Submit Field of business boss acknowledged subpostmasters had hands in till and blamed technology for missing money

The Submit Field of business’s managing director at the time Horizon device problems became public advised a senior colleague that he suspected subpostmasters accused of theft were attempting responsible the IT for their very bask in actions.

Alan Cook dinner, who became managing director of the Submit Field of business when Computer Weekly exposed the scandal in 2009became giving proof right now time within the public inquiry.

An email shown to the inquiry printed that, based on the Computer Weekly article, Cook dinner advised the head of PR at then parent company Royal Mail, “My instincts teach that, at some level of a recession, subbies with their hands within the till opt responsible technology when they are found to be looking money.”

When that email became establish to him by inquiry legal professionals, Cook dinner acknowledged: “That’s an expression I might feel sorry about for the leisure of my lifestyles. It became an unsuitable thing to assign in an email and not in accordance with my witness of subpostmasters.”

Throughout right now time’s hearing, Cook dinner furthermore claimed lack of information of the Submit Field of business’s prosecution powers. He became persistently challenged over his data of the organisation’s vitality to provoke and total prison prosecutions itself. He denied he knew this, claiming his interpretation became that varied authorities such because the police or the Crown Prosecution Carrier would make closing prosecution choices.

Sam Stein, KC, representing scandal victims, accused Cook dinner of lying about his data of Submit Field of business prosecution powers in his seek assertion.

Edward Henry, KC, furthermore representing broken-down subpostmasters, requested Cook dinner if he became accountable for the wrongful convictions of subpostmasters. Cook dinner acknowledged he had accountability and that it had came about on his survey.

That just is just not the first time proof has emerged of the low regard in which subpostmasters were held by Submit Field of business executives and the inability of have faith in them.

In a December 2023 hearing it became printed that broken-down Submit Field of business investigator Gary Thomas referred to subpostmasters campaigning for justice because the “Justice of Thieving Subpostmasters” community and known as them “crooks”.

In a hearing in October closing year, the inquiry heard that auditors and investigators had preconceived notions of subpostmasters when they visited branches that reported shortfalls. Previous skool Submit Field of business auditor and contracts consultant Alan Lusher printed that when problems arose in branches the first presumption became that the accounts were a massive quantity that will almost definitely be introduced on by a subpostmaster stealing money. “We referred colloquially to office accounts as soon as shortly being in a litter and as soon as shortly due to a fiddle,” he advised the public inquiry.

In Would possibly well presumably 2009, Computer Weekly printed the stories of seven subpostmasters and the concerns they suffered attributable to the accounting instrument (see timeline of Computer Weekly articles in regards to the scandal below). The Horizon device became launched in 1999/2000 to interchange manual accounting practices. It became a massive and intricate device launched to about 12,000 Submit Field of business branches.

Virtually directly after Horizon’s introduction, subpostmasters started having difficulties balancing their accounts. The Submit Field of business blamed them and when challenged by subpostmasters acknowledged the Horizon device had no errors and might per chance presumably not be accountable for unexplained losses. Subpostmasters were advised they were potentially the most attention-grabbing person having such problems.

• Also read:What it be crucial to know in regards to the Horizon scandal•

• Also survey:ITV’s documentary – Mr Bates vs The Submit Field of business: The true fable•

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