PUBLIC INQUIRY INTO POST OFFICE SCANDAL REVEALS ITS SAD IMPACT – At least 13 postmasters may have taken their own lives (JC)
Today, the long-running Post Office inquiry—more than two years in the making—will release the first part of its final report on the Horizon IT scandal.
New evidence on the Horizon IT scandal has been revealed during the ongoing Public Inquiry. At least 13 postmasters may have taken their own lives after being accused of theft and other wrongdoing based on evidence from the Horizon IT system, which the Post Office and software developers Fujitsu knew could be false.
A further 59 witnesses told the inquiry that they also considered ending their own lives. Ten confessed to trying at least once, whilst many others recounted stories of alcoholism and mental health disorders, including anorexia and depression, family breakup, divorce, bankruptcy and personal abuse.
Inquiry Chairman Sir Wyn Williams concluded that this enormous personal toll on staff came despite senior staff at the Post Office knowing the Horizon IT System was suspect and had been proven to produce accounts which showed false reporting, even before the system was rolled out to all its branches.
Sir Wyn stated that, based on the evidence presented, he was satisfied that Managers knew, or at least should have known, that the Legacy Horizen software was error-prone. Even the updated version, called Horizon Online, also had bugs and errors. Despite this, the Post Office Managers and Fujitsu developers maintained that the systems were accurate 100% of the time.
The first volume of the report focuses on what Sir Wyn calls the “disastrous” impact of false accusations made against at least 1,000 postmasters, and the various redress schemes the Post Office and government have established since miscarriages of justice were identified and proven.
