Ex-Tory MP admits altering passport image to beat self-ban

Two false-passport counts were dropped after Katie Wallis accepted an alternative computer misuse charge instead.

The hit

Former Conservative MP Katie Wallis has admitted digitally altering the date on an image of her passport to bypass her own Gamstop self-exclusion & deposit money on a betting site, Cardiff Crown Court heard. She pleaded guilty to an offence under the Computer Misuse Act, according to Wales Online, with two false-passport counts dismissed. She received a nine-month conditional discharge, meaning she faces no further punishment if she commits no further offences in that period.

Why it matters

Gamstop blocks UK-licensed sites once a user signs up, but Wallis found a way round it by altering the date on an image of her own genuine passport. The judge called it a ‘single impulsive’ act committed during a period of psychological distress.

The record

Offence date	April 2022, passport image altered by Wallis herself (court)
Sentence	Nine-month conditional discharge (Cardiff Crown Court)
Charges dropped	Two false-passport counts dismissed after guilty plea to computer misuse
MP tenure	Represented Bridgend, 2019 to 2024
Related case	Anthony Lee, former Conservative director of campaigning, & Laura Lee, Conservative candidate, given suspended sentences over Section 42 betting offences

What happens next

Wallis faces resentencing if she commits any offence within the discharge period. She has since reapplied for Gamstop self-exclusion, according to the court.

Sources: Former MP admits altering passport image to access gambling site

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