Post Office - Horizon scandal

[Hobbit]

A third tranche of prosecutions now under review…

As previously stated the precursor to Horizon, Capture, was also deeply flawed, and prosecutions obtained using evidence from Capture are now being appealed.

However, there’s a third prosecution ‘stream’ now being reviewed. Where a balance shortfall was identified to be in the pensions cost centre within the branch accounts it was the Department of Work & Pensions that reported the theft to the Police and the CPS that prosecuted the SubPostmasters based on Horizon data.

For whatever reason, the overturning of CPS led prosecutions, even though it’s Horizon data used as evidence, lag way behind those obtained purely via private prosecutions by the Post Office.

There is a public meeting in Committee Room 10, House of Commons, on Tuesday 16th December led by a number of MP’s and supported by the Justice For SubPostmasters action group. Two of the speakers at the event are Lee Castleton & Janet Skinner. Entry by ticket only, but the tickets are free. Not sure it will be streamed…

 

[Hobbit]

Some things never change.

A Freedom Of Information request was made to the Post Office asking that they disclose the criteria they have in deciding what level of compensation should be paid.

Amy Price, employed by the Post Office, has sent an internal email saying that the criteria shouldn’t be disclosed, saying “we'll do what we can to avoid disclosure of these guidelines and try to do so in a way that looks legitimate"

Unbelievable!

 

[Hobbit]

And yet a 3rd Post Office IT system has convictions attributed to it. A few SubPost Offices had a little known system called Automatic Payment Service (APS) and Automatic Payment Terminal (APT).

The case of one SubPostmaster from north Wales has been referred for appeal by the Criminal Cases Review Commission. There was a shortfall of £60,000. The Post Office didn’t investigate the IT system but badgered the SubPostmaster into accepting a plea for false accounting. He had done that to balance the books whilst he’d chased the Post Office to investigate the loss.

A 6 month prison sentence and he had to pay the £60,000.

Sound familiar?

Edit; this was around 2001, not long after the launch of Horizon. The terminals were in small, out of the way, sub Post Offices.

 

[AussieKB]

Is anyone other then SubPostMaster's going to go to jail ?

 

[nickjdavis]

Police consider corporate manslaughter charges in Post Office scandal

The move comes as police continue to investigate what has been called the UK's most widespread miscarriage of justice.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[Hobbit]

As per the BBC News website, and posted in the thread a few months back, the Police are considering corporate manslaughter. I was quite surprised by how clear the law is on corporate manslaughter… not sure which post it’s in EDIT… POST 966 March 5th.

There are two sections in the Corporate Manslaughter Act. A quick read of post 966 gives the detail.

I’m not clued up enough to know if it’s applicable but it certainly feels like it might well apply.

 

[Hobbit]

HMRC remove Fujitsu from its preferred supplier list for a £500m IT contract.

Also, a Fujitsu executive has said that they have agreed to be a subcontractor to BT & Vodafone for govt contracts. Both BT & Vodafone have said there is absolutely no agreement with Fujitsu in any way shape or form, nor is there any intention going forward to partner up with Fujitsu.

 

[Hobbit]

Christopher Head, another ex-SubPostmaster caught up in the scandal, has finally settled his claim against the Post Office. It only took 4.5 years to reach an agreement on a full & fair number.

In a lengthy post on Twitter(X) he talks of the words coming out of the PO and the dept for trade & industry(DBT)that say all claims where receipts/details are sketchy will be given the benefit of the doubt & paid in full. He’s given advice on an individual basis to over 400 SubPostmasters, and written letters on behalf of over 200 SubPostmasters whose full & fair claims offers were reduced because of a lack of receipts/details.

We hear the right words coming out of the PO & DBT but the reality continues to be very different. Things are improving, but ever so slowly…

 

[Hobbit]

“Murder at the Post Office.”

29th December sees the first part of a 3 part documentary to be aired on Sky. Diana Garbutt was found murdered at the Post Office she ran with her husband Robin. Robin claimed they were the victims of a violent robbery. However, as the investigation progressed police officers focussed more on Robin, who they subsequently charged with murder. He was found guilty in 2011.

During the investigation a shortfall of £16,000 was found in the branch accounts. This became a central plank for the prosecution, the narrative being that Diana had found out her husband was stealing the money and he murdered her to cover up that theft.

Robin has appealed his murder conviction 3 times and is now pushing for a 4th appeal based on the evidence of theft comes from the faulty Horizon system.

I have no details of the prosecution, nor of any other evidence used in the prosecution.

 

[Tashyboy]

Post Office had deal with Fujitsu to fix Horizon errors 19 years ago

The emergence of a document contradicts claims made by the Post Office over bugs in its IT system during criminal prosecutions.

www.bbc.co.uk

Well well well, if people who are guilty of this cover up do not go to jail quite frankly it would be criminal.