Ex-Post Office Chief Breaks Down Recalling Death Of Falsely Accused Postmaster During Horizon Scandal Inquiry
Former Post Office chief Paula Vennells broke down twice while giving her testimony at the Horizon IT scandal inquiry as she tearfully apologised to falsely accused subpostmasters.
The Horizon scandal, which has been labelled one of the largest miscarriages of justice in UK history, saw more than 700 sub-postmasters wrongly convicted of fraud and theft between 1999 and 2015, due to flaws in the Horizon IT system that falsely showed money was missing from Post Office branches.
Vennells began: “I would like to say how sorry I am for all the subpostmasters and their families who have suffered as a result of all that the inquiry has been looking into for so long.”
She added: “I have listened to all the statements and have been very affected by it. I am very very sorry”.
In her defence the former chief executive admitted she was “too trusting” of the information provided during her tenure. She blamed Fujitsu IT for not telling her about bugs in the system and said legal advice from barrister Simon Clarke in 2013 about problems with past subpostmaster convictions was not shared with her or the board.
However, Vennells did admit that some of her past statements to MPs and colleagues about the prosecutions were untrue.
Vennells’ testimony was paused as she broke down in tears when discussing the case of Martin Griffiths, a subpostmaster who died after a suicide attempt in 2013 after being falsely accused of a £39,000 shortfall at his Cheshire branch.
She also wept when challenged on her 2012 claims that courts always sided with the Post Office against subpostmasters, despite multiple acquittals.
Vennells had been awarded a CBE in 2019 for her services but faced backlash due to the ongoing scandal. Under public pressure, she said she would return the honour in January 2024 but was formally stripped of it by the Cabinet Office in February.
The scandal’s re-emergence in public consciousness follows the release of the ITV drama Mr Bates vs the Post Office, and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s announcement of new legislation aimed at exonerating and compensating the affected sub-postmasters.
The inquiry continues.
