Demanding Justice: The Post Office Scandal

The Post Office scandal saw over 700 Post Office employees wrongly prosecuted thanks to an error in Horizon's accounting software.
Sky's Ivor Bennett speaks to some of those who went through the terrible ordeal.
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[@simonmorgan225]

The courts prosecuted these people knowing the system was faulty. Disgusting!

[@shuddupeyaface]

Those poor people. Imagine what they and their families went through! People should be prosecuted for this! It's a national disgrace!

[@probro9898]

Paula Vennells should be forced to be a postmistress. Her computer system should be programmed to lose money at random intervals, and every time if does, she should have to pay it back out of her own pocket, and spend a month in prison.

[@THEOUTCASTSCREATIVE]

Paula Vennells, Angela van de Bogerd, Mark Davies, Alwen Lyons, Alice Perkins and others who worked in POL hierarchy, all knew the convictions were unsafe and let them continue anyway. Is this not a crime? Where is the justice?

[@louisep4805]

I remember at the time how disgraceful this was and it was obvious something was very wrong with the software with so many postmasters involved. I hope they are compensated properly. Sending innocent people to prison!! totally disgusting.

[@simonmorgan225]

How on earth did the courts convict so many people when it was evident the system was faulty.

[@ajs41]

@@simonmorgan225 Because there was a legal rule that computers could always be relied upon.

[@macsmith6216]

@@simonmorgan225 Because it wasn’t evident, the Post Office were covering it up The people at the top need to be prosecuted

[@djsiuk]

Class action Law Suite. 700+ cases wrapped up in a massive case. The Post Office, CPS, Constabulary and Horizon need to be taken to task. It’s needs excellent QC’s that are not tied to the Government. Police IPC needs to bring officers to justice. This needs multiple prison sentences to people involved. A conviction of a month for each of the people wrongly accused affected. This should have shut the Postoffice and if it had been totally private it would have done. No lesson will be learned unless lots of people are incarcerated for life and be fair for once on the side of the hardworking people.

[@jaspaltoor2061]

The Police and CPS weren't involved. The Post Office were allowed to carry out their own investigations and prosecutions.

[@djsiuk]

@@jaspaltoor2061 The Police have to be held to account. They were being told over and over these people were innocent. The Police only have one duty to carry out in their whole careers and that is to provide evidence for the CPS to bring a prosecution to trial or not. The Police do nothing else. The Alarms should have been bellowing at the CPS that the individuals were being forced into making false statements. The Police and CPS did the Postoffices’ dirty work for them. They should all stand trial with a Jury from the people affected in this multi organised criminal organisation attack on innocent people. It should be life in Prison for the EVERYONE involved.

[@davidjames3080]

The managers and CEOs involved in allowing this to happen should lose everything - their freedom, business and homes. Just as they were willing to let their victims suffer. Until the rich, wealthy, privileged elite start to suffer the same sentences as the common man we will continue to see such miscarriages of justice. There is not enough deterrence in place to stop them just doing the same over and over again.

[@tonisiret5557]

This could only happen to working-class people.

[@TomNook.]

When writing software in a professional capacity, especially if ISO certified, it must run through multiple stages of testing and audit before the system can truly go live. If the investigation looks into their testing and external audit processes, that's where we will see the spicy stuff, and hopefully heads will roll there

[@beendoneagain]

Just imagine if just one person had enough brain power to suggest "maybe it is the software" after the 700th case!

[@travelwell6049]

it wasn't stupidity was it.

[@rikardsaje]

When the executives knew that something was wrong but still carried on taking legal action, heads need to roll.

[@kizzymulcaster6057]

This is such a sad story. Knowone deserves this treatment. Especially innocent workers omg so sad

[@danremenyi1179]

And a pile of money needs to be paid to the victims and that money should come from the perpetrators of this scandal and not all from the public purse.

[@karlmylnere5712]

I have absolutely no confidence in either the Post office or the Government telling the absolute truth over any of this , they will act as always ie , protecting themselves even in the face of almost overwhelming evidence of their complicity in the prosecution of people they knew were innocent . I hope all concerned are brought to account , but I would lay bets that they will wriggle out of everything they are accused of.

[@colettespooner225]

All deserve as much help as possible for their wellbeing and families

[@TomNook.]

Computer says no Amazing how technology can dictate a persons guilt, financial status and fate

[@juliedahl1892]

They need to re-pay these people back… They destroyed their lives… What ever happen to these people after all this came out in the open…??

[@claired6328]

Very few have had there convictions overturned & the post office still hasn't paid back the money they made these people pay!!! It's disgusting!!! But no amount of money will ever compensate these people, or the families of the innocent people who were wrongfully accused/ convicted & took there own lifes!!!

[@danremenyi1179]

Certain Post Office Executives and their legal advisors should go to jail. And for non-trivial periods.

[@beverleysmith8704]

Sickening. This is the world we live in.

[@longranger510]

No doubt those responsible will never face justice, there will be a nother cover-up exercise.

[@theantiauthoritarian.1540]

Just hope that the ppl who were in charge of taking these ppl to court for this will now go to jail!! And whoever invented the system should also go to jail!!

