Ex-Sheffield Hallam MP accused of fraud racked up thousands of pounds of debt with drug dealer, jury told

Jared O’Mara, aged 41, of Walker Close, Grenoside, is currently standing trial at Leeds Crown Court, accused of eight counts of fraud relating to approximately £30,000 of invoices submitted to the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) the independent, regulatory body tasked with approving MPs’ expense claims. O’Mara was elected as a Labour Party MP for Sheffield Hallam in June 2017, and had stood down by the time of the December 2019 general election. The fraud offences are alleged to have been committed between June and August 2019, while he was a sitting MP. None of the invoices were ever paid and O’Mara, who has cerebral palsy and autism, denies the charges he faces.

His ‘chief of staff’ Gareth Arnold, aged 31, of School Lane, Dronfield, is also accused of six counts of fraud, relating to the unsuccessful expense claims. A third defendant called John Woodliff aged 42, of Hesley Road, Shiregreen, is charged with one count of fraud. He is accused of pretending to work for O’Mara as a ‘Constituency Support Officer’ while fraudulently claiming a salary. Four of the unsuccessful, and allegedly fraudulent, invoices totaling £20,000 were for ‘Confident About Autism SY’. Prosecutors allege the ‘autism support service’ is fictitious.

‘He’s in a few K of debt with a drug dealer’

The claim concerning the drug debt O’Mara allegedly accrued was made in a WhatsApp message sent from Arnold’s phone to a contact in April 2019, which was read out in court during the fourth day of the trial on Thursday, January 26.

"He’s a few K in debt with a drug dealer,” the message stated.

The contact responded: “That’s a very dangerous game, that. He wants to be careful that no bad lads come for him, he’s on 80k a year, FFS.”

During the opening of the trial on January 23, prosecutors said O’Mara attempted to use the expenses system as ‘a source of income that was his to claim and use as he wished’ – with a mind to funding ‘an extensive cocaine habit’.

Dozens more messages sent from phones belonging to O’Mara and Arnold, between February and July 2019, have been provided in evidence.

One message sent from O’Mara’s phone to Arnold’s on February 15 stated: “You want to earn some easy money? Like get a lump sum by August? I have a completely simple and very kosher way. It would involve bending the truth very slightly to our benefit. I don’t know why more people don’t do it. ”

A message sent from O’Mara’s phone to Arnold’s sent on June 3, 2019, discusses employing ‘my friend John for UTK’ described as a ‘fixer’ and as someone who would ‘provide goose’.

It reads: “If I employ my friend John for UTK he says he’ll go straight and that way I keep a family man with his family and we have a fixer for our business. Anytime we need anything of a grey shade done he's our guy and we can just have him provide our goose exclusively, and not to anybody else as part of his wage. In moderation of course and when we need to stay awake all night working on a project or when we’re on annual leave. Business first dear boy x

"We’ve got to do something to keep too much of our money going to the tax man so I think employing a hard working family man should be our first priority upon influx of UTK revenue. Nothing will disproportionately affect your dividends naturally!”

Nine days after referencing employing his friend John, a message sent from O’Mara’s phone to Arnold’s says ‘forms for John have to be emailed before 5pm on Friday’.

"Scan them in and send them to me after everyone has gone home and then I’ll email them to IPSA and delete the trail from the Outlook. Remember to delete the scans on the printer folder too!”

Messages referencing invoices to IPSA

Further messages sent between O’Mara and Arnold’s phones also referenced invoices to IPSA.

One message sent from O’Mara’s number on June 25 states: “The tax man can’t look at any disability data even if they investigated MPs invoices. It’s the law. And all IPSA can do is pay the money or reject it for not having a full address.

"Which is why I kept the postcode the same, so as long as his name and no road or house number was on there then it’s useless but a further precaution.”

Then, on June 26, a message was sent from Arnold’s number to O’Mara’s, stating: “Yeah I’ve just reprinted them and put the postcode from Penistone Road McDonald’s.”

Later on that day, a communication sent from O’Mara’s number to Arnold’s reads: “Life or death stuff! Call me as soon as you get this! Remove the postcode from the autism invoices so it doesn’t have one before you submit and then call me so I can tell you why and what’s happened.”

A message sent from O’Mara’s number on June 27 reads: “Nailed my response to IPSA, going to make it about disability and reasonable adjustments and told them I'm going to contact Mr Speaker and so please pay the autism money immediately or I’ll add that to my list. Also added in words like service, serve, parliamentary duties, obstructions and the like just in case anyone makes the connection. Equality Act and Mr Speaker will do it though”

Further discussion about invoices continued on July 18, when a message sent from Arnold’s number to O’Mara’s asks: “Do you want me to revoke and delete the invoice for £3,110...the John one.”

Messages from Arnold’s number to O’Mara’s sent minutes later state: “They are very much refusing to pay it…it’s been rejected 4 times now – I think any more pushing is going to raise alarms. Consider it revoked then.”

Drug use referenced in messages

Several of the messages also reference drug use. One sent from Arnold’s phone to a contact in July stated: “I’ve just smashed loads of coke until 3, was deec” to which the contact responded: “By yourself?”

The reply from Arnold’s phone read: “God no, with the bf and local MP.”

On July 17 a message sent from Arnold’s phone to O’Mara’s references wanting to get him ‘clean and sober’.

It reads: “Over the years I’ve seen your mental health deteriorate and your drug use spiral into something quite strange.

"Definitely no longer the great, motivated person I once knew, and I think you know that.

"I just want to get you clean and sober.”

A message sent from Arnold’s phone O’Mara’s 10 days later on July 23 reads: “Jared, I’ve tried but you got s***faced before a Look North television interview and then harass young female a member of staff.

These actions are not about you being bullied, they are about you not being or acting responsible…it’s you who never came into the new office. It’s you who does cocaine instead of going to Parliament. It’s you who doesn’t care one iota about your constituents.”

All three defendants have pleaded not guilty to the fraud offences they are charged with. The trial continues.