Horizon scandal: Call for all Post Office convictions to be overturned

[Dicky Underpants]

Ian Hislop incandescent on the Peston show:

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/ian-hislop-post-office-peston-bates-b2476889.html&ved=2ahUKEwjYjtCQg9iDAxVt9LsIHdt1BUsQFnoECCIQAQ&usg=AOvVaw2FEwh_Mo77TNHFEeoKZAEy

[Nearly Sane]

Blair warned about Horizon but not about what became the issue. Don't think it's a smoking IT system.


https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-67941495

[SteveH]

An alleged murderer may have been wrongly convicted due to the Horizon system.
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2024/jan/13/post-office-owner-says-horizon-system-was-used-to-frame-him-for-wifes-murder

[Nearly Sane]

An alleged murderer may have been wrongly convicted due to the Horizon system.
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2024/jan/13/post-office-owner-says-horizon-system-was-used-to-frame-him-for-wifes-murder

Reading the article, My gut is leaping about shouting 'Guilty as sin'. I really must take it to gut training school.


BUT the conviction is obviously unsafe.

The guy that is writing the book is going to be in demand.

[jeremyp]

Reading the article, My gut is leaping about shouting 'Guilty as sin'. I really must take it to gut training school.


BUT the conviction is obviously unsafe.

The guy that is writing the book is going to be in demand.

I'm in agreement with you. I think he did it, but if the Horizon data was crucial evidence to the conviction, it was unsafe.

[Nearly Sane]

Interesting stuff from Fujitsu Chief Exec, Paul Patterson at the enquiry. Seems to be opening themselves up to being sued, and admitting it, as better in the long run. I wonder how much that strategy has changed in the last few weeks.

[Nearly Sane]

Roll up, roll up, get your seats at the Fujitsu workers special


https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/business-68004381

[SteveH]

There seems to be a new policy in the C of E of getting senior managers from industry to be ordained, serve for a period as a non-stipendiary minister, and then be given a senior clerical appointment. As well as Appalling Paula / Venal Vennels, who was shortlisted for the Bishopric of London, there is Sarah Mullally, the former chief nursing officer for England and Wales, who eventually got the job, and, of course, Justin Welby, a former senior oil executive. If I'm right, I think they should stop it at once. I want my archbishops and senior bishops to be dedicated, life-long clergy, not managerial whizz-kids.

[Nearly Sane]

.

[Nearly Sane]

Post Office plan to sack Horizon IT reviewer kept secret, documents reveal

'A Post Office board sub-committee, codenamed "Project Sparrow", took the decision with the full knowledge of the government.'

Well, that's alright then.


https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-68079300

[jeremyp]

Post Office plan to sack Horizon IT reviewer kept secret, documents reveal

'A Post Office board sub-committee, codenamed "Project Sparrow", took the decision with the full knowledge of the government.'

Well, that's alright then.


https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-68079300

It's quite annoying that the BBC has got an image of the minutes showing the redactions, but you can't make it big enough to read.

As for the Post Office management, I don't know how they live with themselves.

[Nearly Sane]

It's quite annoying that the BBC has got an image of the minutes showing the redactions, but you can't make it big enough to read.

As for the Post Office management, I don't know how they live with themselves.

And any govt statements distancing from this as if it had nothing to do with them are underlined as being lies.

[Nearly Sane]

'Post Office still pursued sisters after case thrown out' - incredible. This needs to have criminal peoceedings following.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-68204594

[jeremyp]

'Post Office still pursued sisters after case thrown out' - incredible. This needs to have criminal peoceedings following.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-68204594

Well in one very small sense, they were lucky. In England, the case would have gone ahead because, in England the Post Office can bring its own cases.

As for criminal proceedings: well, after the case was thrown out, the PO continued to pursue the sisters despite knowing that they may very well not have owed any money. They threatened the sisters with debt collectors so the sisters paid them. How is that not extortion? Extracting money with menaces is a crime and people need to go to jail for this.

[Nearly Sane]

I think the govt is hoping people get distracted from what happened on their watch. After much running round following the TV programme, silence...


https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-68315021

[Nearly Sane]

I think the govt is hoping people get distracted from what happened on their watch. After much running round following the TV programme, silence...


https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-68315021

But that doesn't look to be going well

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-68330465

[Nearly Sane]

'Cameron government knew Post Office ditched Horizon IT investigation' - the best the govt can be on this is totally and utterly incompetent

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-68146054

[jeremyp]

'Cameron government knew Post Office ditched Horizon IT investigation' - the best the govt can be on this is totally and utterly incompetent

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-68146054

That is actually a bit of non news. The Post Office dropped the investigation on '"very strong advice" from the senior barrister representing them' not because the government told them to. I suppose the government could have ordered them to restart the investigation but this pales into insignificance compared with previous and later negligence from governments of all stripes.

On the other hand, it is pretty despicable to try to prioritise winning a case over finding the truth. This should have been a wake up call to the PO management, and the government, that they were on the wrong side of this one.

[Aruntraveller]

John Crace on Kemi B (if she loses her seat she could do worse than use that for a new career in music):

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2024/feb/19/it-must-be-exhausting-to-be-kemi-badenoch-anger-her-ever-faithful-companion

"It must be exhausting to be Kemi Badenoch. That never-ending surge of rage. Not the slightest effort to keep it repressed."

[Nearly Sane]

John Crace on Kemi B (if she loses her seat she could do worse than use that for a new career in music):

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2024/feb/19/it-must-be-exhausting-to-be-kemi-badenoch-anger-her-ever-faithful-companion

"It must be exhausting to be Kemi Badenoch. That never-ending surge of rage. Not the slightest effort to keep it repressed."

If she loses in Saffron Walden where there's a 27, 594 majority, I'll take up DJing myself. She comes across as one of the more capable ministers, not the highest of bars. This seems an odd stance to take. I would have thought you either ignored the claim in the hope that it went away, or just issued documentation on the instructions.

[Nearly Sane]

All of this gives the impression that no one knew what they were doing.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-68357074

[jeremyp]

All of this gives the impression that no one knew what they were doing.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-68357074

And today's lesson is clarity is a virtue - even if govt and the civil service think plausible deniability is a higher one.


https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-68357074

Those both link to the same story.

[Nearly Sane]

All very well to remove Vennells's CBE but is there no responsibility for having awarded it in the first place.


https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-68384240

[Nearly Sane]

Those both link to the same story.

Thanks, the link was majorly rewritten from my first posting of it, and I hadn't seen that it was the same but different. Removed first one.

[SteveH]

All very well to remove Vennells's CBE but is there no responsibility for having awarded it in the first place.


https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-68384240

Apparently, Ireland scrapped the honours system on independence, and hasn't got one to this day. Maybe we should scrap ours, given the number removed for misbehaviour over the last decade or two.