Ex-Sheffield MP Jared O'Mara jailed for four years over fake expense fraud scheme to fund drug habit

‘Deliberate, cynical and – of course – dishonest’ fraud

Sending O’Mara to prison, Judge Tom Bayliss KC described his attempt to defraud the taxpayer out of thousands of pounds as ‘deliberate, cynical – and of course – dishonest’.

During the course of the trial, the jury were told that O’Mara had racked up a debt of a ‘few’ thousand pounds to a drug dealer in the months leading up to his offending in June to August 2019.

"You were in severe financial difficulties. Those difficulties were caused by a hedonistic and self-indulgent lifestyle, fuelled by the consumption of large amounts of vodka, and – of course – cocaine,” Judge Bayliss said.

O’Mara, of Walker Close, Grenoside, submitted the fraudulent expense claims to the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority to fund what prosecutors described as an ‘extensive’ cocaine habit. None of the claims were ever paid out.

“You abused your position as a Member of Parliament to commit fraud. You have not shown a single degree of remorse,” Judge Bayliss told O’Mara, who became the first ever Labour MP to represent the Sheffield Hallam constituency in June 2017.

Judge Bayliss said that while he was certain O'Mara was 'without doubt suffering from autism' while the offending was carried out, it did not 'reduce' his 'culpability'.

"You, Jared O'Mara, are a highly intelligent man. You were, I am quite sure, able to exercise appropriate judgment, to make rational choices; and to understand the nature and consequences of your actions. You may have occasionally behaved bizarrely or demonstrated disordered thought. But whether that was caused by your disorder or by your consumption of drugs – or both – is neither here nor there so far as this fraud is concerned.

"You knew perfectly what you were doing with this fraud, you were behaving perfectly rationally, if dishonestly, and you were using your autism diagnosis to extract money from Ipsa to fund your cocaine and alcohol driven lifestyle.

O’Mara sought to ‘hide behind’ his disability

Judge Bayliss told the court that the net total of O’Mara’s fraud amounted to £52,050 when the £28,500 annual salary for his ‘constituency Support Officer,’ John Woodliff, which had begun to be paid out by IPSA, was taken into consideration. Mr Woodliff was also charged with one count of fraud, but jurors acquitted him of the offence.

Judge Bayliss said Mr Woodliff ‘simply could not have’ fulfilled his duties in the role – which were outlined in the contract drawn up by O’Mara – and, was instead, being paid for his 'friendship’ and providing ‘some help’ with domestic duties.

Following the not guilty verdict in Woodliff’s case, Judge Bayliss said he accepted that Mr Woodliff had not seen the contract – and was therefore unaware of the responsibilities he was employed to fulfill.

Four of the invoices, totalling £19,400, submitted by O’Mara related to a ‘fictitious’ organisation called Confident about Autism South Yorkshire. Following O’Mara’s conviction, a spokesperson for South Yorkshire Police said O’Mara had sought to ‘hide behind’ his disability if the fake invoices were ever challenged, even going so far as to ‘invent’ an autism support service.

O’Mara’s friend and former ‘Chief of Staff’ Gareth Arnold, aged 30, of School Lane, Dronfield, was also convicted of three counts of fraud, relating to the invoices involving Confident about Autism South Yorkshire.

Their convictions follow a trial at Leeds Crown Court, after O’Mara and Arnold denied the charges. O’Mara and Arnold were also cleared of two and three counts of fraud, respectively.

Arnold was sentenced to 15 months’ custody suspended for two years.

The court heard how Arnold took on the role of O’Mara’s Chief of Staff on June 1, 2019, following a mass exodus of staff from O’Mara’s office. He reported O’Mara to South Yorkshire Police just over a month later on July 2, claiming he was concerned his employer was submitting ‘fake expenses to the Government’.

Judge Bayliss said he believed Arnold contacted the police after realising the situation ‘couldn’t continue’ and resolved ‘to do something about it’. While Arnold did remain in O’Mara’s employee for some weeks after making the call to the police, Judge Bayliss said Arnold did not continue with his part in the fraud and chose to leave in August when O’Mara’s behaviour deteriorated further.

‘You must have realised you were wholly unsuited to the role but you carried out regardless’

Prosecution barrister, James Bourne-Arton, said the fraud perpetrated by O’Mara and Arnold was not a 'victimless crime,’ adding that it had undermined the public’s ‘trust and confidence’ in both MPs and in IPSA – which was set up in the wake of the expenses scandal.

Representing O’Mara, Mark Kelly KC, said the former Sheffield Hallam MP wished, through him, to ‘apologise to his constituents for his failure to resign in October 2017 when he felt that he was being hounded by the media…he felt under pressure by the media for the circumstances that came to light after he became a MP’.

Mr Kelly appeared to be referring to homophobic and misogynistic comments made by O’Mara online a decade before he was elected, which resurfaced after he became a MP, and resulted in him having the Labour whip removed. He subsequently left the Labour Party and represented the constituency as an independent.

But Judge Bayliss branded O’Mara’s apology as ‘entirely disingenuous’.

"You must have realised early on that you were wholly unsuited to the role; but you carried on regardless...drawing a salary but doing little or no parliamentary work.

"You are not here because of that and I do not aggravate your position because of it. It is irrelevant to these proceedings.”

Mr Kelly continued by describing the circumstances surrounding O’Mara’s offending as ‘a sad chain of events’.

"He’s an inadequate man, an inadequate individual, unable to cope with the stresses and strains of public life. He came under the microscope of public attention and was unable to cope, as we know from the evidence that came before the courts. Taking drugs, consuming alcohol, distancing himself, alienating himself from those who were around him, his staff.”

“The evidence suggests he simply wasn’t suitably qualified to become an MP,” Mr Kelly said.

However, Judge Bayliss said he found that to be a ‘difficult concept’ because it is a role, for which there are no ‘suitability qualifications’ and is open to everyone. “No-one should be prevented from seeking election,” he said, adding that measures are in place, including a disability budget, to ensure that ‘those with a disability can function as a MP’.

Fake invoices were only not paid out due to ‘vigilance’ and ‘diligence’ of IPSA staff

He also rejected a suggestion from Mr Kelly that O’Mara never had any hope of any of the fraudulent expense claims ever being paid out, stating that it was only down to the ‘vigilance’ and ‘dilligence’ of IPSA that attempts by O’Mara and Arnold to defraud the taxpayer were thwarted.

Giving evidence in court, a probation officer who prepared a pre-sentence report on Arnold’s behalf, said he was someone with a ‘supportive and close family,’ and also enjoyed the support and friends and others in the community.

Arnold does not have any previous convictions, and is also deemed to pose a low risk of harm, and of reoffending; and has at least one or two offers for employment after proceedings have concluded, the probation officer told the court.

He added that Arnold, who had moved to Spain after his offending was carried out, is someone who has previously struggled with mental health problems, including depression, for which he currently takes medication.

O’Mara was elected as Sheffeld Hallam’s first ever Labour MP in one of the biggest shocks of the June 2017 general election, winning the seat from the then leader of the Liberal Democrats, and former deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg.

He had the Labour Party whip withdrawn after misogynistic and homophobic comments he made online a decade earlier resurfaced, and subsequently left the party, choosing to represent the constituency as an independent.

O’Mara confirmed he would not run again in Autumn 2019, and Labour’s Olivia Blake was elected to represent Sheffield Hallam with a slim majority of just 712 in the December 2019 general election.