The Post Office Horizon IT scandal has been described as “the worst miscarriage of justice in recent British legal history” by Jason Beer KC, counsel to the inquiry investigating the issue.
After four years of investigation, involving senior executives reduced to tears and heartbreaking stories from sub-postmasters, the inquiry has concluded gathering its main evidence. It was established to look into the wrongful prosecution of over 700 sub-postmasters for theft and false accounting. It was later revealed that the faulty Horizon IT system, developed by Fujitsu, was to blame for the discrepancies. This revelation is what prompted Mr Beer to make such a strong statement.
The inquiry has been focused on determining when the Post Office became aware that sub-postmasters were not responsible for the discrepancies, why they did not overturn the prosecutions, and whether there was a cover-up. Throughout the process, it was brought to light that alarms were raised by external lawyers, individuals within the Post Office, the media, and campaigners. Some of the testimonies heard during the inquiry were shocking, revealing, and emotional.
One of the key moments in the inquiry was when the former managing director of the Post Office, Alan Cook, insisted that the sub-postmasters were to blame and not the technology. This statement was made despite the consistent denials from the victims. During his testimony, an email was read out in which Mr Cook stated that any shortfalls were due to “subbies with their hand in the till [who] choose to blame the technology when they are found to be short of cash”. Mr Cook expressed regret for this statement and also highlighted systemic failures within the Post Office. He claimed to be unaware that the Post Office was bringing forth prosecutions and did not believe that they were facing a crisis.
The appearance of Paula Vennells, the former chief executive of the Post Office, was one of the most high-profile moments of the inquiry. The ITV drama “Mr Bates vs The Post Office” put Ms Vennells at the center of the scandal. During her testimony, she was reduced to tears multiple times as she apologized for her role in the scandal. A recent text exchange between Ms Vennells and Dame Moya Greene, the former chief executive of Royal Mail, was a damning moment for Ms Vennells. In the text, Dame Moya expressed her belief that Ms Vennells knew about the issues with the prosecutions and had not taken appropriate action. Dame Moya also reiterated this belief during her testimony at the inquiry.
The inquiry also revealed that the Post Office was advised years before convictions were stopped that a key witness used to prosecute sub-postmasters was unreliable. Barrister Simon Clarke stated that he was informed of this after he discovered serious errors and an “almost religious panic” about the Horizon IT system. In 2013, he wrote a legal advice that made it clear to executives that there were issues with past prosecutions. Mr Clarke referred to Fujitsu’s Horizon IT architect, Gareth Jenkins, as a “tainted” and “unreliable witness”. In a dossier commissioned by the Post Office, Mr Clarke stated that Mr Jenkins had breached his court duties by not disclosing known issues and bugs with Horizon. These known issues could have allowed sub-postmasters to challenge their convictions and have their criminal records overturned. Mr Clarke also advised the Post Office not to use Mr Jenkins as a witness and recommended that all prosecutions be reviewed. However, the Post Office chose to ignore this advice and continued to prosecute sub-postmasters until 2015. Currently, Mr Jenkins is under investigation by the Metropolitan Police for suspected perjury.
The impact of the Post Office scandal on the personal lives of sub-postmasters was highlighted by the story of Seema Misra, who was convicted and sentenced to 15 months in jail, with four months served while pregnant. Emails between Post Office executives showed that her conviction was celebrated as “brilliant news”, despite the devastating consequences for Ms Misra. The inquiry also revealed that executives and Post Office lawyers viewed her case as a “test case” to prove the reliability of the Horizon IT system. In response to this revelation, Ms Misra stated, “How can they do a test on a human being? I’m a living creature.” When Mr Jenkins, the expert who testified in court defending Horizon, was called to give evidence at the inquiry, he apologized to Ms Misra. He claimed that he did not understand his duty of disclosure as an expert witness at the time and attempted to diminish the idea that he misled the court or withheld information. However, Ms Misra rejected his apology.
The inquiry’s last phase, which will begin in the autumn, will focus on the Post Office’s current practices and make recommendations for the future. A report will also be published, although the specific date is unclear. Inquiry chair Sir Wyn Williams has stated that it will be released “as soon as is reasonably practicable” after hearing about current practices in September. The chair may also refer executives and individuals from the
