Anyone just watched Mr Bates v the Post Office? *GNHQ tweaked the title*

the op should 'report' the post and ask for correction of title

It’s a wonder how the people responsible can sleep at night. How helpless those poor postmasters/mistresses must have felt.

rafichagran

Can the title be changed to Mr Bates at the post office?

Please change the title to ‘Mr Bates vs the Post Office’.

Thank goodness for brave, stubborn people like Mr Bates!

If you see an injustice anywhere- ask questions. There used to be a button badge which read question authority

That poor poor postmistress LLFL 😥

Paula Vennells is a disgrace, there is a petition to strip her of her CBE, we should all sign it. I noticed Adam Crozier wasn't mentioned in the drama, despite being CEO of Royal Mail from 2003 to 2010. Looks like his friends at ITV kept him out of the story as he was chief executive of ITV plc, from 2010 to 2017.

The Post Office in the village next to mine was closed down because of this. Those poor people!

Paula Vennells received her CBE in 2019, the year in which she 'stepped down' from being CEO of The Post Office; she received it for 'services to the Post Office and charity.'

She was pressured into 'stepping back' from her role as priest in Holy Orders in 2021.

Her apology concerning the Post Office prosecutions:
"I am truly sorry that we were unable to find both a solution and a resolution outside of litigation and for the distress this has caused."
A truly dreadful, corrupt woman.

She should be prosecuted for lying in court for claiming that there were no other incidences of post masters having problems with the Horizon system.
This echoes the senior administers in the Lucy Letby case, Amanda Spielman and Alan Derry in Ofsted, the prison authorities for refusing to free Andrew Malkinson for 17 years because he refused to admit to a rape he had not committed, and many more miscarriages of justice.
Those lower down the scale pay the price.

It must be soul destroying to be accused of something you didn’t do - it’s awful being misunderstood over small things, but to be found guilty of serious crime, and then to lose your reputation, your job and your life savings as a result doesn’t bear thinking about.

If there were mistakes in the computer system it’s one thing - human error happens - but the people who made the policies that covered up the scale of the problem, and the people who knew that staff were altering figures behind the scenes should be prosecuted and punished, IMO. And yes, Paula Vennels should be stripped of her CBE.

She should be prosecuted for lying in court for claiming that there were no other incidences of post masters having problems with the Horizon system

I agree

Callistemon21

^She should be prosecuted for lying in court for claiming that there were no other incidences of post masters having problems with the Horizon system^

I agree

Perhaps she and others responsible should be charged with corporate manslaughter?

www.hse.gov.uk/corpmanslaughter/about.htm#:~:text=Resources-,About%20corporate%20manslaughter,of%20a%20duty%20of%20care

Agree Callistemon.

Petition signed.

I suspect that the dramatisation of the events might result in a call for action to be taken. I watched all of it, and without spoiling anything there is a round up at the end of what has happened since the story ended (basically nothing has happened to the people responsible). Maybe if people have identified with the victims there will be pressure brought to bear on the PO or CPS to ‘do something’. I hope so.

This story has been reported by Private Eye for years, in fact they may have been the first to bring it to attention, and campaign to bring it to public notice. I haven't watched the dramatisation yet, plan on doing so this week. Just to add insult to injury, I believe that this same Horizon have been awarded a contract to handle Police information.

And let’s not forget that the evil bitch who was in charge at the time was a former Anglican Priest. 😡 May she rot in hell.
The inquiry is still going on.

DoodleDog
Radio 4 regularly update on this scandal.

This is another example of how people in power escape justice, whilst the rest of us can suffer terribly for infringing rules that they put in place. I think people have had enough of this huge imbalance of power in what is supposed to be a benign democracy. A public inquiry is definitely needed, but the result should not be that ‘lessons have been learned’. It should have teeth, and justice should be seen to be done. I am not in favour of punishing mistakes which could happen to anyone, but lies, cover-ups and withholding of information without good reason should be firmly sanctioned, and the same rules should apply to everyone at all levels of organisations and of society in general.

There has been an Inquiry into Horizon ( I think it might still be ongoing).

I started looking for a link, but this page of search results might be more helpful as it covers more than just the Horizon Inquiry.

duckduckgo.com/?q=post+office+scandal+public+inquiry&t=chromentp&ia=web

This event makes me truly ashamed of how my country is currently managed. So much takes so many years to reach a conclusion and those senior people found to be responsible never seem to pay any price at all materially or personally.

MaizieD

There has been an Inquiry into Horizon ( I think it might still be ongoing).

I started looking for a link, but this page of search results might be more helpful as it covers more than just the Horizon Inquiry.

duckduckgo.com/?q=post+office+scandal+public+inquiry&t=chromentp&ia=web

It is ongoing, and is needed. What should happen, however, is a refusal to accept a ‘lessons will be learnt’ verdict. People need to know on the one hand that the justice system will protect the innocent, and on the other that power is not a licence to do as you please.

And next time some halfwit says the ridiculous phrase 'If you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear', point them to this scandal 🙄

Watching last night made me so angry and upset in equal measures.

I have long thought it very wrong that someone who continues to protest their innocence, even after been pronounced guilty, seems to be more or less blackmailed into declaring themselves 'guilty' in order to avoid even harsher penalties.

This is exactly what a lot of these innocent victims were forced to do.
What a truly dreadful position to find yourself in.

The petition to strip Vennells of her CBE is on 38 Degrees (I’ve signed).

Excellent points, Brahumbug and Oldnproud.

Petition signed.

you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/strip-paula-vennells-of-her-cbe