Post Office - Horizon scandal

[GreiginFife]

Maybe it’s also the little people not letting go of an issue.

All credit to the Hillsborough families for pushing and pushing.
All credit to Alan Bates and his justice for SubPostmasters group.
And there’s the contaminated blood scandal.

All have taken far too long but providing the Hillsborough Law actually has teeth and is respected…

I think there have always been these exceptional groups that have championed the causes. But to suggest that we "suddenly" have a rich v poor divide of justice is just plain wrong. What we DO have is greater visibility of the issues which means it's easier to "grab on" to a cause.

ETA: I think the PO scandal is a great example of this. This all started in the 90s before we had wall to wall access to information. Even 10 years ago, vastly fewer people would have even known about the scandal, maybe heard a little about it but not much. But as social media had taken hold the access to the information gives greater spread and visibility. And we find ourselves where vast few would NOT know about it.

 

[clubchamp98]

I think there have always been these exceptional groups that have championed the causes. But to suggest that we "suddenly" have a rich v poor divide of justice is just plain wrong. What we DO have is greater visibility of the issues which means it's easier to "grab on" to a cause.

ETA: I think the PO scandal is a great example of this. This all started in the 90s before we had wall to wall access to information. Even 10 years ago, vastly fewer people would have even known about the scandal, maybe heard a little about it but not much. But as social media had taken hold the access to the information gives greater spread and visibility. And we find ourselves where vast few would NOT know about it.

I disagree.
If you have money as an individual you can go to court for justice.
If you don’t have money you can’t.
It’s as simple as that.

 

[GreiginFife]

I disagree.
If you have money as an individual you can go to court for justice.
If you don’t have money you can’t.
It’s as simple as that.

What? I have no idea what you are even arguing now.

Yes, if you have money you can go to court. As has always been.

Or, if you have money, you can influence so that it DOESN'T even get to court.

Rich justice has always existed, from the slum lords of Victoriana to the land owners ruling over the peasants to the CEOs of billion dollar companies paying for their type of justice.

But it's not something that's suddenly happened.

 

[clubchamp98]

What? I have no idea what you are even arguing now.

Yes, if you have money you can go to court. As has always been.

Or, if you have money, you can influence so that it DOESN'T even get to court.

Rich justice has always existed, from the slum lords of Victoriana to the land owners ruling over the peasants to the CEOs of billion dollar companies paying for their type of justice.

But it's not something that's suddenly happened.

I never said “ it’s just happened”

I answered a post asking a question.
It was you who brought history in to it.

 

[GreiginFife]

I never said “ it’s just happened”

I answered a post asking a question.
It was you who brought history in to it.

Your statement was "An awful lot of people in the UK don’t think there is any anymore.!"

The use of anymore implies that this is a recent phenomenon.

 

[Hobbit]

The Criminal Cases Review Commission have approved an appeal, the first, of a conviction from pre-1999 when the previous IT system, Capture, was in use.

Below is a link to a list of articles in Computer Weekly. Strangely enough, the pace of reviews of Capture convictions is very slow due to the loss of data by the Post Office.

- Search Results | Computer Weekly

www.computerweekly.com

 

[Hobbit]

Another SubPostmaster dies before receiving redress…!

No words…!

 

[clubchamp98]

Another SubPostmaster dies before receiving redress…!

No words…!

Think that’s the long term plan.
RIP.

 

[Hobbit]

Just been reading through some of this week’s comment by some of the more high profile, wronged SubPostmasters. One from Janet Skinner stood out.

“What the govt seems to have missed is that it’s actually us that are the victims of crime.”

How true is that!!!

 

[Hobbit]

The cost of the Inquiry to date… I’d like to think the PO will eventually be saddled with the bill but the reality is whoever picks up the tab it’s the tax payer that’s footing the bill.

 

[Voyager EMH]

Just been reading through some of this week’s comment by some of the more high profile, wronged SubPostmasters. One from Janet Skinner stood out.

“What the govt seems to have missed is that it’s actually us that are the victims of crime.”

How true is that!!!

And there must be prosecutions and convictions for those crimes.
If there are none - scandal upon scandal - and failure of our justice system.

This was planned and prolonged organised crime. Very very serious crime. Fairly long sentences of 5 to 10 years should ensue.

But I fear there will be no convictions and/or prison sentences. This will be terrible. A failure worse than the crime itself.

 

[Hobbit]

And there must be prosecutions and convictions for those crimes.
If there are none - scandal upon scandal - and failure of our justice system.

This was planned and prolonged organised crime. Very very serious crime. Fairly long sentences of 5 to 10 years should ensue.

But I fear there will be no convictions and/or prison sentences. This will be terrible. A failure worse than the crime itself.

