Third police probe into Post Field of job scandal below consideration

A third police investigation into seemingly crimes dedicated by other folk in the Post Field of job scandal will be launched as the Metropolitan Police Provider is “making an strive at” a doable probe.

In January, subpostmaster campaigner Alan Bates stated if the police don’t examine, he and fellow campaigners will raise the funds compulsory to pursue internal most prosecutions.

When Bates met with Metropolitan Police officers to talk a couple of doable investigation into the Post Field of job and other folk, he became as soon as knowledgeable the skill became as soon as making an strive into it.

He knowledgeable Computer Weekly: “I met up with some senior officers sooner than the public inquiry on Monday. They clarified their explain and gave us the protection that they were making an strive in any appreciate of it.”

Bates’ assembly with the police followed a letter he wrote to Metropolitan Police commissioner Tag Rowley, asking for clarification on what the skill became as soon as doing, sooner than transferring forward with a opinion to launch internal most prosecutions.

Bates had earlier stated the subpostmaster campaigners would set up in thoughts privately prosecuting the opposite folk accountable for the Post Field of job scandal. The form of switch would maybe per chance also specialize in about the subpostmasters employ the a similar powers to prosecute former Post Field of job team as the organisation weak to wrongly prosecute a complete bunch of subpostmasters. Whereas it is miles an costly direction of, no one will doubt the Justice for Subpostmasters Alliance’s skill to spice up the funds.

The Metropolitan Police had no longer responded to Computer Weekly’s questions on the time this article became as soon as printed.

If an investigation is launched, this would possibly per chance occasionally be the third police probe into seemingly crimes dedicated in the Post Field of job scandal. As printed by Computer Weekly in April 2020, the Met Police began investigating whether tech executives at Fujitsu, which equipped the Post Field of job’s Horizon retail and accounting blueprint, dedicated perjury throughout prosecutions of subpostmasters. In November of that identical year, the Met opened a paunchy investigation, which is ongoing.

In January this year, a 2d Metropolitan Police investigation became as soon as launched into seemingly crimes linked to the Post Field of job technique of recovering phantom losses from prosecuted subpostmasters. Between 2000 and 2015, the Post Field of job prosecuted 736 subpostmasters over unexplained shortfalls, for crimes including theft and faux accounting. The Post Field of job forced subpostmasters to pay for the shortfalls, irrespective of there being no proof of cash being stolen, handiest the shortfalls incorrectly recorded by the Horizon blueprint.

The Metropolitan Police stated it became as soon as “investigating seemingly fraud offences coming up out of these prosecutions”, which included “monies recovered from subpostmasters on memoir of prosecutions or civil actions”.

Individually, six more former subpostmasters maintain had wrongful convictions overturned, which were in line with proof from the wrong Post Field of job Horizon blueprint. Campaigners will be searching at Parliament in the hope that regulations on overturning convictions en masse is rushed through Parliament, sooner than it is miles prorogued sooner than the Usual Election on 4 July.

The Post Field of job Horizon scandal became as soon as first exposed by Computer Weekly in 2009, revealing the reports of seven subpostmasters and the issues they suffered ensuing from accounting instrument (specialize in about under timeline of all Computer Weekly articles about the Horizon scandal, since 2009).

• Also study: What you maintain gotten to know about the Horizon scandal •

• Also gaze: ITV’s documentary – Mr Bates vs The Post Field of job: The true narrative •

Read more on IT for retail and logistics

• 
  

  ‘You knew’ – former ally accused Paula Vennells of brilliant about Horizon problems

  

  By: Karl Flinders

• 
  

  Post Field of job clique deepened Horizon scandal

  

  By: Karl Flinders

• 
  

  Post Field of job directors went crawling attend to Fujitsu when IBM mission bought advanced, inquiry knowledgeable

  

  By: Karl Flinders

• 
  

  The autumn from grace of ex-priest and Post Field of job boss Paula Vennells

  

  By: Karl Flinders