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Reform UK’s leader in Basildon – a council Farage’s party hopes to take over – has faced a barrage of complaints after regularly wearing Meta-style camera glasses during council meetings and whilst doorknocking local residents, in a move described as intimidating by multiple local sources.
Cllr Sam Journet, who is running for re-election for Reform, was arrested last September on suspicion of stalking, harassment and a public order offence after facing complaints from council staff and elected officials about his conduct.
In November, Essex Police announced there would be no further action taken against him, but this outlet has learnt that bail conditions were imposed (and later extended) in the aftermath to ensure he did not contact two councillors allegedly targeted. No bail conditions remain.
Journet was also asked to apologise and undergo council training following a separate incident in which he posted footage on social media of a young man with disabilities in Basildon Town centre in an alleged attempt to shame him. He does not appear to have apologised, has not undergone the training and the footage remains online.
His arrest, and subsequent release last September, came after Basildon Council reinstated a previously established policy restricting councillors’ access to staff-only areas, following reports from concerned officials to the Chief Executive about his behaviour.
Journet was then arrested at Basildon Council offices on 8 September 2025.
A Basildon Council spokesperson said at the time: “Following repeated public disorder in the council offices, harassment of staff and councillors and trespassing into areas of the council they are not permitted to be in, a councillor [Sam Journet] was this morning arrested by Essex Police officers in the council building and taken into custody.”
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Shortly after his arrest, on 11 September 2025, he wrote on Facebook after the murder of Charlie Kirk: “This is the far left in its rawest form, unpredictable, hateful, and DANGEROUS. They cannot win the debate, so they try to destroy the person.
“That’s why from today, I will be wearing a body worn camera every time I am on duty as your councillor, whether in the Council or on the streets. I will protect myself, because those in power have proven they won’t protect people like me or Charlie.”
One council source dismissed the safety rationale for wearing the camera glasses, saying Journet is a “6 foot 4 burly guy.”
By 18th September, he had posted publicly a video of him filming in a meeting with the council leader and the council’s monitoring officer. She tells him: “Can you please put your camera away.”
Byline Times has spoken to residents, councillors and officials in Basildon, revealing a raft of concerns over Cllr Journet and his conduct.
On 31 January 2026, Journet published a video accusing the council leader, Cllr Gavin Callaghan, of being “stood outside my home” and characterising the alleged behaviour as “creepy” and “stalker-like”. We have seen clear documentary evidence that Cllr Callaghan was miles away from Journet’s home at that time, at Foxes Farm Fields in Billericay.
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Byline Times has also learnt that three complaints were lodged against Journet on 12 August 2025 over an incident involving a young man with disabilities in Basildon town centre, with Journet accused of repeatedly calling him a “terrorist” and shaming him by posting a video of him on X as an example of “Broken Britain”. On 27 November 2025 the council’s Interim Monitoring Officer referred the matter to the Standards Committee. The committee asked Cllr Journet to apologise and attend training, which it is understood that he has not done.
Journet has also repeatedly posted inflammatory statements about the council leader, branding him “criminal”, “breaking the law,” “crooked, rotten, vile” and referring to him and his wife, Cllr Emma Callaghan, as “the crooked Callaghans.” At least one of Journet’s August 2025 posts attacking Cllr Callaghan included a photograph of Cllr Callaghan’s home.
Cllr Journet also publicly refused to undertake a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check that all Basildon councillors are required to hold. He is now understood to have completed the checks.
Residents Speak Out
Kelly Horseley, a Basildon resident, has stated on the record that Journet falsely claimed on Facebook that she had chased Reform canvassers down the street, swearing at them. She was recovering from pneumonia at the time, and told this newspaper the claim is impossible. “It’s a total lie…I would have loved to have been able to run,” she said.
Horseley is deeply concerned by his use of camera-glasses, and told Byline Times: “I don’t think he should be filming residents on the doorstep when they’re answering their doors. People could be vulnerable. Have they given their consent to be filmed? It’s not right. If you’re recording people they should know.”
“If it’s a sunny day he should just wear a normal pair of sunglasses like everyone else. I don’t know why he has to use these.”
“I asked him if he is filming residents when out canvassing. He just kept deleting my comments.”
Another Basildon resident, Katrina Tighe, reported Journet to the police over a Facebook post of his, under which a commenter said they would burn a house down if a “Muslim P*ki” lived there. The comment remained live in the week of publication. Tighe claims Journet has deleted other comments rapidly which have criticised his use of camera glasses.
