A Submit Workplace investigator who had a ”heavy footprint” within the Horizon scandal is ready to present proof earlier than a public inquiry.
The statutory inquiry, which started in 2021, is chaired by retired choose Sir Wyn Williams. It has beforehand regarded on the human affect of the scandal, the Horizon system roll-out and the working system.
It’s now getting ready to look at the motion taken in opposition to the sub-postmasters. The probe was launched to make sure there’s a “public abstract of the failings which occurred with the Horizon IT system on the Submit Workplace” and subsequently led to the wrongful convictions of subpostmasters.
Now Stephen Bradshaw is scheduled to present proof on Thursday after being concerned within the legal investigation of 9 sub-postmasters. These embody Lisa Brennan, a former counter clerk in Huyton, close to Liverpool, who was falsely accused of stealing £3,000 in 2003.
Mr Bradshaw has been accused by a fellow Merseyside sub-postmistress, Rita Threlfall, of asking her the color of her eyes and what jewelry she wore earlier than saying: “Good, so we’ve received an outline of you for once they come” throughout her interview underneath warning in August 2010.
Lead counsel to the inquiry Jason Beer KC had beforehand described the investigator of getting a ”heavy footprint” within the scandal. His proof will type a part of part 4 of the Submit Workplace Horizon IT Inquiry which started in July final yr and is trying on the motion that was taken in opposition to subpostmasters together with audits, investigations and legal proceedings.
Mr Bradshaw was resulting from reply questions in November, however disclosure failings from the Submit Workplace meant the listening to was delayed till Thursday. Earlier in part 4, a former Submit Workplace lawyer apologised for prosecuting Ms Brennan who was left homeless along with her younger daughter after being wrongly convicted of theft.
Theresa Williamson stated she was “offended” that materials in regards to the defective laptop system was not disclosed to her earlier than Ms Brennan’s prosecution, saying: “We must always have been instructed this stuff.”
The actions of different attorneys and investigators have additionally come underneath scrutiny from Mr Beer and his crew over the previous few months. In September final yr, former authorized case supervisor Mandy Talbot instructed the probe she had “nothing to cover” regardless of showing to counsel coping with a subpostmistress’s declare of system defectiveness by saying: “How a lot to go away and maintain your mouth shut?”
In the identical month, former Submit Workplace auditor Helen Rose was grilled over giving “inaccurate” data to the Excessive Court docket which led to the chapter of East Yorkshire subpostmaster Lee Castleton.
In July, the pinnacle of authorized providers on the Submit Workplace, Ben Foat, additionally apologised on the inquiry after a doc surfaced which used the racist time period “negroid varieties” to explain wrongly convicted subpostmasters. The inquiry has additionally been affected by delays due to disclosure failings from the Submit Workplace.
In November, Mr Beer stated round 363,000 emails had been discovered on a legacy mailing system, and stated the earlier disclosure failings had led some to make use of the phrase “cowl up”. Section 4 of the inquiry is because of final till the start of subsequent month.