The finer details of the Hillsborough Inquiries and subsequent court cases show exactly how corrupt the British legal system can be. The twisting and turning in the respective Inquiries & court cases, along with the CPS and judicial findings are jaw dropping.

South Yorks Police altered 116 witness statements but because that came out in a non-statutory inquiry, and the original statements still exist, it’s not admissible in a court of law. There’s loads more to it but…

I too doubt very much that anyone will be prosecuted over the Post Office scandal. It will be deemed ‘not in the public interest’ - too costly…

 

[Hobbit]

Just a few quick points…

• Fujitsu made more money from govt business year ending April ‘25 than they did the year before.
• Paul Patterson, CEO Europe for Fujitsu, has said all the right things but Fujitsu have done virtually nothing in terms of supporting redress.
• The UK’s independent victims commissioner wades in on the compensation schemes, “the processes the victims have to go through are worse than the original investigations.”

Two decent updates in Computer Weekly, including comments from Lord Arbuthnot about Fujitsu’s poor support of victim’s children -something else Paul Patterson has spoken about but not followed through on.

 

[Hobbit]

For those that haven’t seen the news, Alan Bates has settled his claim. Reportedly, for a 7 figure sum.

Not reported quite so widely, 92 year old Betty Brown has also settled. She spoke of two points on which the Post Office originally downgraded her claim.

1. They deducted 10% from lost earnings, a figure her team had forensically calculated. 10% off 20 years earnings, inc. interest isn’t a small number.
2. The Post Office downgraded her claim for psychological damage from severe to moderately severe, even though her claim was supported by a medical report stating severe.

She also removed two elements of her claim for costs because she didn’t have receipts. The PO had been instructed to pay in good faith all cost claims irrespective of whether or not there were any receipts.

She didn’t receive all of her claim, settling on 95%.

 

[Voyager EMH]

We have to remind ourselves that Sir Alan was not charged with any offence, they merely terminated his contract.
I think his first offer of compensation was under £400,000 which he described as derisory.
The "7-figure sum" that was reported yesterday, could be anything between 1 and 10 million pounds. I wish they could have been a little more specific.

Well done Sir Alan for all his good work over such a long time, but "compensation" for what Janet Skinner suffered should be at least twice as much as whatever Sir Alan got, I believe.
And there are plenty of others like Janet.

Disabled Post Office Horizon victim offered 15% of compensation claim

Janet Skinner had a neurological collapse and was temporarily paralysed after her final court hearing.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[Hobbit]

Another SubPostmaster dies before receiving redress.

This is a tough one. When the finishing line appears inches away for those awaiting compensation… jeez, this one hurts! What a waste…

At the time of the initial investigation into the shortfall at his branch he attempted suicide, and was subsequently sectioned. There followed years of dark places for him but the mountains of support from family, friends and the NHS couldn’t keep him safe.

Just weeks ago he was helping his daughter plan her wedding. Music was a central part of his life, and choosing the song for the father-daughter dance had him in tears. But the long shadow finally got him. Suicide… this one bloody hurts. My heart goes out to Becky & her mum.

Sorry guys, I just can’t find the words…(There now follows an expletive leaden rant aimed front and centre at the…. who drove him to suicide). RIP big man…

 

[Hobbit]

Sir Wyn has recalled Fujitsu executives to give evidence to the Inquiry.

Why???

A whistleblower has told the Inquiry team that technical evidence was not shared with the Inquiry…. Oh dear…

 

[Hobbit]

Private Eye unearths some very dodgy goings on at Fujitsu. A little too coincidental to the Post Office scandal? I’ll let you decide…

The day after the first episode of Mr Bates vs the Post Office aired early last year, a new company called HENKAKU Ltd was incorporated with two Directors, ROB PUTLAND & BEN SHILLITO. They happened to be, respectively, Fujitsu's "Senior VP and Head of Global Legal and Commercial' and 'Head of Digital Legal Services'.'After several days blanking questions, a Fujitsu spokeswoman said Shillito and Putland were no longer employees of Fujitsu. But both remain active on internal Fujitsu systems under their pre-existing job titles, the Eye has learned.' No date was given for their departure from Fujitsu.Further research now finds that 'HENKAKU' is in fact a registered trade mark in Japan - owned by guess who? .....FUJITSU…..


https://private-eye.co.uk/news

 

[Hobbit]

Post Office agree to pay Fujitsu £41,000,000 to extend the contract for the 12 months, April ‘26 to March ‘27.

 

[rulefan]

Post Office agree to pay Fujitsu £41,000,000 to extend the contract for the 12 months, April ‘26 to March ‘27.

They really hadn't got a lot of options at the moment. I haven't seen any software houses making a bid.