Investigating the Post Office Scandal

In which Nick interviews the former Post Office minister about his experience of taking office in the weeks after the Bates v Post Office settlement, overseeing the establishment of the Post Office Horizon Inquiry and the various compensation schemes.

In which Nick is joined by Mark Baker, former Postmaster and CWU rep, and Ron Warmington, forensic accountant, fraud investigator and Chairman of Second Sight, which conducted the first independent investigation of the Post Office's Horizon system.

Nick and Rebecca interview Noel Thomas and Aled Gwyn Jôb, who with Sian Thomas have co-written a book about Noel's experience of being prosecuted by the Post Office for theft and false accounting.

The book is called The Stamp of Innocence. It has just been published and currently only available as an e-book from Amazon, but there are plans to make it available as a paperback, most likely early in 2024.

Noel has already published the Welsh language version of his story ("Llythyr Noel: Dal y Post"), which you can buy in paperback from www.gwales.com and of course, from all good Welsh language bookshops.

In the podcast Noel and Aled talk about the experience of putting the book together, read from both the Welsh and English versions and give their thoughts on the wider Post Office Scandal. Sian sadly had a sore throat so couldn't participate, but she set up the technology to make it all work in Ynys Môn/Anglesey.

Our thanks to Whistledown Productions for continuing to provide production support and assistance with our podcast project.

Rebecca and I were delighted to record an episode with Howe and Co partner David Enright, a lawyer who represents more than 100 Subpostmasters at the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry. This is a proper wide-ranging chat covering Sir Wyn Williams compensation report, the Post Office disclosure debacle, bonusgate, restorative justice, whether ALL Post Office prosecutions should be re-examined, how long the inquiry will last and what it's like to be working at the coal face of a process like this.

Sir Wyn Williams' interim inquiry report on compensation

Howe and Co and other Core Participants' submissions on compensation

The Post Office's disclosure debacle

Howe and Co's website

Nick's interview with Post Office CEO Nick Read on BBC Sounds

Nick's recent Sunday Times piece

Lord Arbuthnot's call for all PO prosecutions to be revisited in Computer Weekly

The Post Office Scandal website

As both Nick and Rebecca were unable to attend the Post Office Horizon IT inquiry Compensation Hearing on 27 April, they thought it best to speak to some people who were. Sadly Rebecca was also unable to co-host the podcast so Nick brought in Professor Richard Moorhead from Exeter University (and member of the Horizon Compensation Advisory Board), Helen Lacey from Bath Publishing (and trustee of the Horizon Scandal Fund) and Robert Nicholson, Senior Editor at Whistledown Productions (and award-winning producer of the BBC's Great Post Office Trial series) to help talk around the issues raised.

The written submissions, youtube video and transcripts to Thursday's compensation hearing can all be found here on the Inquiry's website.

As promised in the podcast, this is the Horizon Scandal Fund website.

Prof Moorhead is currently recruiting a post-doc researcher who can help his team investigate the Horizon Scandal more fully. Apply here.

And here is a link to The Great Post Office Trial on BBC Sounds.

In which the Post Office Minister Kevin Hollinrake explains the new compensation scheme for Postmasters who were part of the High Court group litigation, declares the Historical Shortfall Scheme fit for purpose, says he wants people held to account over the Horizon scandal and appears ready to support a Duty of Candour law if it prevents something similar happening again. After the interview with Mr Hollinrake, Nick speaks once more to Lee Castleton, a likely applicant to the scheme, nineteen years to the day after Post Office auditors walked into Lee's branch and closed it down, setting him on the path to bankruptcy and ruining his life.

Government's compensation scheme for Group Litigation Subpostmasters: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/compensation-scheme-for-group-litigation-order-case-postmasters

Post Office Horizon IT inquiry legal advice on bankruptcies:
https://www.postofficehorizoninquiry.org.uk/legal-opinion-catherine-addy-kc-matters-relating-bankruptcy-and-compensation

A longer interview with Lee Castleton: https://audioboom.com/posts/8156279-ep-10-lee-castleton-justice-for-subpostmasters-alliance-founding-member

Rebecca's Substack page: https://rebeccathomson.substack.com

Nick's Post Office Scandal website: https://www.postofficescandal.uk/donate/

Nick's book: https://bathpublishing.com/products/the-great-post-office-scandal-updated-pbk

Rebecca's first investigation for Computer Weekly in 2009: https://www.computerweekly.com/news
Update Description

In which Nick, Rebecca and special guest Varchas Patel pick over the recent evidence to the Post Office Horizon IT inquiry. One Fujitsu witness who worked on the Horizon Helpdesk described hearing colleagues shout about having 'another Patel scamming' on the phone again. We also discuss Nick and Varchas' experience of being trustees on the Horizon Scandal Fund, a charity set up by Nick's publisher, Bath Publishing, to help Subpostmasters and their families in need. Donate below!

