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Royal Mail Group
Witness Statement
Criminal Justice Act 1967, Section 9; Magistrates Court Act 1980, sub section. SA(3)(a) and 5B; Criminal Procedure Rules 2005, Rule
27.4
Statement of _Doreen Josephine CORCORAN
Age ifunder18 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.
Dated the 11" day of May 2009
Signature Doreen Josephine
CORCORAN
lam the above named person and I give this statement of my own free will. I am
employed as a counter clerk at Gosforth Post Office and have been since 1*
December 2008. Previous to this I was employed as a counter clerk, full time at
Jesmond Post Office from 5" November 1997 to 26" November 2008. The Sub
Postmaster at Jesmond was Sunil Khanna. Sunil played no part in the running of the
Post Office and never came in to carry out checks of the cash or stock. Peter
Holmes was employed as the Manager and he dealt with the day to day running of it.
I was employed Monday to Friday from 8:45am to 5:30 pm. I only worked Saturdays
to cover when anybody was off. My duties were serving customers, dealing with the
daily reports when it was my turn and the same with declaring the foreign currency
on Horizon I also assisted with declaring the coin and the notes in the office. I would
count the coin on the floor and enter it into Horizon. I would also count the notes in
the drawer and write it onto the cash sheet as shown to me by Suzanne Winter, of
Post Office Ltd Fraud Team. Peter would then tell me what was in the safe and I
would write that onto the cash sheet before entering it into the Horizon system.
When Peter was there I never checked the notes in the safe. I took his word how
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much was in as I had no reason to doubt him. The last time I would have checked
how much was in the safe would have been when Peter was on his holiday and I
declared it correctly. When we went onto the monthly balance, Peter would take his
holidays so he was always there for the balance. As Peter remmed money out each
week there would be no reason to question if there was a large difference in the
money I declared and he did when he came back from holiday. When it came to the
monthly balance I would do the daily and weekly reports, declare the foreign
currency and the office weekly. I never declared the stock and only declared the
cash on the odd, taking he figure that Peter gave me as in the safe. Whenever I
declared the cash it was declared under IDO6. The foreign currency was under IDO7
and the travellers cheques under IDO8. At the monthly balance I would always leave
before Peter, he would tell me to go as he said he was waiting for the final figure.
Whenever I asked on the Thursday if it balanced, he would say it was ok. I was not
aware if it was up or down. Peter opened and closed the office and carried the Post
Office door keys with him. The safe keys were left in the medicentre overnight. I
only opened and closed the office when Peter was on holiday. In the morning Peter
would have the cash to be used that day in the drawers before we came in. Very
rarely, if we needed more cash during the day anybody would get it from the safe.
We operated a shared stock unit, AA in the office. My Horizon User Id was DCO001.
and my password was only known to me. I didn’t know anyone else’s password.
Apart from the speed, I wasn’t aware of any problems with the Horizon system. On
49" September 2008 I was on my holiday in Cyprus when I received a text from
Thelma Crerand asking when I was back from holiday. I thought it was strange and
phoned her. She told me Peter was suspended and the auditors had been in. She
didn’t say why. When I returned to work on Monday 22"4 September 2008, I was told
the auditors had found a £46,000 shortage. Sunil told me that Peter had been
declaring cash under IDO9. I was not aware IDO9 existed. I was not aware that there
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had been a shortage in the office. I didn’t steal the money.
Signature Doreen Josephine Signature witnessed Robert Daily
CORCORAN by
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Royal Mail is a trading name of Royal Mail Group Ltd. Registered number 4138203. Registered in England and Wales. Registered office: 148 Old Street, LONDON, ECV 8HO
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NOTE: This side B to be completed only when the original statement is overleaf. When this form is used
to make a copy of a statement side B is to be left blank.
Address
Home telephone No: i GRO I i Business telephone No:
Occupation:. Post Office Clerk Date and place of birth:
Maiden name.: _ Harris Identity code: 1
Dates to be avoided. Delete dates of non availability of witness
Month of: September 2009 Month of: Month of:
1 2 3 4/5 6 7 1 2 3 4/5 6 7 1 2 3 4I5 6 7
8 I 9 I 10 I 11 I 12} 13} 14] 8 I 9 I 10] 11 I 12 I 13 I 14] 8 9 I 10 I 11 I 12 I 13 I 14
15I II) I I] 15 I 16 I 17 I 18 I 19 I 20 I 21 [15 I 46 I 17 I 18 I 49 I 20 I 21
BGG is I 22 I 23 I 24 I 25 I 26 I 27 I 28 I 22 I 23 I 24 I 25 I 26 I 27 I 28
L IEGED 29 I 30 I 31 29 I 30 I 31
Month o Month o' Month o'
8 I 9 I 10] 14] 12/13] 14] 8 I 9 I 10] 11] 12) 13] 14] 8 I 9 I 10 I 11 I 12 I 13 I 14
15 I 16 I 17 I 18 I 19 I 20 I 21] 15 I 16 I 17 I 18 I 19 I 20 I 21] 15 I 16 I 17 I 18 I 19 I 20 I 21
22 I 23 I 24 I 25 I 26 I 27 I 28 I 22 I 23 I 24 I 25 I 26 I 27 I 28 I 22 I 23 I 24 I 25 I 26 I 27 I 28
29 I 30 I 31 29 I 30 I 31 29 I 30 I 31
Contact point, if different from above:
Address:
Telephone No:
STATEMENT TAKEN BY (print name) Robert Daily
Office _ Glasgow Mail Centre
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Royal Mail is a trading name of Royal Mail Group Ltd. Registered number 4138203. Registered in England and Wales. Registered office: 148 Old Street, LONDON, ECV 8HO