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

Joseann

^While I understand that Vennells behaved disgracefully I think it rather hard that she is the only one getting the real hate from the public. The prosecutions started before she was made CEO^.
Hi MaizieD, is this because she lied and appeared to be very difficult during the investigation? As I saw it, she just came out with platitudes that were untrue, and she surely knew it. There was no positive gesture on her part to want to put things right.

But, Joseann, the SPMs were being lied to long before Vennells became CEO. I think it is wrong that Vennells is the only person who is coming in for the hate. This is not to excuse her, I just think that others should be getting a bit of it, too...

JennyCee

I would like to know what happened to all the “money” they say the Post Office Managers stole. How much was there and when will they give this “stolen” money back? It appears now that the PO are in effect recipients of money received unlawfully.

I had wondered that too.

I was discussing it with my OH today; he reckons that, although the amount of money the SPMs 'paid back' might seem very large to us, the turnover of the PO was so high that the excess money (over a number of years, after all) was probably not enough to be counted as anything but an accounting error.

MaizieD

JennyCee

I would like to know what happened to all the “money” they say the Post Office Managers stole. How much was there and when will they give this “stolen” money back? It appears now that the PO are in effect recipients of money received unlawfully.

I had wondered that too.

I was discussing it with my OH today; he reckons that, although the amount of money the SPMs 'paid back' might seem very large to us, the turnover of the PO was so high that the excess money (over a number of years, after all) was probably not enough to be counted as anything but an accounting error.

The money became part of the Post Office profits.

Presumably the computer system balanced it against something though?
Fraudulently.

PestyOne

The programme was so good - looking forward to the other episodes this week 👍.
It's truly shameful & outrageous that lives were ruined and as we know compensation is still outstanding!

It’s not even compensation, it’s giving people back money that was always theirs.

I’m crying watching them get their convictions overturned

If you gave all those people £1 million each it wouldn't give them back 20 years of their lives.

262,000 on the petition up from
10,000 yesterday.

Yes, me too, hallgreenmiss

And they should receive compensation over and above the repayment of the money they felt forced to pay to the Post Office for non-existent losses.

We should all email our MPs and make our feelings known.

I don't usually cry, but I did tonight watching this programme about injustice to the sub postmasters, and the subsequent effect it had on these peoples lives.
One of the best and most informative programmes I have seen in a long time.

Joseann

If you gave all those people £1 million each it wouldn't give them back 20 years of their lives.

You’re right. The money is one issue, but what they deserve as much is recognition and public apology. I think this programme has done a huge amount of good - it wouldn’t surprise me if it becomes the Cathy Come Home equivalent of the 2020s.

There is a documentary about this at 10.45pm tonight, after the ITV News.

£1 million would not give them 20 years back, which is why it is called compensation, something to make up for something you have lost or had taken from you.
As the postmaster who had been jailed said, prison doesn't make any difference, but hit them where it hurts, in their pockets.
Alison Rose was not able to claim her bonus last year of up to £11 million, she only got £2 million, but to someone as venal as her , that hurts.
Paula Vennells was the CEO and she was in the position to investigate, to discover what was happening and to bring it to a halt. She did not.

I’ve watched three episodes and am finding it very moving, the cast are fantastic, one of the best things I’ve watched recently.

And all the while the fraud was committed by the Post Office under the leadership of the awful woman. The criminally gained money ended up as the post Office’s profit. To be distributed as bonuses no doubt to the perpetrators of the crime

Such a powerful and moving drama. I was in tears at the end and will definitely watch the documentary on catch up.

Just watched final episode.
Astounded at how these innocent people had to fight against an all powerful organisation.
Yet, I understand how powerful these organisations can be.
I have signed and passed on to others the petition.

I always thought it was good that the UK wasn’t like America and Australia in its speed of seeking legal representation and suing people but I see it can definitely be a negative in cases like this. The post office workers would have sued their arses off here as soon as it happened. At least now, having been made very public, something will no doubt be done. Too late for many, sadly. As for that woman with the CBE, that is just plain rude. Concocted Bullshit Evidence?

I've watched the documentary. I found it every bit as harrowing as the dramatised version. Perhaps even more so as the real victims talked about their experience. Poor Jess...suicide attempts and ECT treatment that has wiped out her memory of her childhood.

Suing people's arses off costs a great deal of money, nanna8. The post offices workers didn't have any money. They'd used it to make up the 'shortfalls'. Most of them still don't have sufficient money.

A change.org petition:
Your signature will help us put the pressure on government and the relevant ministers so those that have suffered enormously over a 20 year period can get the answers, accountability and justice they rightly deserve and finally move on with their lives
www.change.org/p/biztradegovuk-post-office-scandal-full-compensation-and-accountability

The post office workers would have sued their arses off here as soon as it happened

They could not understand the shortfalls.
Each one was told they were the only one with problems.

It was so hard to watch. I woke early thinking how those poor people have suffered.
It seems to me that the Post Office was able to employ lawyers to achieve these prosecutions and to fight the victims at the taxpayers’ expense, as they are a government owned company. And any compensation they managed to achieve had their legal costs deducted, leaving them with a pittance. How is it right that the PO could “ afford” lawyers to perpetrate such injustices in order to protect their brand?
Having now been proved wrong, full compensation should be paid to their victims immediately. The PO is prevaricating about calculations, partly because there is insufficient evidence - or they have destroyed the evidence of how much their victims repaid. This is absolutely scandalous as this is a public body. Utterly corrupt.
I know financial compensation will not restore their lives to what they should have been but this mess needs to be settled NOW.

We must also remember that when Horizon was first installed many SPMs would have had little knowledge or experience of computers. This must have made the so called shortfalls bewildering to them. There for the grace of God..

Mr Bates V The Post Office is the best true to life drama for many years.
Well done to those who investigated and produced this excellent exposure of the terrible crimes carried out by those in charge at The Post Office.
They WERE crimes! They were crimes against hunanity to accuse innocent people and not launch an investigation into Horizon.
I truly hope that the likes of Paula Vennells will be brought to justice. How she could go into a church and preach is beyond belief!.
It was not an easy programme to watch to see good peoples lives and futures ruined.
I do hope all those people at least feel some relief that it was all exposed and now brought to the attention of everyone.
Well done Alan Bates for sticking to his guns.