[@MaroonedInDub]

Awful. Those poor people.

[@icarus_falling]

I wonder what the idiots who carried out these prosecutions and witch hunts think? The bullies who showed up at some poor sods branch.

[@juliedahl1892]

That happened here in our Post Offices… People were accused of things that weren’t there fault….They didn’t know what was happening, so we hey couldn’t stick up for themselves….

[@MukeshKumar-jo3jl]

This video is just making fun of this whole situation and the victims. The people on here are just actors. Real victims wouldn't even come on tv

[@kathystephen]

Minor point - but it'd be nice to see those communities apologising to these shamefully wronged Postmistresses and Postmasters

[@tangledcharlotte]

I agree l wish there was more attention paid to this part. I don't think it's minor.

[@michaeltoohey1385]

Totally agree, let's see them front up. But I won't be holding my breath.

[@nilsanarvaez7947]

Damn shame! 😡

[@mladyriad]

Too sad We are in the US with family and friends who are postal employees I could see the same theme happening here with DeJerk running the service into the ground here

[@Fido-vm9zi]

Did the gentleman say that someone requested he put in his money to make it right?

[@claired6328]

Yip they made these people pay the Money the computer said they were missing, when infact it was never missing, took them to court, sent them to jail, took there houses, there health, there freedom, there good name & people took there own lifes over this!!! The post office still to this day, over 20yrs now have still never admitted fault, have never paid back the Money they stole from these innocent employees & very very few cases of these 700 people who were found guilty, have been overturned to this day!!! It's disgusting!!! And where has all this Money gone that they stole from there employees.... I'd bet in the pocket of the post office bosses as bonuses!!!

[@rickrivethead]

Post Master Bates says things are gonna get sticky!!

[@brotherbuzz1070]

it's really hard to watch this

[@lawrencebishton9071]

can i get some advice about this or help

[@travelwell6049]

It's like a story I hear from people who've fled countries under a dictorship, where people are punished by the state and everyone is afraid to speak.

[@LordLucans]

The Horizon / Post Office SCAM, those responsible should be thrown in jail

[@kathystephen]

Typical "... lessons are learned... " bs in that Post Office statement. Awash with crocodile tears

[@EdwardThatch-ee7yx]

Sir Keir Starmer needs to explain why he did not intervene in the Horizon Post Office scandal when director of public prosecutions. Sir Keir, held the position between 2008 and 2013 before moving into politics. His time in the role overlapped part of the period in which Post Office branch managers were convicted because of the Horizon computer system showing that money was missing.

[@julierogers1155]

Made a note that the company producing the software program is FUJITSU (origially the software began development by ICL, International Computers Limited ). Paula Vennels (spelling?) should IMMEDIDATELY lose her "CBE" ... what a cruel, evil joke.

[@thedangler1754]

The trial these guys and girls went through was disgusting, how does Vennells live with herself. Vennells who claims to be a practicing Christian should be in prison!

[@CP-sy9cd]

That’s right - there is not one person but many who are responsible from the PO CEOs, Govn Ministers and officials, Fujitsu, lawyers and all who perjured themselves during the many court hearings. They all must be made to pay - not with jail terms but with hard cash - that’s what will hurt. Removing Paula V’s CBE is just a very small beginning. Apologies by all concerned mean absolutely nothing.

[@juliedahl1892]

They were to Cheap to update the system….

[@MarjorieStoker-oj8fh]

Why has this taken so long

[@grantwallace1882]

Paula Vennells needs to be imprisoned.

[@angr3819]

The thing is that UN ordered no more paper from 2025. Finding excuses to abolish the post office will assist in that. The actual criminals in control and their obedient servants should have proceeds of crime upon all they and their families own until honest auditors work out what was right and just for them to be paid. Major shareholders also. Were businesses such as Blackrock and Vanguard invested?

[@edwardhogan1877]

While admitting to not seeing the full picture here I cannot help feeling that the practice common in many businesses of taking out some kind of insurance against such losses would have been a better choice for the Post office. it would then have been left to the insurance company maybe to recommend on whether to seek redress. or would some kind of indemnity bond which the sub-postmasters contracting could have been required to take out have avoided all this unpleasantness? perhaps someone more experienced could comment?

[@TR4zest]

I feel that the Post Office should have believed their employees and instead held Fujitsu accountable for the losses.

[@LordLucans]

Boycott post offices

[@KZ-gi7ey]

Bunch of lying con artists! It’s the computer! Lol.

[@superyamky]

WWIII

[@shankar6428]

Who rocked u

[@shankar6428]

I want ussr

[@Crosshatch1212]

Big fat compensation checks can trigger all sorts .😅

[@jemshadow123]

Funny there were two other Panorama documentaries on this topic, interviewing the same people but none talked about being suicidal before

[@jaxcoss5790]

So?

[@claired6328]

Over 700 People were wrongfully accused by the post office & several people have committed suicide because of the trauma the post office put them through!!!

[@TR4zest]

So what? 4 Post Office victims have committed suicide. What is your point?