former MP jailed for bills fraud has misplaced a Courtroom of Attraction bid to problem his four-year jail sentence.
Jared O’Mara was discovered to have “abused his place” by attempting to say about £52,000 of taxpayers’ cash for work that was by no means performed and jobs that didn’t exist.
The 41-year-old, who represented the constituency of Sheffield Hallam from 2017 to 2019, went on trial for submitting pretend invoices to the Unbiased Parliamentary Requirements Authority (Ipsa) between June and August 2019.
He was accused of constructing fraudulent bills claims to fund an “in depth” cocaine behavior, with Decide Tom Bayliss KC later saying at sentencing that it had been “cynical, deliberate and dishonest”.
O’Mara sought permission to enchantment his sentence, however his renewed utility was rejected by the Courtroom of Attraction in London on Tuesday.
Lord Justice Holroyde, Mr Justice Jeremy Baker and Mrs Justice Lambert, got here to their choice after receiving written arguments, with no attorneys showing in courtroom.
Studying out a ruling, Mrs Justice Lambert mentioned the judges discovered the problem raised “no controversial floor that the sentence was manifestly extreme”, including that it was “wholly proportionate” to the offences dedicated.
She mentioned judges had concluded “with out hesitancy” that the enchantment “is just not meritorious,” she mentioned.
Leeds Crown Courtroom beforehand heard that O’Mara made 4 claims for a complete of £19,400 from a “fictitious” organisation referred to as Assured About Autism South Yorkshire.
A jury discovered he additionally submitted a false contract of employment for his buddy John Woodliff, pretending he labored as a constituency help officer.
O’Mara, a former nightclub supervisor, was cleared of two fraud fees over invoices from one other buddy, Gareth Arnold, for media work that prosecutors claimed was by no means carried out.
However he was convicted of an offence of fraud after emailing Ipsa in February 2020, falsely claiming the police investigation into him had been accomplished and he was entitled to be paid the 2 invoices regarding Arnold, which totalled £4,650.
Prosecutors mentioned the overall worth of the fraud was about £52,000, together with Mr Woodliff’s proposed wage of £28,000.
Arnold, who turned O’Mara’s chief of employees in June 2019, was sentenced to fifteen months suspended for 2 years after a jury discovered him responsible of three fraud fees, however cleared him of an extra three.
Mr Woodliff was cleared by the jury of getting any function within the fraud.
Prosecutor James Bourne-Arton beforehand mentioned the fraud was not a victimless crime and that it had an impression on different MPs “as a result of it undermines public belief and confidence in them”.
Mark Kelly KC, defending O’Mara, mentioned he wished to apologise to his constituents for failing to resign in October 2017, when controversial feedback he made on-line earlier than changing into an MP had been revealed, and that he had felt “hounded by the media”.
He instructed Leeds Crown Courtroom that O’Mara was “an insufficient particular person to deal with the stresses and strains of public life” and “resorted to taking medicine, alcohol and distancing himself in lots of respects from those who had been round him”.
“These circumstances had been very tough circumstances for him to deal with, together with his specific disabilities,” Mr Kelly added.
However Decide Bayliss mentioned the apology was “fully disingenuous”, whereas additionally discovering that O’Mara’s autism didn’t cut back his culpability.
O’Mara gained Sheffield Hallam for Labour from former Liberal Democrat chief Sir Nick Clegg in 2017, however later left the get together after a collection of controversies.
He stayed in workplace as an unbiased MP however didn’t contest the 2019 normal election.
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