Public Inquiry: the Wading Through Treacle phase

What the Subpostmasters were up against

Former Post Office Retail Line Manager Elaine Cottam at the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry

I’ve spent the day tinkering with the Post Office Scandal website, re-opening the tip jar and writing up yesterday’s extraordinary evidence at the Inquiry.

It wasn’t just extraordinary thanks to Elaine Cottam, the woman pictured above. The Post Office contributed to the general sense of astonishment by managing to throw yet another spanner in the Inquiry’s works over disclosure. It means that the evidence sessions from at least two important witnesses have been postponed.

Karl Flinders has written it up for Computer Weekly.

Elaine Cottam was amazing though. I mean, really, really amazing. It would have been entertaining were it not deadly serious for the people affected by her decisions.

Do have a read.

Today at the Inquiry

The Guardian has written up today’s truncated hearing which featured evidence from a Post Office lawyer called Teresa Williamson who had a hand in the 2002 prosecution of Lisa Brennan.

After her conviction, wrote Mark Sweney, Lisa “tried to take an overdose, her marriage broke down, she became bankrupt and the family home had to be sold, leaving her homeless”.

Williamson said “she now knows upper management were aware of potential bugs and problems with the Horizon IT system but never told those pursuing cases against branch operators who were wrongfully convicted of stealing”.