So sad watching this. My lovely local Post Office closed down because of it. It was owned by a lovely family and their son was accused of theft as he was the postmaster. He went to prison for 18 months. His mum told customers it was the new Horizon system but rumours spread that he was a thief. Nobody would use their little corner shop anymore and people were racist against them as they were an Asian family. He was the nicest, most efficient postmaster and was super fast with serving you. So very sad they lost their home and business.
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.
Petition signed.
Agree Callistemon.
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
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
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.
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.
The Post Office in the village next to mine was closed down because of this. Those poor people!
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.
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 😥
rafichagran
Can the title be changed to Mr Bates at the post office?
Please change the title to ‘Mr Bates vs the Post Office’.
It’s a wonder how the people responsible can sleep at night. How helpless those poor postmasters/mistresses must have felt.
the op should 'report' the post and ask for correction of title
Our village postmistress was implicated. It was all very sad. She was a widow, bright and a pillar of the local church. One of those ladies who is always looked up to and admired. Anyway, she lost her job and her home. She refused to speak to anyone and barely ventured out of her house. I think drink become involved. She died in a house fire.
Dreadful thing to have happened to Post Office staff and it has dragged on for so long now. Not sure if the awarded compensation has been paid out to them. No amount of money could make up for what they went through but having their names cleared was a big step. Shame on the Post Office managers concerned.
That woman, Paula Vennells, who was in charge of the Post Office left with a bonus of £400,000 and a CBE. She was an ordained priest!
Absolutely disgusting.
I cried for these people when I watched.
No compensation can undo or make up for the harm caused.
Yes I watched it as I had followed the story as it emerged.
Compensation can never be sufficient for the poor people caught up in the scandal.
It would be good to think that it can never happen again.
Our village Post Office closed we were told because of fraud. It wasn't it was to do with the computer errors a total disgrace.
It was chilling watching how this awful miscarriage of justice rolled out. Our own local postmaster was implicated, lost his job, had to sell his house to pay his £20,000 “debt”, pleaded guilty to bring an end to the nightmare, got a suspended sentence and had to leave the area because of the looks and whispers from the community. He decided just in 2021 to clear his name, and did so successfully, though I saw an interview with him a year later saying he’d still had no compensation. He was just glad to be able to visit friends in the area again with his head held high.
I hadn’t realised either that the police weren’t involved in the case. I like to think if they had been, it would have become apparent much earlier that something weird was going on.
It’s just beyond belief that people were treated so badly.
It is an absolute scandal, and very frightening that ordinary people can be bullied into pleading guilty to something they didn't do. So many people's lives ruined - their reputations besmirched, their homes, future job prospects and incomes seriously affected. So terrible.
What I hadn't realised was that the Post Office can legally carry out investigations without police involvement.
I wonder how many former sub post masters are out there who did not join in the campaign to clear their names because they just couldn't face the trauma of re-living the whole terrible experience.
Oh whoops I've put Potts and its Mr Bates Don't think I can edit it sorry
Sorry, crossed posts rafichagran.
By the way, some people may miss this thread as the programme title was Mr. Bates versus the Post Office (not Potts).
Our postmaster's name and address went in the local paper when it went to court. That was the end of their corner shop. So very sad and the Post Office knew it was Horizon and covered it up for years
Can the title be changed to Mr Bates at the post office?
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