Jared O'Mara has been jailed for four years for trying to claim thousands of pounds in taxpayer cash to fund an 'extensive' cocaine habit while serving as an MP.
The 41-year-old, who represented Sheffield Hallam between 2017 and 2019, was convicted of six counts of fraud after attempting to claim around £52,000 for work that was never done and jobs that did not exist. O’Mara went on trial for submitting fake invoices to the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (Ipsa) between June and August 2019.
Leeds Crown Court heard O’Mara made four claims for a total of £19,400 from a “fictitious” organisation called Confident About Autism South Yorkshire. A jury found he also submitted a false contract of employment for his friend John Woodliff, pretending he worked as a constituency support officer.