Horizon Scandal Fund: https://www.horizonscandalfund.org/donate.html

Post Office Horizon IT inquiry website:
https://www.postofficehorizoninquiry.org.uk

Rebecca's Substack page: https://rebeccathomson.substack.com

Nick's Post Office Scandal website: https://www.postofficescandal.uk/donate/

Nick's book: https://bathpublishing.com/products/the-great-post-office-scandal-updated-pbk

Rebecca's first investigation for Computer Weekly in 2009: https://www.computerweekly.com/news

In which Nick interviews Nadhim Zahawi's nemesis, Dan Neidle, founder of Tax Policy Associates. Dan has recently waded into the Post Office Horizon Scandal, and is pretty sure at least one compensation scheme for victims of the scandal is unfair. Dan is a great talker and entertaining company. He talks about his career as a tax layer, The Downfall of Zahawi, SLAPPs and of course the Post Office. In the podcast we promise plenty of links to aid your understanding and reading, but before we do...

A CORRECTION. I say in the podcast the Overturned Historical Conviction Scheme was managed by the government. The Post Office have got in touch to tell me they are administering the OHCS. My apologies for putting this incorrect information in the podcast.

Right. Off we go:

The Daily Mail article about the appalling case of Francis Duff which prompted Dan's interest: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11745221/Postmaster-lost-Horizon-scandal-forced-hand-322k-compensation.html

Dan's first piece on the Tax Policy Associates website: https://www.taxpolicy.org.uk/2023/02/19/postoffice/

The new proposed legislation exempting two Post Office compensation schemes from tax: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2023/184/made

Dan's Times op-ed piece: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/taxing-post-office-victims-means-yet-more-humiliation-822tgtcd0

The Post Office's response (as discussed by Nick and Dan in the podcast): https://twitter.com/DanNeidle/status/1630113607731011585?s=20

Please donate to keep this podcast going: https://www.postofficescandal.uk/donate/

Post Office Horizon IT inquiry website:
https://www.postofficehorizoninquiry.org.uk

Nick's book: https://bathpublishing.com/products/the-great-post-office-scandal-updated-pbk

Rebecca's first investigation for Computer Weekly in 2009: https://www.computerweekly.com/news

In 2002, Baljit and Anjana Sethi (pictured), were trusted Subpostmasters in Essex. They were was sacked by the Post Office over a £17,000 discrepancy in one of their branches' accounts. The Sethis had successfully run a Post Office branch for more than 20 years. Baljit told the Brentwood Gazette at the time it was not their fault, rather it was down the Post Office's Horizon IT system. In 2019 the Sethis were proved right. Baljit and Anjana have been fighting for compensation for more than two years. They have yet to be made an offer, despite applying to the Post Office's Historical Shortfall compensation scheme in 2020. Baljit and Anjana's son Adeep has taken up their fight, and he tells us everything on this episode of Investigating the Post Office Scandal.

Link to the Brentwood Gazette 2002 article featuring Baljit and Anjana

Please donate to keep this podcast in lunch money https://www.postofficescandal.uk/donate/

Post Office Horizon IT inquiry website https://www.postofficehorizoninquiry.org.uk

Nick's book https://bathpublishing.com/products/the-great-post-office-scandal-updated-pbk

Rebecca's first investigation for Computer Weekly in 2009: https://www.computerweekly.com/news

Phase 3 of the inquiry begins with a statement on the running sore of Postmaster compensation (three schemes now running and counting) - we have news of Alan Bates, founder of the Justice for Subpostmasters' Alliance turning down an OBE - Nick has got his hands on the Altman Advice (or one of them, anyway) and oh yes - all the evidence from the inquiry itself. It's all go-ish. The inquiry evidence was a bit dull.