Tighe, a Labour supporter, said: “He blocked me on social media, despite me never having interacted with any of his posts. About six months ago, he put a post up saying he has ADHD and is autistic, and that’s the reason he behaves the way he does.
“I’ve got a daughter who is 15 and has both ADHD and autism, and she knows how to behave. I can always tell when she’s having an autistic meltdown — that’s how her brain is wired — as opposed to just being badly behaved. There was a gentleman who supported [Journet] quite a lot who actually commented saying that neurodivergence is not a green card to act the way he’s acting. I simply liked that comment, and he blocked me.”
One council staffer described Journet as a “bully” and claimed he has repeatedly tried to enter staff-only areas.
Of his camera glasses, Tighe added: “I genuinely don’t think he believes he’s doing anything wrong, but he is wrong.” She is concerned when he posts pictures of elderly people on their doorsteps. One recent photo – not taken with his camera glasses – features an old woman in a dressing gown smiling with him.
Jewell Aspect
Journet’s company, Samuel Perry Jewellery Ltd, was the subject of enforcement action by Companies House which could have dissolved the company, starting in March this year. This is legal action taken by the regulator, usually when a firm is in breach of its legal reporting obligations.
Journet attributed delays in filing required documents to an “administrative error” by Companies House, in an article focusing on his response published by the local Southend Echo and on social media posts.
A day after Companies House issued its notice for compulsory strike-off, the jewellers’ first legally-required accounts in nearly two years were published.
Filing deadlines for a private limited company’s accounts are nine months after the financial year-end, in this case 31 December 2024. The deadline was 30 September 2025. The signed, published accounts state: “Approved by the Board on 9 March 2026 and signed on their behalf by: Sam Journet, Director.” They weren’t filed until 18 March 2026, roughly five and a half months late.
He told the Echo: “Given acknowledged security vulnerabilities within the system affecting millions of director’s data, I took a cautious approach until the position around the verification process and date handling was clarified. Once confirmed, the matter was completed promptly and correctly.”
“As both a local business owner and councillor, I take compliance seriously and ensured everything was handled properly. It’s very much business as usual.”
Journet’s firm also had outstanding business rates, which were paid off in September 2025 after Labour publicised questions over the issue.
Bullying Claims and Council Warning
Cllr Journet is also running to be elected onto Essex County Council. Reform are hoping to make significant gains on both authorities.
But one councillor elected for Reform in Basildon has quit. Cllr Sarah Shields publicly stated on 9 April 2026 that “Sam Journet has been bullying me”, including over a “period of months”, alleging he referred to her as “thick” because she is dyslexic. She has now left the Reform group. Cllr Shields did not respond to a request for comment.
Basildon resident Tighe says the political atmosphere is toxic in the area: “Two or three months ago someone might have quietly said they were going Reform. Now, [if] anything criminal happens, straight away, before any evidence or description, they’re online blaming immigrants. And they won’t be scared to say it openly.”
In a recent Facebook post, another resident, Lee Cocker, wrote: “It is entirely reasonable for residents to ask questions about the use of recording-enabled glasses while engaging with the public. This is not about attacking a person. It is about a principle: people should know if there is potential for conversations to be recorded.
“If any other candidate including Cllr Gavin Callaghan was regularly wearing technology capable of filming and recording while canvassing, people, including Sam Journet himself, would rightly raise concerns too.”
Cllr Sam Journet and Reform UK were contacted but did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
A spokesperson for Essex Police said: “A man who was arrested in Basildon on 8 September [2025] has been told he faces no further action.”
A Basildon Council spokesperson told Byline Times: “The council is unable to comment on individual cases or ongoing matters, as this may involve confidential information.
“On the use of Meta-style camera glasses, the council’s position reflects the general legal framework rather than any technology-specific policy.
“In public places there is no legitimate expectation of privacy and the use of body cameras or similar is permitted. There may be issues and discomfort felt by others if it is perceived to be used in an intimidatory manner. Data protection issues may arise if the images are stored or published.
“Within the council chamber and at public meetings, there is a right to record proceedings provided this does not disrupt the meeting, in accordance with the Openness of Local Government Bodies Regulations 2014.
“The council does not regulate political activities. The Electoral Commission has published its own guidance in relation to canvassing and electioneering. It recommends caution when engaging with electors on their doorstep.
“At an election count, the requirement to maintain secrecy has led the Returning Officer to restrict cameras to a designated space for the press separate from the counting area. Breach of S.66 of the RPA is a criminal offence.”
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