MP O'Mara arrested on suspicion of fraud

MP for Sheffield Hallam, Jared O'Mara, has been arrested on suspicion of fraud, just weeks after announcing that he would be quitting Parliament claiming he was "not in any fit state to continue". 

 

It was reported by the Daily Mirror that police officers raided Mr O'Mara's office in Sheffield on Friday Aug 16 and seized documents and computers as evidence. 

 

O'Mara and his former office manager, Gareth Arnold, were both detained by police and released the following day. 

 

Mr O'Mara and Mr Arnold have had public disputes when last month Mr Arnold used the MP's Twitter account to post accusations about his behaviour. Mr Arnold described him as "disgustingly morally bankrupt", adding: "You do not care about anyone but yourself."

 

This is not the first time O'Mara has attracted attention. The ex-Labour Party representative, was suspended in 2017 when online posts with derogatory and xenophobic insults were discovered online. 

 

These posts came to light just five months after he ousted Nick Clegg in the 2017 general election.

 

Mr O'Mara, who has cerebral palsy and is on the autism spectrum, spoke out about his difficulties with mental health during his suspension. He revealed that he had attempted suicide on three occasions and developed an anxiety order. 

 

When he was readmitted to the party in July 2018, Mr O'Mara took the decision to resign from Labour saying that the party was not committed to "equality and compassion" like he was. He subsequently stood as an Independent.

 

Following recent news of Mr O'Mara's arrest, Sheffield Hallam Lib Dems said: "With crucial votes coming up in Westminster, the people of Sheffield Hallam need an MP they can count on to fight Boris Johnson's Brexit plans and to stand up for local communities."

 

With an upcoming by-election, the pro-EU Lib Dems hope that an early vote will help them boost the number of anti-no deal MPs in Parliament.

 

PM Law 

Sheffield Solicitors