Ex-MP Charged With Making Fraudulent Invoices

Fraud, Prosecutionsgracechurchfcp

Rosemary Ainslie, head of Special Crime at the CPS, said: “The Crown Prosecution Service has today authorised police to charge Jared O’Mara, former MP for Sheffield Hallam, with seven counts of fraud by false representation.

“The charges relates to an allegation he made fraudulent invoices to the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority in 2019 jointly with Gareth Arnold, who is also charged with six counts of the same offence.

“Jared O’Mara is charged jointly with John Woodliff with a Proceeds of Crime Act offence. The CPS made the decision that the three men should be charged after reviewing a file of evidence from South Yorkshire Police.

“The CPS reminds all concerned that criminal proceedings against these defendants are active and that they have a right to a fair trial. It is extremely important that there should be no reporting, commentary or sharing of information online which could in any way prejudice these proceedings.”

Notes to editors

  • The three men will next appear on Sheffield Magistrates’ Court on 24 September 2021.
  • Jared O’Mara [DOB: 15/11/1981] is charged jointly with Gareth Arnold [DOB: 28/09/1992] of fraud by false representation, contrary to section 2 of the Fraud Act 2006.
  • Jared O’Mara is charged jointly with John Woodliff [DOB: 08/07/1979] with an offence of entering into an arrangement to facilitate the acquisition of criminal property, contrary to section 328 of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002.
  • The decision to charge has been made in accordance with the Code for Crown Prosecutors
  • It is not the function of the CPS to decide whether a person is guilty of a criminal offence, but to make fair, independent and objective assessments about whether it is appropriate to present charges for the criminal court to consider.
  • The CPS assessment of any case is not in any sense a finding of, or implication of, any guilt or criminal conduct. It is not a finding of fact, which can only be made by a court, but rather an assessment of what it might be possible to prove to a court, in accordance with the Code for Crown Prosecutors.
  • This assessment is based on the evidence available arising out of the police investigation and not on the evidence that is likely to be gathered by the defence, and likely to be used to test the prosecution evidence. The CPS charging decision is therefore necessarily an assessment on the basis of the evidence that is available to the CPS at the time the decision is made.

Article credit: https://www.cps.gov.uk/cps/news/ex-mp-charged-making-fraudulent-invoices