A former executive at Post Office Limited has testified that she felt compelled to block the phone number of her former boss, Paula Vennells, after receiving multiple calls from her asking for help in avoiding an independent inquiry into the Horizon IT scandal.
Lesley Sewell, who served as the company’s head of IT, appeared before the Post Office inquiry on Thursday and revealed that Ms. Vennells had reached out to her on four separate occasions between 2020 and 2021. Ms. Sewell stated that she had blocked Ms. Vennells’ number due to feeling uncomfortable with the contact.
In her witness statement to the probe, Ms. Sewell disclosed that one of Ms. Vennells’ emails mentioned the need to fill in gaps in her memory regarding the Horizon IT scandal and “Project Sparrow,” a committee focused on addressing issues with forensic accountants who had identified flaws in the accounting system.
Ms. Sewell recalled, “Paula contacted me on four occasions in total. I remember blocking her number after the last call as I did not feel comfortable with her contacting me. I had not spoken to Paula since I left Post Office Limited in 2015.”
According to Ms. Sewell’s testimony, Ms. Vennells stated that she had been asked to appear before a parliamentary select committee at short notice to discuss “all things Horizon/Sparrow” and that she needed to “plug some memory gaps.” Ms. Vennells added, “My hope is this might help avoid an independent inquiry, but to do so, I need to be well prepared.”
During her testimony, Ms. Sewell became emotional and broke down in tears while giving her oath. The chairman of the inquiry, Sir Wyn Williams, offered her support and breaks as needed.
Sir Wyn reassured Ms. Sewell, saying, “Ms. Sewell, I understand this may be difficult for you. Ms. Price will ask you questions in a respectful and sensible manner, but if at any point you feel the need for a break, please let me know.”
The Post Office has been under intense scrutiny following the airing of the ITV drama “Mr Bates Vs The Post Office,” which shed light on the Horizon IT scandal. The faulty system resulted in the prosecution of over 700 sub-postmasters between 1999 and 2015. Despite government promises of compensation for those with overturned convictions, many sub-postmasters are still awaiting full restitution.
