Jared O'Mara attended staff meeting 'on something' and 'gurning' and talked about performing comedy routines, jury told

41-year-old O’Mara is currently on trial at Leeds Crown Court accused of eight counts of fraud relating to around £30,000 of unsuccessful claims made to the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority between June and August 2019, while he was the MP for Sheffield Hallam. O’Mara, who has autism and cerebral palsy, denies the allegations.

O’Mara is alleged to have used the £30,000 – believing he would be reimbursed with tax payers’ money – to fund what prosecutors describe as an ‘extensive cocaine habit’.

Kevin Gregory-Coyne worked in O’Mara’s office as a junior case worker between November 2018 and April 2019.

Staff meeting

Giving evidence on Wednesday, January 25 – the third day of the trial, Mr Gregory-Coyne described attending a staff meeting on February 12, 2019 with O’Mara, of Walker Close, Grenoside and several colleagues in attendance.

“He [O’Mara] turned up an hour late…he appeared to be on some sort of substance. He was gurning, he was clenching teeth, he was sweating, he was talking a million miles an hour. I remember saying to my colleagues at the time: ‘He’s on something’,” Mr Gregory-Coyne told the court.

Mr Gregory-Coyne described how during the course of the meeting, O’Mara told his staff members he had aspirations of creating social media videos of him ‘doing speeches’ because ‘he said he wasn’t able to go to Parliament because of his anxiety’; and also suggested he wanted to post videos of himself performing ‘comedy routines’.

"He wanted to put them on social media and Patreon, which is a paid-for service,” Mr Gregory-Coyne said, adding: “He fancied himself as a bit of a comedian, I think.”

Mr Gregory-Coyne claimed his colleague, Jacob Millen-Bamford, ‘challenged’ O’Mara on his plans to post videos on Patreon, and asked whether it would constitute a ‘second job’ – questioning whether that would be allowed.

“He wasn’t happy about being challenged, I think he threatened Jacob at the time, threatened to sack him,” Mr Gregory-Coyne said.

Amount of time spent in the constituency office

When asked how often he saw O’Mara in his constituency office during the five months he was employed for him, Mr Gregory-Coyne replied: “Once, possibly twice.”

Mr Gregory-Coyne said O’Mara ‘very rarely’ attended at Parliament, but said he was tasked with ‘escorting’ him there ‘sometimes’.

“Did he explain why he didn’t attend more,” asked prosecuting barrister, James Bourne-Arton KC.

Mr Gregory-Coyne responded to this by saying he believed O’Mara had used what he viewed to be ‘excuses'.

"A couple of times he said he had slipped in the shower and injured himself…a couple of times I was supposed to be escorting him to Parliament and he text me at the last minute and said: ‘I’m not coming,’ and never offered an explanation,” Mr Gregory-Coyne said.

Mr Gregory-Coyne also revealed that on March 28, 2019 he contacted Nic Dakin, who was then working as a Labour whip, over concerns O’Mara was not going to attend Parliament to vote on behalf of his constituents on an upcoming Brexit vote. He said O’Mara, who was elected to represent the Labour Party in 2017, was an independent MP by that time, but had ‘maintained some relationship’ with Mr Dakin.

“He [O’Mara] had burned a lot of bridges, in terms of other MPs and colleagues, and there was no party machinery because he was an independent,” Mr Gregory-Coyne said.

Mr Gregory-Coyne told jurors that when he asked O’Mara why he was not going to participate in the Brexit vote, the then Hallam MP said he had ‘uncovered a conspiracy with IPSA’ – the independent body who regulate MPs’ expense claims that O’Mara is alleged to have submitted fraudulent claims to – and ‘also said he was suffering from a mental health crisis’.

He said O’Mara subsequently text him to ‘basically thank me’ for ‘reaching out’ to Mr Dakin, and in doing so, ‘pushing’ O’Mara to ‘speak to someone’.

Witness ‘highlighted concerns’ about staff being vetted

Mr Gregory-Coyne said a number of members of staff, including Mr Millen-Bamford left their roles with O’Mara’s office in 2019, and he was drafted in to help with the interview process for his colleauges’ replacements. He told the court that he ‘highlighted concerns’ with O’Mara after he was presented with a ‘signed contracts’ for new employees ‘before they had been vetted’.

“He was rather angry, and told me not to question his authority. He shouted and swore at me, and that was it,” Mr Gregory-Coyne said. O’Mara terminated his employment, with immediate effect just days later, Mr Gregory-Coyne added. “He said I had breached his confidence, and was sacked immediately, and wouldn’t have to work my notice.”

Mr Gregory-Coyne described how in the hours leading up to him being ‘sacked,’ he saw an email sent by O’Mara to a women who had delivered ‘autism training’ to all staff members.

"He said he now had a no-tolerance discrimination policy for autism, and therefore he would only be left with one part-time member of staff,” Mr Gregory-Coyne said, adding that he believed O’Mara was referring to a female member of staff who worked part time.

O’Mara’s former aide, Gareth Arnold, aged 31, of School Lane, Dronfield is on trial alongside O’Mara, accused of six counts of fraud relating to the unsuccessful claims. The third defendant is John Woodliff, 42, of Hesley Road, Shiregreen, who is accused of pretending to work for O’Mara as a ‘Constituency Support Officer’ while fraudulently claiming a salary.

When asked about his interactions with Arnold, Mr Gregory-Coyne said he first met him at an informal staff meeting held at the Sheaf Island Wetherspoons pub on Ecclesall Road, which was attended by O’Mara. Mr Gregory-Coyne said he thought O’Mara introduced Arnold as a ‘friend,’ and said Arnold would be working for his office on a ‘voluntary’ basis.

"He specifically said Mr Gareth Arnold wouldn't be paid,” Mr Gregory-Coyne said.

Mr Gregory-Coyne said he had never heard the name ‘John Woodliff’ during his time working for O’Mara, when asked.

Defending O’Mara, Mark Kelly KC, asked Mr Gregory-Coyne about the ‘mental health crisis’ O’Mara told him he was having, and whether he had seen any signs of it.

"He was very rarely in the office,” Mr Gregory-Coyne said.

Mr Kelly continued: “By the time you were there in late ‘18, he was very rarely in the office and on one of the occasions he came in on February 12 [2019] he was ranting, in effect].”

“Yes,” replied Mr Gregory-Coyne.

All three defendants have pleaded not guilty to the charges they face. The trial continues.