Post Office scandal extends ‘greatly beyond Horizon’ – victims’ lawyer
The post office scandal extends “greatly beyond” faulty Horizon software, according to a lawyer for victims.
Paul Marshall, representing former sub-postmasters, says problems with third party systems in branches, such as ATMs, have been “overlooked”.
A 2013 report commissioned by the Post Office, and not made public at the time, states: “Removing the ATM reduces the risk of (the sub-postmaster) being suspended… as does the presence of lottery tickets, (banking) services, and DVLA processing.”
It indicates there were issues known to the Post Office with third party systems within branches – separate to Horizon software.
Barrister Paul Marshall believes, as a result, there are “no convictions” secured by the Post Office against any sub-postmaster “that could or should properly be treated as safe”.
He says evidence of third party errors, such as ATMs, shows “the scandal extends considerably beyond, greatly beyond, it might be said, the limited focus of bugs in Horizon”.
Blanket exoneration legislation being introduced this summer will only quash convictions brought about “by erroneous Horizon evidence”.
Mr Marshall asserts that postmasters who have had appeals against convictions rejected by the Court of Appeal may have lost because their offences didn’t fall within the “narrow scope” of Horizon issues.
“Horizon was the only accounting system,” says Mr Marshall, “so other systems like ATM machines, bank giro payments, pension payments, lottery tickets, they’re all processed by Horizon, but they weren’t Horizon.”
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Review into another Post Office system
“The position adopted by the Court of Appeal,” he states, “is if this is a Horizon shortfall case, that is the sole basis you can have your conviction overturned.
“But you could lose your business and have an accounting shortfall that has got absolutely nothing to do with Horizon.”
The report by Detica, a consulting division of BAE systems, concluded that “Post Office systems are not fit for purpose in a modern retail and financial environment”.
Chirag Siphura’s case – ATM shortfalls
Chirag Sidhpura received interim compensation last year
Chirag Siphura was threatened with prosecution for ATM shortfalls at his branch in Surrey in 2017, four years after the Post Office received the Detica report.
He was ordered to pay £57,000.
Last year he received interim compensation, with Post Office accepting it was a “Horizon related” issue.
He says that the banks “used to be able to access the ATM remotely”, and that they would carry out updates, “but where the updates happened remotely the figures were always thrown out”.
Mr Siphura describes how the Post Office “always believed the figures that the ATM was giving were 100% correct”.
“If the bank came back and said ‘no, this figure is not correct’,” he continues, “then the Post Office will always take their word over our word.
“And we would then have to come up with evidence to demonstrate their figures are wrong.”
With an IT background Chirag was able to eventually investigate.
IT expert Jason Coyne: Many more impacted.
Jason Coyne believes believes many more people affected by third party systems may not have come forward
IT expert Jason Coyne, hired by Alan Bates and other sub-postmasters, submitted a report as part of their High Court case in 2016.
He describes asking the Post Office for information related to third party systems, such as ATMs.
“They would attempt to resist my request for information,” he says, “because what they would say is this isn’t Horizon information and therefore it’s outside of the Horizon trial.”
He says that the High Court judge at the time, Mr Justice Fraser, was “rightly trying to keep the Horizon trial just about the Horizon system”.
“But what he didn’t know at the time,” he continues, “…is that all of these third party systems were absolutely critical to Horizon’s operation” so it was “wrong of Post Office to prevent us access to those documents.”
Mr Coyne believes “many more people” affected by third party systems may not have come forward to date – separate to those already identified as having Horizon issues.
Wendy Cousins case: “My wife died totally innocent”.
Wendy Cousins is shown on her wedding day. Pic: Paul Cousins
Wendy Cousins was convicted of stealing £13,000, relating to pension payments, from her branch in 2005.
Judges at the Court of Appeal ruled that the Horizon computer software had not been “essential” to her prosecution, and upheld her conviction.
She died in February 2022 – less than a year later.
Her husband Paul says he believes her conviction “was a factor in her premature death” from cancer.
“She was treated as a criminal right from the very start,” he says, “…they stuck a sign on the door saying ‘Closed’.”
Paul Cousins says Wendy was persuaded to plead guilty to escape jail.
He is convinced of her innocence and wants her case reviewed again.
“My hope would be that Wendy will be exonerated,” he says.
A Post Office spokesperson said: “We are deeply sorry for the pain which has been suffered by so many people throughout the Horizon IT Scandal.”
They added: “We remain focused on supporting the inquiry.”
In a statement the Department for Business and Trade said it was “committed to righting the wrong of the past and have introduced urgent legislation to overturn the convictions of hundreds of postmasters before the summer.
“If any further injustices emerge, these can be considered by the Criminal Complaints Review Commission, which can ask the Court of Appeal to overturn convictions,” the statement added.
Anti-corruption minister Tulip Siddiq has been named by investigators in Bangladesh who allege she was involved in the illegal allocation of land to members of her family while serving as an MP.
