Jared O'Mara: Fraud-accused MP owed drug dealer, court told

Jared O'Mara served as MP for Sheffield Hallam from June 2017 to November 2019

A former MP accused of making fraudulent expenses claims was addicted to cocaine and thousands of pounds "in debt with a dealer", a court heard.

Jared O'Mara, 41, who represented Sheffield Hallam from 2017-2019, is accused of making fraudulent expenses claims totalling nearly £30,000.

Leeds Crown Court heard co-defendant Gareth Arnold told South Yorkshire Police Mr O'Mara used "up to five grams a day".

Mr O'Mara denies eight counts of fraud.

The former MP, of Walker Close, Sheffield, was elected to Parliament for Labour in June 2017 but quit the party the following year and became an independent.

He stood down in 2019, the same year it is alleged the fraud offences took place.

Text and WhatsApp messages sent between Mr O'Mara and Mr Arnold were read out to the jury including references to drug use and abandoning an expenses claim already rejected by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA) four times.

"I think any more pushing will raise alarms," a message read out to court said.

In a message from April 2019, read to the jury by prosecutor James Bourne-Arton, Mr Arnold messaged a friend to say: "He's a few k in debt with a dealer."

Gareth Arnold, left, and John Woodliff, pictured at a previous hearing, are on trial alongside Mr O'Mara

The friend replied: "That's a very dangerous game that. He wants to be careful no bad lads come for him. He's on 80k a year."

Another message in June 2019 saw Mr Arnold writing he had "just smashed loads of coke" with "local MP".

In a WhatsApp message from Mr Arnold to Mr O'Mara, he said the then-MP had been intoxicated before a BBC Look North interview.

He added: "It's you who does cocaine instead of going to Parliament."

'Three days clean'

Mr O'Mara had messaged Mr Arnold to tell him he was "three days clean" and it had been "the longest I've gone".

The jury previously heard that Mr Arnold approached police in July 2019 "after reaching a point at which he was no longer willing to participate in the fraud".

Det Sgt Andrew Shields, who spoke to Mr Arnold after his call to police, told the court they had spoken about Mr O'Mara's mental state, IPSA invoices and use of cocaine.

Prosecutors have previously told the court Mr O'Mara and Mr Arnold "submitted a series of invoices for payment that were false" in 2019.

He is also said to have submitted a false contract of employment for his friend, John Woodliff, claiming he worked for him as a constituency support officer.

Mr Arnold, 30, of School Lane, Dronfield, Derbyshire, denies six charges of fraud.

Mr Woodliff, 43, of Hesley Road, Shiregreen, denies one charge of fraud.

The trial continues.