact with Caplin while impersonating a minor. Group leader Dean Rowland stated that considerable pre-meeting research was undertaken.
“We communicated with the individual for months via WhatsApp,” Rowland explained, adding that “all evidence has been submitted to law enforcement, and we expect justice to be served.”
When confronted by activists regarding the alleged messages, the former MP denied any wrongdoing and asserted he had no intention of meeting children.
Sussex Police confirmed the arrest of a 66-year-old man on Saturday, January 11th, stating that he remains in custody and that the investigation is ongoing.
Ivor Caplin, who self-identifies as an LGBT patron, served as the Hove MP from 1997 to 2005 and held the post of Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence under Tony Blair. He faced suspension from the Labour Party in June 2024 due to undisclosed serious allegations.
Prior to his arrest, Caplin publicly criticized Elon Musk’s comments targeting UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and MP Jess Phillips. Musk’s accusations included Starmer’s alleged failure to prosecute child grooming gangs and labeling Phillips a “rape genocide apologist.”
Caplin deemed Musk’s remarks “completely and utterly unfounded” and “unacceptable.”
Musk responded to Caplin’s arrest by tweeting “what a creep” on X.