Sky News has obtained an affidavit – or legal written statement – filed by the anti-corruption commission in Bangladesh that accuses Ms Siddiq and others of being involved in fraudulently obtaining plots in the diplomatic zone of a development near to the country’s capital Dhaka.
The document states: “While serving as a Member of the British parliament, it is known that [Ms Siddiq] exerted pressure and influence on her aunt, the former prime minister, to take measures for the allotment of plots in the same project in the names of her mother, Mrs Rehana Siddiq, her sister Ms Azmina Siddiq, and her brother Mr Radwan Mujib Siddiq.”
Politics latest:
Badenoch blames ‘peasants’ for grooming scandal
Tulip Siddiq MP in 2019. Pic: Reuters
The director general of the Bangladesh Anti-Corruption Commission Akhtar Hossain told Sky News: “Tulip Siddiq and former prime minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina misused… power to take the plot from the Purbachal New Town Project.”
Investigators allege that planning officials were bribed and pressured into fraudulently allocating land.
A Labour source said Tulip Siddiq totally refutes the claims and had not been contacted by anyone on the matter.
The source also said no evidence had been presented for the allegations.
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Tulip Siddiq is asked if she will step down but gives no indication one way or the other.
Tulip Siddiq had already been named in Bangladeshi court documents, also seen by Sky News, relating to alleged embezzlement from a nuclear power project in the country.
Labour sources suggested the accusations were not genuine.
That court claim was made by Bobby Hajjaj, a political opponent of Ms Siddiq’s aunt – the former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Ms Hasina fled Bangladesh in August and resigned her post amid weeks of deadly protests.
The new government has since accused the previous Awami League administration of crimes and corruption while in office.
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Siddiq refers herself to ethics watchdog
Minister caught up in anti-corruption probe
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Shadow chancellor calls on PM to sack minister
Tulip Siddiq has come under increasing pressure over her links to her aunt’s political party, with Sky News revealing she boasted about her connections to the Awami League in blog posts from 2008 and 2009.
The anti-corruption minister has also been found to have lived in several London properties with links to alleged allies of her aunt’s regime.
Tulip Siddiq (far left) with her aunt, Sheikh Hasina (third left), and Russian President Vladimir Putin at a 2013 signing ceremony in the Kremlin as Moscow lent $1.5bn to help build a nuclear power station. File pic: AP
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has since called for her to be suspended as a minister.
The UK Anti-Corruption Coalition has also said Ms Siddiq should step aside from the money laundering and economic crime brief she currently holds.
“The clear conflict of interest surrounding Tulip Siddiq presents a key test for the new government… as anti-corruption experts, it is clear to us that she should not hold responsibility for these sensitive areas in her portfolio”, said Peter Munro, senior coordinator at the anti-corruption coalition.
UK
Kemi Badenoch says grooming gang abusers are ‘peasants’ from ‘sub-communities’ in other countries
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has said grooming gang perpetrators are “peasants” from “sub-communities” in other countries.
She has now met survivors after revealing last week she had not met any while calling for a new national inquiry into the scandal that saw thousands of mainly white girls being abused by men of mainly Pakistani origin.
Ms Badenoch said she was shocked by their stories and an inquiry needs to look at “cultural issues”.
Politics latest: Tulip Siddiq faces new corruption allegations
“There is a systematic pattern of behaviour not even just from one country, but from sub-communities within those countries, people with a particular background, particular class background, work background,” she told GB News.
“You know, people [who are] very, very poor, sort of peasant background, very, very rural, almost cut off from even the home origin countries that they might have been in.
“They’re not necessarily first generation. The jobs that they were doing… allowed them to exhibit this predatory behaviour.”
She also said there is another issue of the “culture of silence, the culture of ‘computer says no’, the culture of ‘move along, nothing to see here’, the culture of ‘this is not our problem’, which is on the side of the state”.
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Grooming gangs: What happened?
The Tory leader said a national inquiry needs to look at both “cultural issues” at the same time.
She has repeatedly clashed with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer as she calls for a new national inquiry.
The government has said another national inquiry is not needed after a seven-year inquiry was published in 2022 by Professor Alexis Jay.
It has said the focus should instead be on implementing the 20 recommendations made by Professor Jay, and is in favour of locally-led inquiries.
Read more:
Grooming gangs scandal – what happened?
Labour’s Rotherham MP backs gang inquiry
Starmer says Treasury will be ‘ruthless’ amid market turmoil
Ms Badenoch is calling for a new national inquiry. Pic: PA
Tech billionaire Elon Musk brought the issue to international attention as he attacked Sir Keir for his involvement in prosecuting grooming gangs while he was chief prosecutor from 2008-2013. The prime minister has pushed back against Mr Musk’s claims.
Ms Badenoch said a national inquiry would shine a light on the truth and hold people to account.
“This is about those victims who deserve justice,” she said.
“The survivors who deserve justice by making sure that every single perpetrator we can find is caught and brought to justice, and those who failed in their duty to protect their children are held to account and exposed.”
Her comments came as the Labour MP for Rotherham Sarah Champion called for a national inquiry into grooming gangs, but led locally.
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