A campaigner and former sub-postmaster has called on former Post Office chief executive Paula Vennells to tell the truth as the Horizon IT investigation “heads into a corner from which there is no way out”.
Jo Hamilton was accused of falsely stealing £36,000 from the Post Office branch she ran in South Warnborough, Hampshire.
To avoid going to prison, he pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of false accounting and was indicted in 2006.
Ahead of Ms Vennells’ evidence to the inquiry on Wednesday, Ms Hamilton said that if she were in the former Post Office boss’s shoes, she would “just put my hands up” and say: “I’m really sorry and this is what it is.”
He told the PA news agency: “We just want the truth.
“You would think some of his humanity would come through and he would have to do the right thing.
“I don’t know – weak? Is he really a weak person? Overpromoted?
“I find all this strange. I’m really curious to see what comes out.
“I’m not expecting anything, so anything he gives us will be a bonus – but I’d love for him to just tell the truth.”
In a statement given on Friday by the Post Office’s current chief financial officer, Alisdair Cameron, the inquest heard Ms Vennells did not believe there were miscarriages of justice and was “emotionally unable to get to that point”.
Commenting on the evidence, Ms Hamilton said: “He knew.
“I’m sure about the tone of some of his emails. So he knew they were in trouble.
“Obviously, like the lawyers, I am not aware of all the statements, but I do know that there are some things that show that he knew and continued to do so.
“I don’t know if he was hoping that eventually they would have enough money and spend more than us; I think that was the plan.”
The investigation has yet to hear anything substantive from Ms Vennells, but a document submitted by her lawyers ahead of a preliminary hearing in 2021 said Vennells was “deeply disturbed” by the decisions in the cases against Ms Hamilton and chief campaigner Alan Bates, which included Horizon ” specified. It was found to be faulty.
Ms Hamilton told PA: “I think he was probably deeply disturbed because you can’t be human and you can’t be, right?
“And a priest, what is he doing?
“Even if he is an ordinary person… what kind of person is this?”
Asked on Wednesday what she wanted to hear from Ms Vennells’ statement, Ms Hamilton said: “Interestingly, she handed in her resignation in 2018, just as the proceedings were starting.
“So he must have known what would happen when he did this; Otherwise why not stay?
“He must have known he was done.
He continued: “It’s not even about remote access, it’s about not listening to people, it’s about firing people.
“Just why didn’t he do the right thing?
“He had the ability to resolve this issue in mediation – it was staring him right in the face – and what he needed to do then was to say ‘you know what, we’ve behaved really badly, let’s work this out’.”
“But it doubled.”
He continued: “Ultimately, if there are criminal charges for perverting the course of justice, he’d better confess now, because as I was told, if you plead early you get less punishment – but I didn’t do that. did anything.
“If I were him, I wouldn’t be in this situation in the first place, but if I were him, I’d be holding my hands up now and saying, ‘you know what, we’re all in this together, up to our necks.’ ‘I’m really sorry and this is what it is’ and then shut up.
“You can fight all you want, the papers are there – but in the end it leads to a corner where there is no way out.”
Neil Hudgell, a solicitor whose firm represents Ms Hamilton and 74 other co-administrators, said: “Our clients have waited a very long time to hear Ms Vennells’ evidence and it goes without saying that next week is of huge importance.
“It is not for me to speculate as to what evidence Ms Vennells may present to the Inquiry, but as operational head of the organisation, it is her duty to take responsibility and accountability for what has occurred during her tenure.
“The victims of this scandal are re-traumatized with each denial, untruth, or deception they hear, and they cannot move on without answers, responsibility, and truly expressed remorse and sadness.
“We sincerely hope that Ms. Vennells will follow through on her promise to bring much-needed clarity and understanding to these hearings.”
The Post Office has come under fire following ITV drama Mr Bates Vs The Post Office, which put the Horizon IT scandal under the spotlight.
More than 700 sub-postmasters were prosecuted and criminally convicted by the Post Office between 1999 and 2015 after Fujitsu’s faulty Horizon system caused their branches to appear to have no cash.
Hundreds of assistant managers are still awaiting full compensation despite the government saying those with quashed convictions are eligible for payouts of £600,000.