POL00047294
POL00047294
Royal Mail Group
Witness Statement
Criminal Justice Act 1967, Section 9; Magistrates Court Act 1980, sub section, 5A(3)(a) and 5B; Criminal Procedure Rules 2005, Rule 27.1
Statement of Vicky Louise MITCHELL
Age ifunder 18 Over 18 __ (if over 18 insert ‘over 18’)
This statement (consisting of 4 Pages each signed by me) is true to the best of my
knowledge and belief and I make it knowing that, if it is tendered in evidence, I shall be liable to prosecution if I
have wilfully stated in it anything which I know to be false or do not believe to be true.
Datedthe 11th dayof May 2009
Signature
I am the above named person and I give this statement of my own freewill.
Iam employed as a Post Office Assistant at Jesmond Post Office, St Georges Terrace,
Newcastle upon Tyne, NE2 2SY. I have been employed there since 07°" April 2008. I am
part time working Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday occasionally.
The Subpostmaster for the office is Sunil Khanna and prior to 18°" September 2008,
Peter Holmes was employed as the Manager. When Peter was employed Sunil never
took part in the running of the office and I never seen him in it. During this time I worked
Monday to Wednesday 08.45 to 17.30hrs. My main responsibility was to serve the
customers. Peter and Doreen Corcoran worked with me Monday to Wednesday.
The Post Office was always opened and closed by Peter. I never did it and never took the
keys. In the morning if Peter hadn’t put’the cash and stock in the drawers, myself and
Doreen would do it. We would split what we thought we needed evenly between the
three drawers. If I needed anymore through the day I would ask Peter and if he and
Doreen couldn't get it, they would tell me to take from the safe myself.
The cash wasn't counted before it was put in the drawer. We operated a shared stock
unit AA in the office. At the end of the day all the cash was amalgamated into the one
drawer then counted. It was then written on to the cash sheet, then entered into Horizon.
Occasionally I would write the figures onto the cash sheet then enter them onto Horizon.
I never did a variance check as I didn’t know you could.
It was only at the period end that we did a balance. Peter counted the cash and stock for
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POL00047294
POL00047294
the balance, nobody helped him. I was never involved in the balance.
I used to ask Peter how we balanced on the Monday and he would say it was fine, no
problems. When I asked Doreen she said she didn’t know and to ask Peter.
MY User ID for the Horizon system is VMIO01 and my password is not known to anyone.
I do not know anyone else’s password.
I am not aware of any problems with the Horizon system.
On 18" September 2008 when I arrived at the office Peter met re at the door and told
me the audit where in and there was a shortage. He never said how much. I was working
that day as Doreen was on holiday. I went in to the Post Office then Sunil told me to wait
in the tearoom. Sunil came in later and said the office was short but they didn’t know
how much. He then told me and Thelma to go home and he would phone us later.
Thelma phoned me later and told me she had been asked to over the running of the office
and could I come in.
It was later on I found out the shortage was £46,000.
When I did declare the cash I did so under 06. I have just been informed by Robert Daily,
Post Office Ltd Fraud Team that the £46,000 had been declared under 09. I wasn't
aware of this and didn’t know you could do a second cash declaration.
I didn’t steal the money.
Signature Signature witnessed by
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